What to do.

Tuesday, February 17

Spectrum and TWB Brewing present Queer Professional Social Mixer, a new free networking event series for queer professionals in the region. 5:30-7:30 pm at the brewery.

Waterloo Public Library has an Open Mic Poetry Night at 6:30 pm.

The Margins Club has a Quiet Reading Night at Midnight Run Cafe from 6 to 8 pm.

The Princess Cinema has Satire Smackdown! Wrestling Book Launch & Screening at 6:45 pm. It's a tag-team spectacle with the book launch party for Kayfabe News: Unreal News About an Unreal Sport by Colin Hunter followed immediately by a screening of the comedic documentary The Ref Didn’t See It!

Wednesday, February 18

TWB Brewing has Let's Go To The Movies Trivia Night at 7 pm. $10 in advance or $12 at the door.

Trivia on Tap is happening at Bingemans Kingpin Bowling Lounge from 7pm to 9pm, hosted by Joey (formally of 91.5 the Beat). $50 Gift Card to be won for 1st place. 2 free apps for the following week for 3nd place! Trivia is free to play and all teams are welcome!

Hey celiacs and other gluten avoidant people, the Little Mushroom Dining Lounge has a Gluten-Free Tapas Menu from 5 to 9 pm. Gluten is the worst, am I right?

actOUT! Kitchener-Waterloo Children's Drama Workshop presents Treasure Island, a comedic adventure for all ages! Running Feb 18 to Feb 21, you can be part of the action at The Registry Theatre.

In For Questioning has Shrek 2 trivia at AOK Craft Beer + Arcade at 8 pm. That's a really specific topic, eh? Do you have to be a Shrek aficionado? How does one master this? I can't even remember the plot of Shrek 2. Was that the one where the fairy godmother was the big bad? Can we talk about how good Puss in Boots 2 was though? Highly underrated. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Thursday, February 19

Library Settlement Partnership and Waterloo Public Library have an Income Tax for Newcomers workshop from 6 to 8 pm at the main library.

Steve Lambke plays the Union KW at 8 pm with special guest Corey Hernden. Lambke is a Canadian musician and cultural gem who has enriched our lives with The Constantines, Sappy Fest and You've Changed Record.

Need a trivia fix? Check out general knowledge trivia at Farm League Brewing in Cambridge at 7 pm.

The Rabbid Fox has 90s Dance Mix music bingo at 8 pm.

The Downtown Kitchener BIA is bringing the heat with DTK Sunset Sessions at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts. The best part? Each concert features a surprise artist! Concerts are free, but RSVPs are required. You’re encouraged to stop by a DTK restaurant for dinner and a treat before the show! 

Friday, February 20

Looking for some good opera on a Friday night? Check out Hops & High Notes at TWB Brewing at 7 pm. Pay-what-you-can entry.

The Little Mushroom Dining Lounge has live music with Rob Dice Music and an awesome menu of tapas from 5 to 9 pm.

Short Finger Brewing is having a Winter Patio Party from 2 to 5 pm.

BeccaHosts has a trivia night at Rural Roots at 7:30 pm.

Farm League has live music with Liam McGarry at 7 pm.

Rusty Nail Comedy has headliner Casey Corbin on Friday and Saturday at 8 pm at TWH Social.

Death Crew Hardcore presents Atrophy at the Union KW with very special guests Curb Grin, Hunting Season, and Backbone. 7 pm.

Saturday, February 21

Waterloo Public Library is turning 150 in 2026 and they're kicking off the celebration with treats, giveaways, prizes and birthday card-making activities to enjoy with friends and family at every branch from 2 to 4 pm.

Spectrum has Pride Pump: Strength and Conditioning for the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community at Stanley Park Community Centre from 1:30 to 2:30 pm.

Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is hosting the Harmony of Cultures, a two-day multicultural festival celebrating the diversity of Waterloo Region through arts, storytelling, performance, and community activations. Created by Afropolitan Canada, the bilingual festival uplifts Black, newcomer, and francophone communities while welcoming residents of all cultural backgrounds to participate, learn, and connect.

Rhythm & Blues Cambridge is celebrating three decades of Black History Month in Canada with Building Forward Together at Langs in Cambridge. It's a day of connection, reflection, and celebration featuring live cultural performances, the sharing of key community insights and priorities, and meaningful opportunities to connect with local leaders, families, and organizations.

The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery has a beginners clay workshop from 2-4:30 pm. During this freestyle clay workshop you can make and paint a small project of your choice. Each ticket includes 1 clay item to go through the kiln.

Words Worth Books x Waterloo Public Library have a Special Saturday Stories event with author Barbara Reid at 10:30 am. She'll be reading her newly released book, The Story Hunter. The storytime will be followed by lively songs, hands-on activities and creative crafts.

The Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery (hi, Áine!) presents Land Bodies, Decomposing Mass, an audio-visual collaboration between five artists that turns KWAG's Gallery into a transformative, audio-visual, sculptural, scent-based site of translocation. Opening celebration is 2 to 4 pm, and artist talk is at 2:30 pm.

Okay, TWB is bringing the heat with a Back of the Brewhouse Concert featuring Bry Webb & Cots. Bry Webb burst onto the Canadian music scene in 2001 as the growling lead singer and guitarist for Guelph’s The Constantines. Cots cut her teeth in the local DIY scene, where she learned to be “loud, assertive, and unabashedly scrappy.” Catch the concert for only $20!

The Drews play the Rabbid Fox at 7:30 pm.

Ryan Coulter plays the Boathouse from 7 to 10 pm.

The Congress of Black Women Waterloo and Princess Cinema a screening of John Lewis: Good Trouble, a powerful documentary honouring the life and legacy of one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most courageous leaders at 4 pm.

Special Saturday night comedy at Falls Road Pub hosts Rusty Nail Comedy and headliner Ian Gordon at 8 pm.

Get ready to laugh your socks off in the ‘Burg when Puddicombe House hosts an unforgettable evening of hilarity with the best of Yuk Yuk’s Comedy. Enjoy a delicious appetizer buffet before the show, then settle in for side-splitting jokes from Canada’s rising comedy stars.  

Sunday, February 22

DJ Good DR is spinning tunes at Zazu Slow Bar for the DTK BIA Sunday Grind from 11 to 2 pm.

The KW Titans take on the Windsor Express at 3 pm at the Aud

Create sweet memories with your little Wonkas at Sweet Traditions: A Family Candy Making Experience at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum. There’s no baking experience needed for this tasty interactive workshop where you’ll learn how to make marshmallows, candy crisps, and white chocolate bark. FYI, as much as we all love candy, this workshop is made for adults with children. 

Monday, February 23

Punch needle is a relaxing textile technique where yarn is looped through fabric to build soft, textured designs. You can learn this cool craft with Cool Aunt Creative's Punch Needle Pillows workshop at Ernie's Roadhouse from 7 to 9 pm.

Ways to get involved.

Join the fight to bring a children’s echocardiogram to our region, a game-changer for young hearts that need it most. Get in on the @ChampsforCharityKW 50/50 for chances to win big and a guaranteed big impact. Plus, early bird prizes mean even more chances to win.

What to read.

An Ephemeral Dish That May Last Forever (Alex Bielak, Food For Thought)

A Slice of Perfection — Willibald Pizza (Alex Kinsella, The Community Edition)

Shrove Tuesday more than just flippin' pancakes (Jasmine Mangalaseril, CBC KW)

Queen Street Commons Set to Re-open (Alex Kinsella, The Community Edition)

The Birth and Future of Restorative Justice in Waterloo Region (Fiona McAlister, The Community Edition)