Celebrating 40 years of the Great Glebe Garage Sale!

By Sam Woods

Spring is in the air, and that means it’s almost time for one of Ottawa’s most beloved events, the Great Glebe Garage Sale. And while City officials have refused to issue a permit this year because of safety concerns (more on that later), do not fear, the event will go ahead as usual! So, mark your calendars for Saturday, May 23, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. A community staple since its creation in 1986 by the Glebe Community Association, this neighbourhood-wide event has grown into a much-anticipated tradition for residents and visitors alike that transforms the Glebe into a bustling hub of treasure hunters, bargain seekers and community spirit!

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned veteran, the Great Glebe Garage Sale (together with the Bank Street sidewalk sale) has something for everyone. This annual event invites residents throughout the Glebe to set up garage sales on their properties, creating a sprawling, sidewalk-adjacent marketplace filled with everything from vintage furniture and retro clothes to books, children’s toys, kitchen gadgets and hidden trinkets you didn’t know you needed!

As coordinator (aka Mayor) of this cherished event, I’m thrilled to see the community come together once again for a day of fun, reuse and fundraising. Not only is it a fantastic opportunity to declutter your space and find bargains, it also supports a great cause. Participants are encouraged to donate a portion of their proceeds (10 per cent) to the Ottawa Food Bank, using garage sale earnings to give back to those in need.

Now, for those who enjoy a bit of drama and intrigue (I know I do), here’s something for you. For the past two years, I have engaged in friendly sparring with the City of Ottawa to try to obtain a permit for the event to make it as safe as possible. Traffic Management has been a consistent roadblock in this process. Their stance is that our event is fundamentally unsafe due to the high volume of attendees on foot, bike and in vehicles, all interacting at once.

Last year, they concocted a parking-ban plan to try to mitigate vehicle/pedestrian interactions, but what was enacted on the day was very different from what had been communicated, and the last-minute switch made it impossible for me to communicate the plan to Glebe residents. This year, after months of work and a boatload of emails trying to find a workable compromise that would quell Traffic Management’s concerns while maintaining the integrity of the event, Traffic Management rejected my engagement, and the Great Glebe Garage Sale was not issued a permit for 2026.

Surprisingly, this changes nothing about our community’s ability to host the event as usual. The removal of the Glebe Community Association from the discussion disappointingly means that we have lost our agency to advocate on behalf of residents about potential parking restrictions. Moments before this issue of the Glebe Report wentto print, I received the City’s traffic plan thanks to the help of the Councillor’s office. The current plan is that Second and Fourth avenues will be closed during the event betweenLyon and O’Connor, and that Glebe, First and Third avenues may be closed in responseto traffic on the day of. There will also be sweeping parking restrictions throughout the Glebe. The GCA will provide more details via our e-newsletter, which you can sign up for at glebeca.ca. In the meantime, however, here are a few tips and guidelines:

Private Property Only, Please. To keep the event safe, orderly and respectful of our public spaces, all sales must be held exclusively on private property. That means in front yards, driveways and garages, but no selling on the sidewalks or streets. This helps ensure pedestrian safety and prevents congestion that could interfere with emergency access to the neighbourhood.

Thinking of Selling Food? Get a Permit First! If you’re planning to sell any type of food or drink, you must obtain a food vendor permit from the City of Ottawa. This ensures public health standards are met and keeps everyone safe while enjoying their snacks

Plan Ahead for Cleanup. After the hustle and bustle of sale day, it’s up to residents to dispose responsibly of any unsold items. We encourage everyone to plan ahead – donate reusable goods to local charities, post leftovers in the Buy Nothing Facebook group or save items for next year’s sale.

If you’re new to the Glebe, this is the perfect day to get to know your neighbours. And, if you’ve lived here for years, it’s a chance to celebrate what makes the Glebe such a special place to call home. On behalf of the Glebe Community Association, thank you for helping make the Great Glebe Garage Sale a continued success and a highlight of our year. I can’t wait to see what treasures await us all this year and will see you out there, rain or shine! I’ll be the one in the “Garage Sale Mayor” sash. Sam Woods is the coordinator of the Great Glebe Garage Sale on behalf of the Glebe Community Association. He is a little miffed at Traffic Management right now but will cool off eventually. The Great Glebe Garage Sale is a perfect opportunity to meet neighbours, hunt bargains and be environmentally virtuous, all in one go! This year’s garage sale celebrates 40 years on May 23!