The most important first step is making sure you have a place to sleep. At this point if you're thinking about booking a hotel (expensive or cheap) in the downtown core near all the action, you're a little too late. Hotels downtown have been booked up for this celebration for a while now, many booked up the day after Canada Day last year. Your next step is to look outside the city, Ottawa is surrounded by many smaller communities, and many have hotels or bed and breakfasts. The thing is, you should book now. Even if you're planning on camping you'll find that everything will book up quickly, if it's not already. Don't expect to come down a few days before, even if you're camping, and find anything available. I had friends visit a few years back and try this on Canada Day and they ended up camping in my back yard, and that year wasn't as big a celebration as we're expecting this year.
While you're making those reservations, why not stick around for a few days. Canada Day in Ottawa is a big deal, and this year it's going to be massive. You'll likely find yourself getting caught up in all the festivities, and you'll likely miss a few things. The good news is that many events this year will be stretched throughout the week or longer. Already the city has started to celebrate with special events, and these events are likely going to increase the closer we get to July first. And if this is your first visit to Ottawa you might want to take in some of the local culture and in particular visit many museums in the area. The city is going to be at its best this July, so make sure you have the time to enjoy it all.
On the big day you're going to have to make a choice, do you get yourself a good seat for the show on Parliament Hill or do you adventure around town and see all the other events. You'll likely be able to wander in and out of the Parliament Hill front lawn a little early on in the day, but once things get going, moving in and out will be difficult or impossible. If you want a good seat for the festivities on The Hill getting there early and staying put is your only option. If you're not stuck on seeing the whole show then wandering around is a great way to see what's going on in the city, keep in mind that the main show stage will fill up, so you may not get too close later in the day. While you might not be able to watch the stage show later in the day, the grand finally fireworks are viewable in many parts of the city, so you won't miss any of the big bangs.
It goes without saying that dressing for the day is very important. Beyond putting on your Canada Day colours, making sure you're prepared other ways is also important. You will be walking a lot, if you lucked out and got a hotel downtown you're likely going to be walking around a lot, or if you choose to watch the show on Parliament Hill then you might be standing a lot. If you didn't luck out with a hotel in the center of the city, then you have to get yourself downtown. Don't drive, you won't find parking or you'll pay a fortune for it. So the bus is your best option, and they won't likely be running much in the downtown core, so you'll probably get dropped off a few blocks from the action and you'll have to walk.
Dress for warm weather, but be prepared for a chilly evening, and just to be safe bring rain gear, a cheap poncho will do wonders. You should also bring food, either pack a lunch, or at the very least bring snacks. There aren't many food options around Parliament Hill, so if you're going to the show you might not have an opportunity to get anything great to eat. If you're walking around you'll have many more options, the Byward Market being the most interesting. Make sure to grab food when you can as many of the actual attractions (museums and such) will have limited to no food available. Also keep in mind that everything is going to be busy, so you might find yourself waiting a long time for sit down or take out food.
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