Record Store Day in Ottawa, Canada
Two dates to know: Record Store Day Black Friday is Friday, November 29, 2026, and the next main Record Store Day is Saturday, April 17, 2027.
What is Record Store Day?
Record Store Day is an annual event built around independent record stores. The main event traditionally lands on the third Saturday of April each year; Record Store Day Black Friday is traditionally held the day after US Thanksgiving. Both days bring exclusive, limited-run vinyl and CD releases sold only at participating independent shops — not big-box retailers, and not mail order until the in-store exclusives sell through. Because pressings are limited, popular titles can sell out within the first hour, which is why a line-early culture has grown up around the day even at shops that are otherwise quiet on a weekday morning.
Tips for the day
- Arrive early. At busy shops, lines for popular titles can start well before opening.
- Bring cash. A cash line often moves faster than card on a shop's highest-volume day of the year.
- Check each shop's own site or Instagram in the week before the date — participating shops post their own opening time, line policy, and which exclusive titles they've ordered in.
- Release lists are first-come, first-served and vary store to store. A title in stock at one shop may not show up at another, even across town.
- Expect one-per-customer or per-household limits on the most in-demand titles.
- Not every independent record store participates every year, and allocations vary shop to shop — confirm directly with the shop rather than assuming based on a past year.
Shops to check in Ottawa, Canada
Independent record shops open in Ottawa, Canada right now. We don't yet track which specific shops participate in Record Store Day or what they've ordered in for a given year — check each shop's own site or Instagram close to the date for their exclusive-release list, opening time, and line policy.
- Baked Goods
Curated new/used vinyl, cassettes and 45s since October 2023, plus turntables and audio gear; hosts monthly Vinyl Nights with a DJ, pinball and a tax-free midnight sale.
2 sources
- Cédé Troqué
Long-running Gatineau (Hull sector) buy/sell/trade shop for vinyl, CDs, comics and cassettes since 2008; run by owner François Desjardins. A separate former Cédé Troqué location on Boulevard Gréber has since closed, but this Saint-Joseph location remains active.
2 sources
- Compact Music
Family-run Glebe institution nearly 30 years in business, stocking over 40,000 new and used titles across rock, indie, pop and jazz plus niche categories like soundtracks and holiday music.
2 sources
- Legend Records
Ottawa's oldest record shop, established 1979, second floor of a Wellington Village storefront; nearly 250,000 items across two locations spanning vintage vinyl to niche modern genres.
2 sources
- Musica Monette
Gatineau media shop founded 1974, celebrating 50+ years in business. Sells new vinyl LPs alongside CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays and karaoke; also runs a Discogs Marketplace storefront.
3 sources
- Possible Worlds
Artist-run DIY shop, gallery and print studio in the Arts Court building selling vinyl, cassettes, artist books and zines from Ottawa, Canadian and international independent artists.
2 sources
- The ODDs & SODs Shoppe
Bleeker Mall shop since 2015 specializing in vinyl LPs across genres, plus CDs, DVDs, film/Broadway soundtracks, turntables and vintage music memorabilia.
2 sources
- The Record Centre
Hintonburg's vinyl destination since 2011, run by founder John Thompson; a huge curated used-LP selection plus vintage audio/turntable sales and repairs, doubling as a small live venue.
2 sources
- The Record Centre Too
Second Record Centre location across the street from the main Wellington St shop, opened in 2022 for online-order pickup and discount records, CDs and cassettes.
1 source
- The Turning Point
Centretown fixture buying, selling and trading used vinyl, CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays since 1983; over 10,000 LPs across rock, blues, jazz, hip-hop, dance, classical, pop and folk.
2 sources
- Vertigo Records
Old Ottawa South's premier record shop since 2003, stocking 20,000+ new and used LPs across rock, punk, hip-hop, soul, jazz and metal, plus turntables and free special orders.
2 sources
See the full record store listing for Ottawa, Canada.