Immersive DJ Shows Now Happening at Ottawa's Public Pools

Music and swimming collided at Champagne Fitness Centre on King Edward Avenue when a crowd of dozens bobbed in the pool to the electro beat of a DJ spinning from the second-floor mezzanine.

The event featured Toronto-based artist Eejungmi (DJ Katie Lee) with an opening set by Gatineau musician Yolande Laroche, organized by Debaser — a non-profit, underground-arts organization founded over a decade ago by Ottawa's Rachel Weldon. The group specializes in hosting events in unconventional spaces and exploring how sound fills different rooms and how artists interact with those spaces.

Debaser is best known for curating Pique, a quarterly showcase of underground music and art that takes over the Ottawa Art Gallery, Arts Court, and the downtown arts hub at Nicholas and Daly. Born during the pandemic, Pique has blossomed into a diverse, multi-stage festival that starts early and runs late. The fifth-anniversary edition happens Friday, June 13.

Weldon, who swims regularly at Champagne Bath and loves it despite cramped change rooms and cool water temps, was immediately inspired by the venue's potential. "I was immediately really excited and inspired by the space," she said, "because it's an old art-deco building, and the architecture is really interesting and beautiful. There's also this amazing mural on the wall."

Completed in 1924, Champagne Bath was one of the first two indoor swimming pools in Ottawa — the other being Plant Bath on Somerset Street, built the same year. After the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic and before widespread indoor plumbing, city officials believed public baths would improve the health and hygiene of working-class residents.

For swimmers at the DJ show, the experience blurred the line between aquatic exercise and social event. One attendee compared it to aquafit — another called it aqua-fun, a vibe that seemed to capture the room perfectly.