Let's Go Ranger!

Your TL;WR for May 19 to May 25

What to do.

Monday, May 18

Zut alors — the Buffalo forced game 7 against the Habs. Catch the game at Morty's Pub along with wing special and $5 20oz domestic pints.

Tuesday, May 19

Grab a blanket or a couple of camping chairs and head over to The Gaslight District for the return of Big Screen Movies with a free screening of The Minecraft Movie on their giant outdoor screen. Pick up a slice at Pizza Motola or snacks and drinks from Collective Arts and enjoy Jack Black and Jason Momoa camp it up in this box office record breaking adventure.

The Excavator Arts Collective is running Goodlines, an inclusive and low-pressure sketching and art group. Bring your sketchbook, whatever you're currently working on, or try out some semi-structured activities and exercises. This week's theme is Creative Flow: guided artistic prompts to open a river of creativity. 5:30pm at the Waterloo Visitor Information Centre (10 Father David Bauer Dr).

Wear your Rangers colours and pack the square to cheer on your Kitchener Rangers before they head out to Kelowna for the Memorial Cup. They'll have player introductions, a performance by the Golden Keys, giveaways, and more. 5 pm at Carl Zehr Square.

Wednesday, May 20

What’s new in Uptown Waterloo? Join Uptown Waterloo BIA and Stroll Walking Tours for a free guided walk highlighting fresh discoveries, new business openings, community initiatives, special events, and other notable spots in Uptown. 3 to 4:30 pm.

CivicTechWR is hosting an Ideation Hackathon at Builder's Club from 5:30 to 8 pm. The Ideation Hackathon is a rapid prototyping session using AI and design tools to start thinking about potential solutions to your challenge.

Rell has Disney Trivia at the Boathouse from 7 to 8:30 pm.

Thursday, May 21

Artshine has its Young@rt art show at Kitchener City Hall from 6 to 8 pm. It's a night of visual art, performance art, live music, interactive art stations, fun activities, and more!

JUNO and multi-Canadian Folk Music Award winners the Good Lovelies are performing at Emmanuel United Church at 7:30 pm.

Eric Johnston is brining the Son of a Bull Comedy Tour to Waterloo Brewing. Known for his high energy delivery and fearless honesty, Johnston blends sharp storytelling with physical comedy, turning real life chaos into relentless laughs.

The London Majors are in town for a Thursday night game with your Kitchener Panthers. 7:05 pm at Jack Couch Park.

Friday, May 22

Rusty Nail Comedy is bringing Zabrina Douglas to the TWH Social in Downtown Kitchener! A Juno-nominated comedian and registered nurse, Zabrina brings razor-sharp wit and hilarious real-life stories to audiences across Canada, performing at Just for Laughs, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and Yuk Yuk’s clubs nationwide.

The Boathouse has Ben Doerksen & Rick St. Clair live from 7 to 10 pm.

Launching the TWB summer Patio Music Series are local favourites, ZOLTAR! No tickets or reservations needed - just good vibes, great beer, and live music!Plus Kojo's Korner will be hosting a food pop-up on the patio starting at 4:30.

Saturday, May 23

It's the last weekend of Bloom Fest at Shuh Orchards! Every spring, the orchard’s trees transform into a sea of flowers as they bloom and this weekend is your chance to see the change for yourself while enjoying wagon rides, food trucks and hard cider, a petting zoo, live music and more.

The Mary Allen Community-Wide Yard Sale is Saturday, May 23 (rain date is May 24) from 9 to 1 pm. Over 25 yard sales will be set up throughout the Mary-Allen Neighbourhood, at the south edge of Uptown Waterloo! You'll also find free curbside items, a fundraiser for Inter Arts Matrix, snacks, art, and more!

The Waterloo Region Women’s Expo is a vibrant celebration of connection, creativity, and community. Bringing together inspiring speakers, local women-led businesses, and interactive experiences, it’s a space to learn, shop, and grow. Whether you’re looking for fresh ideas, meaningful conversations, or a little inspiration, you’ll find it here. Come be part of a day that celebrates and empowers women across the region. 11 to 5 pm at Bingemans.

