What to do.

Tuesday, June 30

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

Phil with some Skil is hosting a trivia night at Arthur Street Kitchen & Bar in Elmira starting at 7:30 pm.

Stockyards Brewing has Brews & Brains with Emma at 7 pm. Gather your smartest friends (or your most confidently wrong ones), grab a pint, and put that random knowledge to work.

The Kitchener Kodiaks Jr. A Lacrosse take on the Oakville Buzz at The Aud at 7:30 pm.

Go beyond Anne of Green Gables and discover the real writing life of L.M. Montgomery with scholar Benjamin Lefebvre. Presented in partnership with Words Worth Books, Lefebvre will share the untold stories behind the beloved author’s career in The Glory and the Dream: L.M. Montgomery’s Writing Life. 7 pm at the Eastside Branch,

Wednesday, July 1

Explore Waterloo has a full rundown of the ways to celebrate Canada Day across Waterloo Region. Check out their blog post for all the details.

The Kitchener Panther's have a special Canada Day game against the Guelph Royals at 2:05. They're giving away Hawaiian shirt.

Rusty Nail Comedy has a special Canada Day show at TWH Social featuring headliners Nitish Sakhuja & Gavin Coscarella.

Thursday, July 2

KPL's Music in the Lounge series presents the National Youth Orchestra at noon. Since 1960, NYO Canada has trained top young musicians through a fully funded program, preparing them for professional careers. 

Sick of doomscrolling? Come out and draw with Mind Club's Get Sketchy event. ​You'll get a Moleskine notebook, a pen, and a set of coloured pencils. Inside the notebook you'll find a sticker pack of exercises. You pick the prompts you like, stick them in your notebook, and fill them out as you explore the park (individually or in groups, as you prefer). 6:30 in Victoria Park.

Also in Victoria Park, the City of Kitchener's Roos Island Music Series brings you the Kitchener-Waterloo Musical Society Band at 7 pm.

Uptown Waterloo BIA's Night Market is back with local treats, vendors, and entertainment at the Waterloo Public Library from 7 to 10 pm.

Friday, July 3

Cambridge Public Library has Babies in the Garden at the Preston branch from 10:30 to 11 am. Relax with your baby in the garden, sing songs, share rhymes, and read treasured tales.

TWB Brewing's Patio Music Series brings you Sling Sisters. Blending the best of Country, Americana, and Folk, the Sling Sisters bring warmth, energy, and heart to every performance. With soaring harmonies, exceptional musicianship, and captivating original songwriting, this talented trio delivers a show that leaves audiences smiling and singing along. 7 pm.

Jason Allen headlines Rusty Nail Comedy at TWH Social starting at 8 pm.

The DTK BIA x Good Co. Productions bring you another secret show at Volgelsang Green with Sunset Sessions at 7 pm.

Matt Campbell plays live at Stockyards Brewing from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.

KW Events United CAUA presents the SUMMER VIBES Night Party! Summer-themed hits spun by DJ Yuri, beach-style summer photo zone, and more. 9 to 2 am at Kafana Kod Milosa (273 King St W.)

Saturday, July 4

Short Finger Brewing has a Community Clean Up from 12 to 1 pm. Join Rob to help clean up the neighbourhood. Meet at Short Finger and go out around the area and picking up garbage to help make the area look good. Come back after for a beer.

Improv-a-llama 2 at The Registry Theatre features four local improv groups sharing the stage of the Registry Theatre in Downtown Kitchener. You’re in for interactive comedy from TriCity Improv, Afterschool Arcade, Culturally Irrelevant, and Thanks for Laughing with a grand finale that includes members of each group!

Kitchener Poetry Slam is a space for writers, storytellers and lovers to words to come together for an evening of boisterous poetry including a poetry open mic, a featured performer, and a slam. Fresh Ground Cafe, doors at 6:30. $5, no one turned away for lack of funds. 

Bed by 10 is for ravers who still love the drop but also love their pillow. Relive the peak of '80s, '90s, and early 2000s club nights with confetti showers, CO2 cannons, and a resident DJ spinning all the classics. Dance hard, socialize, and still be tucked in by 10. Catering to the 30+ crowd (25+ friends welcome).

Sunday, July 5

Ready to get your sweat on this summer. On July 5, Runners In Motion, AmandaJeanFit, and Oxygen Yoga & Fitness are hosting the Summer Sweat with special guest F45 Kitchener-Waterloo. It’s two sessions of fitness and community at Waterloo Town Square at 8 A.M. and 10 A.M.

Join KWAG’s 2026 Gardeners-in-Residence sophia bartholomew and Shalaka Jadhav on Sunday, 5 July from 1:00– 2:30 p.m. for the second in a series of regular gatherings at their garden plot. come, hang out, swap stories, ask questions, and share what they know about growing and preserving food. Drinks and snacks are provided, and a short text to sophia and Shalaka will provide a short text. Hard copies of the reading will be distributed at the event.

The Gaslight District is hosting a classic hoedown in its District Square from 11:30 to 3:30 pm. Live country music and line dancing — free entry!

Monday, July 6

Roll into summer with Retro Rollers' Roller Skate Night at Carl Zehr Square! All skill levels are welcome for a laid‑back, community‑focused skate session with great music and good vibes. DJ PDK (and friends) will keep the energy high while you glide, groove, and roller‑disco the night away. No skates? No worries! Skate rentals are available from Retro Rollers for a fee. Socks required, helmets encouraged.

The Princess Cinema has a Rainbow Film Club screening of Ginger Snaps at 7 pm.

Ways to get involved.

Schools out for summer, but for many kids in our community, that can mean not having access to the food they need to stay healthy. Food4Kids Waterloo Region delivers a food box directly to the home of every child in their program and they need your help. You can volunteer as a packer or driver or make a donation to support their mission.

What to read.

Kitchener opens new $8.1M Williamsburg Community Centre in southwest neighbourhood (Hannah Schmidt, CTV Kitchener)

Regional chair appointments 'undemocratic' say civic leaders, calling on Ford to reverse course (Shawn Jeffords, CBC KW)

It's patio time. Take a tour of the best outdoor spots (Jasmine Mangalaseril, CBC KW)

Ways to help a friend of the newsletter and your family*.

Family caregivers hold the whole system together — most with text messages, paper calendars, and bits of paper.

Elderella was built to help. But they can make it even better, and they want to make sure it's helping. That's where you come in (hopefully).

The Elderella team is conducting a Caregiver Study, backed by the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), powered by Baycrest. They're inviting family caregivers around the world to help them measure how technology can ease the day-to-day of caring for an aging parent — less stress, easier coordination, more support.

Here's how it works:
- You get a full year of Elderella Premium, free
- You share feedback through a few short surveys and a couple of conversations
- Your feedback helps shape what we build next

If you're caring for an aging family member, they'd love for you to join them. Recruitment is open now and the study runs through Nov 30.

• Elderella is a local Waterloo tech company and its founders Jacqui and Mike are awesome.