All city events

Movies In The Parking Lot (April 28 & October 19)

Waterloo's own pop-up drive in is back! Register online for your spot and pull up for the two drive-in movies this year. This event has limited space and spots are on a first come first served basis. Attendees can arrive anytime after 7:00pm and movies will begin after the sun sets. Movie titles to be announced.

• April 28
• October 19

Art Market (May-August)

Art Market features artists, crafters, and makers from Waterloo and surrounding area selling outside at the Waterloo Public Square.

The market runs 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

• May 26
• July 28
• August 25

Additional Art Markets will be held at Open Streets (June 10) and the July 1st Community Picnic (July 1).

Applications to be a vendor at the Art Markets due March 20, 2023 by 5:00 p.m.

Campfire (May-August)

Bring a blanket or your favourite hoodie and head uptown!  Gather around the campfire in the Square with friends and neighbours for local music, games and more. Second Wednesday of the month from May-August from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

• May 10
• June 14
• July 12
• August 9

Community Campfires (May-August)

We're bringing Campfire to different neighbourhoods across Waterloo! Join us around the fire as we listen to a local musician and play some giant games. Locations TBA.

• May 3
• June 7
• July 5
• August 2

Movies In The Park (June-August)

Hosted in Waterloo Park near the Bandshell, bring a blanket and watch movies on the big outdoor screen! Movies begin at sundown. Movie titles TBA.

• June 15
• June 29
• July 13
• July 27
• August 10
• August 24

Open Streets (June 10)

Open Streets returns to the streets in uptown Waterloo in 2023. Join us in June for a fun-filled day that will take over Willis Way. Watch live performances and mural painting, browse through the art market, and join in on the fun and games. The event runs 12:00 P.M to 6:00 P.M. 

National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21)

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day. This day recognizes the cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples, communities and nations. The City of Waterloo has been marking this occasion for the past six years by partnering with artist Luke Swinson who creates and installs an original art piece on the surface of the Waterloo Public Square. This artwork serves as a visual reminder of the territory and land on which our city was founded.

July 1 Community Picnic (July 1)

The City of Waterloo will be commemorating Canada Day on July 1, 2023 in Waterloo Park with a community picnic, artist showcase and food trucks. The event runs 4:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.

View more information on our web page.

Day of Play (August 12)

New Year's Eve (December 31)

Skate Night Date Night (Wednesdays in January and February)

Skate along to the amazing tunes spun live by an onsite in the uptown rink every Wednesday in January and February from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Winterloo (January 27)

Winterloo is an annual, free festival for all ages that hosts winter-themed activities in uptown Waterloo. More information will be available on the Winterloo website.

World Poetry Day (March 21)

The City of Waterloo invites artists to respond to an open call to participate in World Poetry Day.

This social media project will feature the work of 5 literary artists and their poems on the City of Waterloo’s Arts and Culture teams social media pages, Create Waterloo, throughout the week of March 20, 2023. Artists are invited to submit up to two (2) poems for consideration. Poems can be new, existing, or previously published or performed.

Selected poems will be promoted along with an ‘Artist Spotlight’ where artists will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and discuss their work in video format. This is a paid opportunity.

City of Waterloo invites the public to come enjoy these creative, unique, and vibrant picnic tables featured in the Neighbourhood  Picnic Table Program.

In 2021, in partnership with the City of Waterloo's Neighbourhoods team, Create Waterloo commissioned 18 local artists to create custom artwork on picnic tables located in one of six community gardens throughout Waterloo. In 2022, another 12 tables were added to the collection in four new neighbourhood parks.

 View each picnic table and its location on our online map.

• Heasley Park: Sharon Ye, Tara Nix, Kate Short
• Pinebrook Park: Lupita Guerrero, Lucy Lan, Christie Shen
• Haida Park: Kate Hernden, Esther Slevinsky, Chrissy Kuiack
• Patchwork Community Gardens EMS Site: Chanel Leong, William August Swinson, Baz Kanold
• St. Moritz Park: Ekaterina Abesheva, Kavita Saini, Mayah Moosajee
• Sundew Park: Moumita Rowchowdhury, Aoe Girard, Tara Cooper
• Laurelwood Park: Jason Panda, Danielle Petti, Esther Slevinsky

• Roselea Park: Ashley Guenette, Aoe Girard, Madeline Belford
• Glen Acres Park: Tanner van Vliet, Kate Short, Lori Zenker
• Anndale Park: Sophie Corbett, Kat Hernden, Donia Liu Neekman

Trail Mix is an auditory accompaniment for Waterloo trails. 

