Plan an event

Albert McCormick Community Centre (AMCC)

View the AMCC location map.

The AMCC has:

• twin ice pads (56 x 26m), with off-season floor rentals
• ice pads have 300 spectator seats on the East Rink and 399 spectators seats on the West rink
• nine dressing rooms, a referee room, end zone score boards and shot clocks
• upper viewing lounge overlooks the ice with room for 100 people standing or 75 with tables and chairs

Available meeting rooms:

• two meeting rooms, up to 175 people or up to 50 people
• larger meeting room has a kitchen with a bar area and a large stage

Read more about the AMCC.

Moses Springer Community Centre 

View Moses Springer Community Centre location.

The location has:

• arena of size 56 by 26 metres with four change rooms and 200 spectators seats
• capacity of 1,080 on the arena floor

• eight lane outdoor pool with two waterslides, three change rooms and holds groups up to 500 people, with a ramp and stairs to access shallow end
• meeting room capacity up to 30 people

Read more about Moses Springer Community Centre

RIM Park Manulife Sportsplex 

View the RIM Park Manulife Sportsplex location map.

The location has four Olympic-sized ice pads: 

• Piller's rink has 500 spectator seats, a press box and a sound booth
• Optimist's and Lion's rinks have 250 spectator seats 
• Carolyn Fedy Skating Centre rink with an attached fitness centre

Amenities include:

• 36 large dressing rooms with showers
• main concession stand and a fully licensed restaurant.

The indoor field house is 3,852 sq. metres which can be divided into three fields with spectator seating for 300 and true grass like turf

Available are two NBA-sized gymnasiums with sprung maple floors that divide into four single gyms, full court capacity is 1300 people, stage area is available.

Nine meeting rooms with:

• capacity from 30 to 80 
• two rooms have sinks
• basic audio/visual equipment available for rent

Outdoor spaces include 12 multi-purpose sports fields:

• two international size artificial turf sport fields
• four natural grass fields with lighting
• player benches with spectator seating
• six enclosed ball diamonds
• four sand beach volleyball courts

Additional amenities for outdoor spaces include:

• onsite washroom facilities
• accessible parking
• a pavilion
• community playground
• walking loop

Read more about the RIM Park Manulife Sportsplex.

Banquet Hall at RIM Park

Located at RIM Park Manulife Sportsplex, this 10,000 square foot space has capacity for 500 people (seated, including a head table and dance floor).

Take a virtual tour to get an idea of what the space looks like.

The room can be divided in many configurations to fit your party size and needs. We can accommodate up to 650 guests seated theatre style.

The facility includes:

• a serving kitchen,
• walk-in refrigeration,
• bar services,
• two elevators
• 14-foot ceiling
• upper balcony entrance is available for a receiving line as guests arrive

Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex (WMRC) 

View the WMRC location map.

The WMRC has an Olympic-sized ice pad with 3,400 spectator seats and a viewing capacity of 4,800

• ice surface can be covered with event decking
• six large dressing rooms with showers,
• two referee rooms with showers
• press box, first-aid room
• five concession booths
• event staging of maximum size of 8.5 by 12 metres

There is also an activity court:

• 6000 sqft. multi-use gymnasium space
• moveable basketball nets

The swimming complex (swimplex) has:

• an eight lane swimming pool 
• three storey waterslide, diving tower and springboards
• swirlpool and separate play area for kids

Three meeting rooms with a capacity of 25 to 40 people are available.

Read more about the WMRC.

Bechtel Park 

View Bechtel Park location map.

• three outdoor soccer fields, one is lit
• hardball diamond
• four lit tennis courts

Manulife Financial Soccer and Sports Centre amenities (in Bechtel Park):

• indoor field house with 33.5 by 61.5 metres of artificial turf
• two dressing rooms 

Read more about Bechtel Park.

Hillside Park

View Hillside Park location map.

• two fully lit and enclosed ball diamonds
• batting cage
• change rooms
• pavilion
• 62 acres and three kilometres of trails

Read more about Hillside Park.

Waterloo Park 

View Waterloo Park location map and view a detailed map of the park.

Rental space options include picnic shelters and gazebos for a variety of possible uses:

• shelter capacity is 60 to 200 people and some may be combined
• located on the east and west sides of our park
• most shelters have access to electricity and water
• the splash pad is not available for rent but nearby gazebos may be rented

Other amenities include:

• hospitality area on the west side of the park has a fully equipped kitchen with a stove, fridge, freezer and counter space
• wedding photo locations can be booked at Victoria gardens and Grist Mill for 1.5 hour time slots from May to October

The Grist Mill may be rented for a wedding ceremony with capacity up to 75 guests and a rental duration up to three hours.