KWAG's Garden of Resilience is back for 2026! Launching alongside the garden is ROOTED, a free weekend of arts programming celebrating KWAG's milestone anniversary, May 23–24. Both days feature family-friendly drop-in activities including a Seedling Exchange & Food Drive, plant pot decorating, and mini gallery tours.

Experience the sights, sounds, and flavours of cultures from around the
world at the Waterloo Region Community Foundation's Taste the Culture: Spring Around the World. 11 to 3 pm at the Bill Gies Recreation Complex in Wellesley.

The Pinch Cabaret Variety Show is hosting their 50th monthly art party! Featuring an expansive lineup of Video Installation, Poetry, Singer-Songwriters, Stand Up Comedy, Performance Art, Zines & who knows what else!Sat May 23 - 8pm | Button Factory Arts - 25 Regina St, Waterloo.

Phidon Pens has a Foundational Calligraphy workshop with Aline Chan from 11 to 2:30 pm.

Five mysterious color-coded guests. A mansion. A murder. Can the killer get away with it? And how will the sleuths bring them to justice? actOUT! Kitchener-Waterloo Children's Drama Workshop presents How To Get Away With A Murder Mystery at the KW Little Theatre. May 23 at 2 and 7 and May 24 at 2 and 7.

Christmas isn’t the only time to explore Benjamin Tree Farm. On May 23, they’re hosting a Spring Market and Family Fun Day from 10 to 4 pm. Explore an artisan market, get your face painted, pet some animals, take a tractor ride and go on a spring-themed scavenger hunt.

Bingemans and Yuk Yuk’s are bringing you a special comedy show featuring Adrienne Fish, Ronald Hae, and Greg Palone. Doors at 8, comedy at 9.

Catch professional wrestling right here in Kitchener at SLAMDEMONIUM on May 23 at The Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Off The Ropes Wrestling is bringing amazing matchups, featuring Revna, Tyler Bateman, Soultaker, and more!

Sunday, May 24

Head to Short Finger Brewing for the first of their summer monthly group bike rides to Block Three. Ziggy's Cycles will be here from 10:30am to help you get your bike ready for the summer biking season. Then Mike will lead the group on bike ride to Block Three on the KW trails where we will stop for a beer before returning to Short Finger (15km each way). This is a self-guided bike ride open to all skill levels.

Ride Bluebird has its first skate meetup at Stork Skate Park (500 Fischer-Hallman Rd N, Waterloo) from 2 to 4 pm.

Suns out, decks out. Gatto & friends will be at Arabella Park Beer Bar from 2 to 7 pm spinning an all-vinyl set packed with reggae, hip-hop, and R&B.

The Boathouse has The Music of Mo’ Kauffey from 2 to 5 pm. Nearly a decade after his passing, Mo’s legacy lives on through the musicians who knew him best. Led by longtime collaborator Kent MacMillan, this tribute performance celebrates Mo’s music, spirit, and deep connection to the local scene.

Monday, May 25

Head to The Princess Cinema on Monday, May 25 at 7:00 pm for a special interactive screening and director Q&A for THE END OF THE INTERNET. Directed by Baden-born and raised Dylan Reibling, the film traces the lineage of internet decentralization from its cold war military origins to its radical present - taking us from an anarchist squat in Berlin, a futuristic landscape in Taiwan, a church in Northern Spain, a parking garage in Miami, and an indigenous village in the Brazilian rainforest. All of these are sites of resistance to the centralized forces that have come to control all flows of information.

Coming up next week

The Working Centre is partnering up with Arabella Park Bar to offer a night of storytelling, good food and local beer through their latest Savour The Work event series on May 26. Engage in community conversation about the work, challenges and relationships of the St. John’s Kitchen, Outreach work, and Community Tools projects will whilst enjoying three Arabella-famous dishes, paired with three of their 5oz local beers.

Ways to get involved.

Help send kids in Waterloo Region to summer camp by signing up to host your very own FREE lemonade stand! The third annual LemonAID Day is June 6^th, but you can host your stand anytime in June to join the fun. Plus, there are some great prizes up for grabs, including a chance to win two tickets to see Ed Sheeran in Toronto this summer! The Family & Children's Services Foundation provide all the supplies - you just bring the enthusiasm.

Learn more and register