See the OG Incredible Hulk (Lou Ferrigno), the Godfather of Punk (Iggy Pop) or one of TikTok’s favourite nurses (Nurse Blake) | Things to do in Ottawa, September 9-15 – news today

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PUNK

Iggy Pop at a folk festival? Strange it may seem, but yes, the Godfather of Punk is headlining the opening night of this year’s edition of CityFolk, which runs Sept. 13-17 on the Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park. The 76-year-old is reported to be in great shape these days, with a sizzling new album called Every Loser and a newly formed band, The Losers, that includes former Guns ‘N Roses bassist Duff McKagan rounding out the lineup of Chad Smith, Josh Klinghoffer, and Andrew Watt. They top a bill that also features the soulful party band Busty and the Bass, and Montreal’s all-female garage-punk outfit, NOBRO. With fees and taxes, a day ticket for Sept. Wednesday, Sept. 13 is about $80, or you can buy a full festival pass for about $220. Note that your ticket includes free OC Transpo service to and from the festival. Go to cityfolkfestival.com to purchase.

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ROCK

After playing Ottawa twice within a year between the fall of 1986 and the summer of 1987, rock legend Peter Gabriel waited 36 years to return to the nation’s capital. He pulls into the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday, Sept. 9. Now 73, the English musician is back on the road with a new album’s worth of material about to be released. The forthcoming project is titled i/o, and, according to recent concert reviews, he’s playing most of the songs from it during a two-set concert, along with back-catalogue hits like Solsbury Hill, In Your Eyes and Biko, and will be accompanied by his top-notch band of Tony Levin, David Rhodes and Manu Katché. The one era of his career he’s not expected to touch is Genesis, despite having been their original lead singer until 1975. Tickets range from about $65 in the upper levels to $300-plus for floor seats, available through ticketmaster.ca. Showtime is 8 p.m.

COMEDY

The comedian known as Nurse Blake is making the leap from social media to the stage, and his thousands of followers are all for it. Before his career in comedy took off, Blake Lynch was a nurse who worked in trauma centres and made funny videos to cope with the stress. They went viral, striking a chord with health-care workers around the world, and setting him off on a new path as an entertainer, nursing advocate and best-selling author. His Shock Advised tour stops at the National Arts Centre on Sunday, Sept. 10 for an 8 p.m. show at Southam Hall. Tickets range from about $62 to $131, available through ticketmaster.ca.

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POP CULTURE

Meet your favourite sci-fi actors and cult characters at the 10th-anniversary edition of Ottawa Comiccon, taking place Sept. 8-10 at the E.Y. Centre (4899 Uplands Dr.). This year’s star-studded program presents cast members from Harry Potter, Star Trek, Dr. Who, Starship Troopers, Prey, Stranger Things and more, including The Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno. For a fee, you can get autographs or have a photo taken with famous guests. Other activities include a non-professional costume contest; tabletop gaming, panels and workshops; a comic artists’ showcase; and demonstrations by local cosplay groups. Day tickets ($35-$55, more for VIP) and three-day weekend passes ($90-$275 VIP) are available at ottawacomiccon.com. Children aged 6-12 are admitted free on Friday.

DANCE

Judging by the number of salsa nights around the city, Ottawa is a hotbed of Latin culture, and here’s a festival that’s been celebrating that culture for 10 years. The Latin Sparks Festival is a one-day celebration that focuses on the dancing, with DJs as well as live music by Salseros with Attitude, and even some lessons in salsa and bachata styles. Up to 6,000 people are expected to take part this year. The fun starts at 3 p.m. and runs until 11 p.m. on Saturday at LeBreton Flats Park on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum. Tickets start at about $50, with discounts for bulk purchases of two, four or 10. Children 12 and under are admitted free. To order, visit latinsparks.ca.

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FOOD

More than a dozen Ottawa chefs will be cooking Wednesday, Sept. 13, at All Saints Event Space (330 Laurier Ave. E.) to help raise funds for Youturn Youth Support Services at an event simply titled Harvest: A Feast of Fall. At the event, which will run from 6 to 10 p.m., you can find chefs such as Justin Champagne-Lagarde of Perch, Joe Thottungal of Coconut Lagoon and Thali and David Godsoe of Restaurant E18hteen serving food from stations after teaming up with local butchers and farmers supplying their ingredients. Beverages from Kichesippi Beer Co, Nickel Brook Brewing Co, Dunrobin Distilleries, Saunders Cider, Casa-Dea Estates Winery will be served on site. Tickets are $102.51 including fees at eventbrite.ca or harvestottawa.ca.

lsaxberg@postmedia.com and phum@postmedia.com

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