Read more about Waterloo park.

Waterloo Public Square

View Waterloo Public Square location map.

The square has the following options for rental spaces with access to parking:

• winter skating rink
• open courtyard
• amphitheatre seating, chairs, tables

Waterloo Public square has a dedicated team to support public and private events who will be notified when you submit your request for event support

Read more about Waterloo Public Square.

Westmount Sports Park 

View the Westmount Sports Park location map.

The park has available:

• three grass sports fields, two with lights
• accessible washroom
• trails
• interactive playground

Read more about Westmount Sports Park.

Fees

Fees include shared use of the space with all available public amenities such as parking lots and washrooms. Many routes are located nearby other locations with additional rental facilities and services.

Extra costs can include rented rooms, fields or picnic shelters, porta-potties, tents, picnic tables, additional waster bins, bleachers, electrical connection and fencing. These rentals may be subject to additional policies and regulations.

Fees for walk routes

• Up to 75 participants - $83.65
• 76 to 250 participants - $194.14
• 251 to 750 participants - $421.55
• 751 to 1500 participants - $709.47
• 1501+ participants - $928.27

AMCC/David Johnson Research Park

Download route guide (PDF)

Kiwanis - Bechtel Park 

Download route guide (PDF)

Waterloo Park Ring Road 

Download route guide (PDF)

Waterloo Park West 

Located in the central area of uptown Waterloo on the west side of Waterloo Park with these features:

• 2km loop route 
• variety of terrain including paved roads, sidewalks and stone dust trails
• picnic shelter and a servery available nearby that must be booked
• limited onsite parking
• accessible washroom facilities
• suitable for up to 400 participants

Download route guide (PDF)

You will need approval from Public Health Inspectors at Waterloo Region Public Health if you:

• rent a location that allows on-site food preparation or
• serve food prepared off-site or
• serve prepackaged food 

You can apply using their form and you need to apply a minimum of 45 days in advance of your event.

Review the catering services that the city can provide.

To serve alcohol at a city recreation facility, a license is required and these rules apply:

• a license may be obtained by a caterer or event organizer
• a Certificate of Insurance is required when serving alcohol on a City of Waterloo property with proof of $5 million of Commercial General Liability Insurance
• one of the events teams can help you obtain insurance while booking a facility

Insurance is required for your event if you have alcohol, amusement rides, inflatables, fireworks, and live entertainment and to cover liability in certain situations. Insurance protects participants, volunteers and the organizers and the City of Waterloo must be named on coverage for up to $5 million, depending on your event activities. 

The events team can help you obtain insurance.

Playing music at your event requires an Entandem licence that allows you to play licensed music, recorded or live, at a public event.

A music vendor may have an existing license or you may need to obtain a license.

A TSSA certificate and insurance is required for an amusement ride at your event. Read more on the TSSA website.

Review information about an animals for entertainment licence which is required for live animals at an event. Not all city facilities or properties permit animals.

Fireworks and open flames have these rules:

• permitted until 11:00 p.m. on the Victoria Day and Canada Day long weekend, Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year), the Diwali Festival and one day following those holidays
• only the owner of the property is allowed to set off fireworks as per section 5.4 of the Fireworks bylaw.
• open flames or campfires can be permitted for culturally significant group or community events
  • minimum of 25 people required at event
  • permit fee is $79.05
• propane BBQs are available for rent with our pavilions at Waterloo Park
• charcoal BBQs are not permitted

An exemption is required if your event will have excessive noise between 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. on Sundays). Apply for a noise exemption through our bylaw division.

A closure of a road or a sidewalk requires you to complete a special events permit form.  Note that to host a walk event, we have pre-planned routes that do not require a road closure.

Permits and approvals have these timelines:

• approval for events along the light rail transit route takes 60 to 120 days
• events requesting road and/or lane closures require a minimum of 60 days
• events using only sidewalks or trails require 30 to 60 days.

Tents may require approval from our building division if they are more than 60 sq.metres in area or more than 60 sq.metres in combined area for a group of tents.

Read more on the tents page

Security

Your event may require security if there is a large number of people attending or if alcohol is being served.