Parking, Accessibility and Getting to OWFF 2017 at Saint Paul University: Tips for Festival Goers

As you may have already heard, the One World Film Festival is at a new venue this year: Saint Paul University! This being our first year holding the festival there, we wanted to share some tips to make your festival experience and what might be your first visit to Saint Paul University a good one.

How to get here and where to go

Located at 223 Main Street in Ottawa, across the street from The Green Door, Café Qui Pense, 3 Trees, and Singing Pebble Books, Saint Paul University is one of Ottawa’s institutions for higher learning that offers a range of programs, from Conflict Studies to Public Ethics, Counselling, Law and more.

Screenings and talks at the 28th Annual One World Film Festival will be taking place in the amphitheatre, located in Pavillon Guigues Hall. The amphitheatre is accessible from the front entrance on Main Street, but is easiest to get to from the parking lot located on Hazel Street on the North side of the campus. Volunteers will also be stationed at the front entrance and will be able to point you in the right direction, but if you are unsure about where to go click here to view a map and have a look at the map at the end of the bottom of this post.

If you’re driving to the festival, there are a number of routes you can take to get here and you probably know which one is best for you, but, if you’re not familiar with the area, consider using an online tool like Google Maps or Bing Maps to map out your trip to the festival in advance. Just enter the address of your starting point, click DIRECTIONS, and enter the address of the university (Saint Paul University, 223 Main Street, K1S 1C4, Ottawa).

If you’re busing, we’ve got great news! OC Transpo’s #5 Billings/Rideau has stops directly in front of and across from Saint Paul University, at Main and Hazel or Main and Herridge (depending on which direction you’re coming from), and runs until 11PM (or after) on weekdays and Saturdays and ~10:15PM (Billings) and ~10:50PM (Rideau) on Sundays. For more information and to plan your trip, check the OC Transpo website at octranspo.com

Saint Paul University is also very accessible to cyclists. Main Street features new bike lanes between the sidewalk and the road and you can also take the bike path located on Colonel By Drive and access Main from Clegg Street. Please be advised, however, that pedestrians don’t always recognize where the sidewalk ends and the bike path begins on Main Street, especially outside of busy areas like The Green Door, so please keep an eye out and use that bell! There is a bike rack located at 223 Main Street at the front entrance to the building. There is also a rack located close to the fenced off construction area in the parking lot on Hazel Street and across the street from the university, next to The Green Door.

Accessibility

If you are currently using a mobility aid, such as a wheelchair, walker, crutches, cane or other support, please enter the festival via the Pavillon Guigues Hall entrance via the parking lot located on Hazel Street, on the North side of the Saint Paul University campus, where a ramp is located. Please note that accessible seating in the amphitheatre is limited and we advise those who require this type of seating to arrive early to reserve spaces.

Parking

There is a paid parking lot on Hazel Street, located on the North side of the Saint Paul University campus. The cost of parking in the lot is $3/hour up to a maximum of $10/day. You must purchase a ticket from the Park & Pay machine and clearly display the ticket inside your windshield. There is NO free parking in this lot. More information about paid parking on campus can be found online here.

There are also residential streets in the area where you can park, but please remember not park in the same spot for more than three (3) consecutive hours between 7AM and 7PM and to observe the City of Ottawa’s on-street parking rules. For more information about those regulations and restrictions, click here.

Interactive Map