All city events
Find information on all events hosted by the city. Stay updated by following the city events team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or by subscribing to our monthly newsletter.
Spring/Summer 2022
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Art Market (May-August) |
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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.
Additional Art Markets will be held at Open Streets (June 11) and Canada Day (July 1). |
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Campfire (May-October) |
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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 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
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Night Lights: a Pop-Up Performance Series (May-August) |
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From May to August, come enjoy Night Lights, a series of small pop-up shows featuring different events such as concerts, movies, performances, and more. This event will move around to different locations in the City throughout the summer and will be announced here. May 19: Salsa in the Square Location & Time: Uptown Public Square from 7pm-11pm Head to the Uptown Public Square for beginner dance lessons beginning at 7pm and music and dancing from 7:30pm-11pm, led by the Underdog Dance Corporation. This event is free, no registration needed and all ages and abilities are welcome! Monday June 13th, 2022: Uptown Flamenco Location & Time: Uptown Public Square from 7pm-9pm During this interactive evening of flamenco, Claudia & Julian (a.k.a. “Calú” and “Jules”) will animate Waterloo Square with live flamenco demos, performances and how-to sessions. Come at 7pm and 8pm to watch their sets, in which Claudia sings traditional flamenco songs and performs percussive flamenco footwork, with Julian accompanying her on guitar and playing intermittent solos. After the 7pm set, you’ll learn how to clap flamenco rhythms and yell "Olé". After the 8pm set, you’ll learn some basic flamenco steps that you can do at any flamenco party. You can also clap along and do braceo and floreo (arm and hand movements) while sitting down as well. All you need for this event are your "palmas" (hands) and comfy shoes. Claudia & Julian are also the founders of the Grand River Flamenco Fest (previously known as the KW Flamenco Fest), which will be held this summer from July 20th to August 1st. June 16: Twilight Family Forest Walk & Activities around the Fire Location & Time: Waterloo Public Library, Eastside Branch from 7pm-9pm Join us at the brand new WPL Eastside Branch where you will create your very own lanterns that will guide you on a forest walk through the beautiful trails. We will finish the night off with campfire songs and a story time around a fire in the new outdoor Nature Space. All ages are welcome! July 21: Interactive Drumming Presentation & Garden Games Location & Time: Waterloo Public Library, John M Harper Branch / 7pm-9pm Join master drummer, storyteller and motivational speaker Babarinde Williams, as he brings communities together through the making of music and drumming. Audience members will learn to play unique beats on drums and other percussion instruments with the addition of singing, chanting and story-telling. This interactive and engaging presentation is presented with over 80 drums and percussion instruments. Attendees are asked to bring their own chair and drum if they have one. The drumming workshop will have limited space and registration is required. August 18: A Pop Up Picnic Location & Time: Waterloo Public Library, McCormick Branch from 7pm-9pm Bring your family and friends and join us for a final sunset community picnic to help celebrate the summer and enjoy the last few weeks of nice weather. There will be food trucks, live music, crafts, games, and more. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and/or blankets and join in on the festivities! |
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Movies In The Park (May-September) |
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Hosted in Waterloo Park near the Bandshell, bring a blanket and watch movies on the big outdoor screen!
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Movies In The Parking Lot (April 29 & October 28) |
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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. Movie titles and registration TBA.
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Public Art and Historical Uptown Waterloo Walking Tour (June 9, July 21, August 25) |
| Have you looked at some of the public art in uptown Waterloo and wanted to know more about the piece, the artist, or how it came to be in Waterloo? Join us on a walking tour of uptown as we learn about the public art collection. As part of the Year of Public Art, the City of Waterloo Museum and Arts & Culture have joined up for a Public Art and historical walking tour. This tour will feature several works in the City of Waterloo's collection.
Tours will be offered on the following dates:
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Open Streets (June 11) |
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Open Streets returns to the streets in uptown Waterloo in 2022. 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 10:00 A.M to 4:00 P.M. |
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National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21) |
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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 five years by partnering with artist Luke Swinson who has created and installed 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. Artist statement: The design features two people connected and coming together in a heart shape. This symbol is meant to represent all important relationships in our lives and how they shape us as individuals and community members. The Anishinaabe words below the image say "gizaagi'in" which translates to "I love you." Indigenous Peoples Day shares time with Pride Month and I believe there is a unity between them. Love and acceptance is importance to us all, and I wanted to remind people of that with this public art piece. |
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July 1 Community Picnic (July 1) |
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The City of Waterloo will be commemorating Canada Day on July 1, 2022 in Waterloo Park with a community picnic, artist showcase and food trucks. |
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Day of Play (August 6) |
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Come have a Day of Play this Saturday, August 6 in Waterloo Park!
Located along the Waterloo Park Promenade (near the animal pen area) from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. there will be activities, games, adventures, and more. A day of non-stop fun for everyone!Some activities include:
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Fall 2022
| Lumen (September 24) |
| Lumen is an annual, free, all-ages festival that is open to the public and run by the City of Waterloo’s Arts and Culture team (Create Waterloo). The event features the work of artists as they explore the interplay of light, art, and technology in installations located throughout uptown Waterloo. Lumen 2022 Festival website |
Winter 2023
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New Year's Eve (December 31) |
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Family-friendly celebration in Waterloo Public Square. Skating, music, crafts and food. From 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. |
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Winterloo (Date to be announced) |
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Winterloo is an annual, free festival for all ages that hosts winter-themed activities in uptown Waterloo. |
Year-Round Programming
| Neighbourhood Picnic Tables |
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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.
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| Trail Mix - Local Trails & Local Artists |
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Trail Mix is an auditory accompaniment for Waterloo trails.
Trail Mix #1Forwell 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* 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 #3Spur 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. |
| Uptown Tunes |
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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 |
| Waterloo Park Art Walk (updated March 2022) |
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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 |
Past Programming
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Lumen Lite |
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A physically distanced festival where light, art & tech meet two metres apart. |
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| The Community Happiness Project | ||||||||||
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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. |
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| World Poetry Day (March 21) | ||||||||||
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Five poems in five days. In honour of World Poetry Day (Monday March 21, 2022), 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 five 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, 2022. 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.
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