What to do.

Tuesday, January 27

📗 Kitchener Public Library hosts a guest speaker for Morning Out on the last Tuesday of each month at the Pioneer Park Library at 10 am. This Tuesday, join Raina Sawhney, Investment Advisor at RBC, as they discuss current economic conditions.

🧪 Explore the fascinating science behind all things gross, goopy, and gag-worthy at the Yuck Lab at Cambridge Public Library's Preston branch from 4 to 4:45 pm.

📗 KPL also has TikTok sensation Celina Myers in conversation with Anne T. Donahue to talk about her new vampire novel Hollow at 7 pm at the Central library.

📗 🍻 Come for the books, stay for the brews. Head over to TWB Brewing to talk literature over a pint at Books & Brews from 7 to 9 pm. This time, they're discussing Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson.

🎭 Comedy on a Tuesday? At Arabella Park? You better believe it! Max Sheldrick headlines a special Tuesday Rusty Nail Comedy show at Arabella starting at 8 pm.

Wednesday, January 28

🎶 Old friends Michael Wood and Ralf Bushmeyer will play a selection of smooth jazz pieces at the free UWaterloo Music Noon Hour Concert. It's perfect for chasing away the winter blues.

🧠 Trivia on Tap is BACK at Bingemans for 2026! We play EVERY Wednesday from 7pm-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!

🍲 Little Mushroom Dining Lounge has a Vegan Tapas Night with five seatings available.

🤖 AI Tinkerers Waterloo has its January meetup from 6 to 9 pm with tinkering, live demos, and code-first sharing.

🧠 In For Question has Glee trivia at AOK Craft Beer + Arcade starting at 8 pm.

Thursday, January 29

👷🏼‍♀️ Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective is hosting Scaffold for Success: Selling Yourself at Catalyst Commons from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. This hands-on workshop is designed specifically for people working in the skilled trades who want to attract better clients, quote with confidence, and clearly communicate their value.

🍻 Wave Maker Craft Brewery and Glue & Brew have a Make and Manifest Vision Boarding workshop from 6:30 to 9 pm. All supplies are included—just bring an open mind and readiness to manifest your best year yet!

🎭 🥊 2026 Champion for Charity Lynne MacDonald is hosting a comedy fundraiser with Rusty Nail Comedy at The Walper Hotel. Rob Bebenek, Kyle Brownrigg, and Jean Paul are set to make you laugh for an awesome cause. $30 tix and all proceeds go to support McMaster Children's Hospital.

🎶 DTK BIA's Sunset Sessions are back with a special winter series at he Conrad Centre for Performing Arts with a secret artist each Thursday. Concerts are free, but RSVP is required.

🍹 Thursday Waterloo has a Cocktail Night Social at 1858 Caesar Bar from 7 to 10 pm. Enjoy margaritas, caesars, and tasty apps all while socializing IRL. Plus enter their raffle for a chance to win a mystery prize.

Friday, January 30

🎶 🍻 Short Finger Brewing has Live at a Dive with Novakate and The Delaware River Runoff Crabs from 5 to 8 pm. Friday is also release day for its Pulp collab with the crew from the sadly now defunct Barncat Brewery.

🤝🏾 The Waterloo Region Black Regional Innovation Dialogue & Growth Exchange (BRIDGE) is a high-impact, one-day event bringing together Black entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and ecosystem partners across Southern Ontario, hosted. by Lanterna Black Innovation Hub. 5 pm at PSE, University of Waterloo – 2nd Floor.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Join Scottish Dance Waterloo for a fun class designed for beginners. The class is high-energy but the footwork isn’t too complicated. Learn new dances every time. With over 22,000 dances in the Scottish Country Dance repertoire, there's always something new to learn. No experience needed, and no kilt or ghillies required. Just bring a water bottle, comfortable clothes, and soft-soled shoes.

🎭 Andy Noble headlines Rusty Nail Comedy at TWH Social starting at 7:30 pm.

🎶 The very last show of the Essential Letdowns’ current tour brings them back to their hometown, Waterloo, at Maxwell’s, to let you down one last time. The show features Petrochemicals, Suplex and C.I.D. as special guests.  

🎶 Emmanuel United Church has Holy Music IV: A New Years Celebration starting at 7:30 pm.

