This year could be the last for shisha smoking at Ottawa Lebanese Festival

With a ban on smoking water pipes likely coming into effect by year's end, this could be the last opportunity for smoking shisha at the Ottawa Lebanese Festival, which starts Wednesday afternoon.

A shisha — also known as a water pipe, hookah or narghile — is used in some cultures to smoke herbs and often shisha tobacco.

And it's a big part of the festival's Beirut Lounge, which is set up to evoke the atmosphere of a Beirut restaurant, complete with food, alcohol, live entertainment ... and shisha.

"It's a cool factor to have," said George Hanna, especially for festival patrons who aren't from Lebanon and haven't experienced that sort of restaurant vibe. "We'd like people to experience it and understand it."

While it is just one of 10 or so attractions at the festival, the lounge is quite popular, with up to 300 people packing the lounge tent each of the five festival evenings.

Hasn't heard much about it

But Hanna is quick to point out that while he'd like the tradition to continue, he has no problem complying with the ban if councillors approve it, as is expected at the council meeting in August.

Ottawa's Board of Health already voted last month in favour of banning water pipes in enclosed public spaces due to growing health concerns. (Smoking water pipes was banned on municipal properties back in 2012.)

Hanna hasn't heard much about the impending ban from the Lebanese community. Perhaps it's because the writing was on the wall for hookahs, with five provinces and a number of Ontario municipalities having already banned them, including Toronto. The province and federal governments are also considering widespread restrictions on water pipes.

Or perhaps some people don't realize the ban is on the horizon.

"I might hear about it during the festival," said Hanna. "I'm pretty sure some people might come up and say, 'Hey, what's going to happen next year?'"

'People are not going to stop coming'

He said he isn't concerned about the shisha ban negatively impacting the festival, which attracts about 35,000 visitors.

"So the shisha is an important part of the lounge, but it isn't the end all, be all of the lounge," said Hanna. In fact, only 70 of the 300 patrons order up a shisha.

He points out that the festival has been running for 26 years, before the shisha lounge was included in the festivities.

"I'm pretty sure that people are not going to stop coming to the festival because of the ban on shisha."

The Lebanese Festival continues until Sunday on the grounds of the St. Elias Cathedral.