• Step #1: Select your favourite local Waterloo trail
• Step #2: Strap on some hiking shoes/boots
• Step #3: Find the hidden QR codes along the trail
• Step #4: Use your phones camera to scan the QR code
• Step #5: Put on your headphones and listen to the Trail Mix!

Right now, the Trail Mix pilot project is only featured on the Forwell, Walter Bean Grand River, and Spur Line/Laurel Trail.

Trail Mix #1

Forwell Trail (University Ave - Manulife/King Street): Google Map Link

Featured artists: Eiyn Sof, Young Pilot, Rich Burnett, Elsa Jayne, JoJo Worthington, Christa Mercy, Blankie 

Trail Mix #2

*Updated January 2022*
Walter Bean Grand River Trail (Park Rd/Grey Silo - Grand River Drive): Google Map Link

Featured artists: Avalon Bridger, Mary-Catherine Pazzano, A Short Walk to Pluto, Italian Sunsets Waterstreet Blues Band, A Weekend at Ramonas, Rob Witherspoon, Luke Cyrus Hunter, Erik Mohr, Ella Latta Suazo

Trail Mix #3

Spur Line / Laurel Trail (University Ave - Victoria Street): Google Map Link

Featured artists: NEFE, Quinton Barns, Mary Abdel-Malek Neil, Juneyt, The Clefs of Moher, Grace Sheele, Richard Garvey, Logan Staats, Joni Nehrita, 12 Mile Island, CaluJules. 

Are you an artist that wants to be featured on a Trail Mix? Sign up to be on the Artist Roster.

Scan the QR code featured on the kiosk or the trailer in the Waterloo Public Square. The playlist features local artists and will be changed multiple times throughout the year.

Now playing: Volume 2 (updated January 2022)

Featured artists: Tanya Rivero, Gareth Bush, Kennen, The MacQueens

The Waterloo Park Art Walk is an outdoor exhibit that stretches though Waterloo Park from Caroline Street to Seagram Drive. 

The Art Walk features the work of 24 local artists selected by a jury to be part of the program. Each of the 24 pieces makes reference to the nature, scenery, and/or landscape of the park. 

Participating 2022 artists: Alison Postma, Angela Grasse, Aoe Girard, Ashley Guenette, Cheryl-Ann Hills, Chris Winterson, Cindy Matthews, Dan Gee, Ekaterina Abasheva, Jackie Partridge, Jesse Matas, Jonathan Munz, Margarita Kuznetsova, Megan Skelton, Natali Baird, Nicholas Rees, Nicole Ensing, Poorvi Jain, Robin Crank, Roslyn Ramsay, Sara Nieto, Sherry Czekus, Tami Martin, and Tanner van Vliet

Lumen Lite

A physically distanced festival where light, art & tech meet two metres apart.

More information available on our Lumen Lite webpage. 

The Community Happiness Project connected community members by sharing messages of hope, positivity, welcoming, and connectivity from participants across Waterloo. Messages were submitted online or through our Kindness Phone Hotline and then placed on signs throughout the city with QR codes for people to listen to the messages.

The signs have now been taken down, but you can still listen to the messages and see the accompanying artwork for each sound.

Five poems in five days.

In honour of World Poetry Day (Monday March 21), the City of Waterloo invited artists to respond to an open call to participate in Create Waterloo's World Poetry Day social media project.

This project features the work of local literary artists and their poems being promoted on the City of Waterloo’s Arts and Culture team’s social media pages, Create Waterloo, throughout the week of March 21. In addition to their poems, the selected artists also participated in an Artist Spotlight video where they had the opportunity to introduce themselves and discuss their work.

See the social media posts on Create Waterloo's Instagram account.