🎶 MODO Live presents Grae live in Kitchener at The Hub. Doors at 7, music at 8.

🎶 Live music, cold beer, good vibes. Check out Dana K & Howie Brown at Block 3 Brewing from 6 to 9 pm.

🎶 Anat Hector is playing live at The Rabbid Fox starting at 7:30 pm.

Saturday, January 31

🎨 The Canadian Clay & Glass Museum has a beginner clay workshop at 10 am and 2 pm. Create a unique masterpiece and fire it up in their kiln.

🧠 Waterloo Public Library has an R&B Edition of music trivia at the McCormick Branch from 3 to 4 pm.

🎭 Check out Canned Laughs - Stand Up Comedy In Support of your local food bank at Block 3 Brewing. They're collecting canned goods to benefit the local food bank, and a portion of the ticket sales will be donated to this great cause.

🎨 Hey photographers and designers, learn about large format printing at Cambridge Public Library's Old Post Office branch from 10:30 to 11:30 am.

🎶 Practice, practice, practice isn’t the only way to get to Broadway. Sing-A-Long Broadway at Centre in the Square is a high-energy, full-blown party where the audience is the star. Prepare to sing your heart out to iconic showstoppers like “Defying Gravity” and “Seasons of Love” as two hilarious hosts guide you through a night of vocal gymnastics and dazzling video presentations.

🎨 The 13th Edition of The Brush Off hits the THEMUSEUM on January 31. It’s a fast-paced, live art-making competition and fundraising event supporting THEMUSEUM and the competing artists. Enjoy a drink while watching artists create unique pieces in real-time, then vote on your favorite paintings throughout the evening. Don’t miss the chance to support local artists and the museum by bidding on a piece to take home in the silent auction.

Sunday, February 1

🫶🏽🫶🏾🫶🏿❤️ The Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region and Nigerians In the Region of Waterloo are hosting a Black History Month event at the Ken Seiling Museum at 11:30 am. This is a free, inclusive, family-friendly event created for everyone to learn, celebrate, and support Black history and culture.

🎶 ☕ Flat whites and phat beats await you every Sunday with the DTK BIA’s Sunday Grind. This rotating series brings DJs to some of your favourite or soon-to-be-favourite coffee shops and cafes across the downtown core. This Sunday, check out DJ JayDee of Exclusive Vibez Music at Café Clementina from 11 to 2 pm.

🛍️ Beat the winter blahs in Cambridge every Sunday at Cabin Fever. The City of Cambridge has curated an awesome list of classes and activities, local sales, delicious treats, and more that are worth braving the cold for.

🍿 KPL's free Sunday family movie is Freakier Friday (2025) at 1:30 pm.

🎨 Cool Aunt Creative has a Polymer Clay Mini Cake Photo Holder workshop at Arabella Park from 1 to 3 pm.

🍿 The Princess Cinema has a screening of Iron Lung at 7 pm.

Monday, February 2

🫶🏽🫶🏾🫶🏿🎨 Waterloo Public Library has a Black History Month Art Workshop at the Main Library from 4 to 5 pm for kids ages 8 to 12 years old. In this special program in celebration of Black History Month, you'll explore Alma Thomas's iconic artwork Resurrection (1966), which made history as the first piece by a Black woman to be displayed in the public spaces of the White House and to join its permanent collection in 2015. Participants will have the chance to create their own Resurrection-inspired painting - no prior painting experience needed.

🍿 The Princess Cinema has a Rainbow Film Club screening of I Am Not Your Negro at 6:50 pm. Based on an unfinished book by memoirist James Baldwin, this superb documentary charts the history of black activism during the civil rights movement. Nominated for Best Documentary (Feature) Oscar.

What to read.

Kitchener Gets New Arts Leaders (Alex Kinsella, The Community Edition)

Cambridge Residents Petition for Raising Backyard Chickens (Safina Jennah, The Community Edition)

Adding more veggies to your diet is easy with these tips from (Jasmine Mangalaseril, CBC KW)

How will having two new art leaders in Kitchener help local artists and boost events? (Lauren Kuivenhoven, CBC KW)

More Than Romance: Galentine’s & Valentine’s Experiences in Waterloo Region (Cora Kuehl, Explore Waterloo Region)