Kate's 5 fun things to do in and around Waterloo region: May 23 to 25

CBC

23-05-2025

This weekend may be cooler and wetter than some like, but there are lots of events happening to put a spring in your step.
Homer Watson House and Gallery is hosting its Spring Breeze Clothesline Art Sale Friday evening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be lots of art pieces, from small hanging sculptures to watercolour paintings, clipped to the line. Snacks will be available for purchase and there will be live music.
Alan Reid will perform a concert of Scottish folk music Friday night in a concert by Wesley United Church and Mill Race Folk Traditions. Tickets are required.
Royal City Rocks featuring The Kramdens is a concert being put on by Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute students to benefit Royal City Mission. Also performing are the Hydrotonics. This concert is Saturday evening and tickets are required.
Tri-City Roller Derby have a double header on Saturday at the Grand River Arena, 555 Heritage Drive. The 5 p.m. bout will see Tri-City Thunder take on the Penn Jersey Roller Derby Devils, then at 7 p.m., it's the Tri-City Lightning against the Penn Jersey Roller Derby B-Devils.
In local baseball action, the Kitchener Panthers play Saturday in Welland, then host the London Majors on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Jack Couch Park. The team also revealed a new on-site store for fans to purchase team swag.
The Guelph Royals have their home opener on Saturday, hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at 1 p.m. at Hastings Stadium. On Sunday, they hit the road to take on the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers.
If you're driving, here are some local gas prices:
Magic and Shenanigans
Friday to Sunday
Uptown Waterloo
This new festival will take people on a walking tour of uptown with a comedian leading the way to unexpected venues. There, they will see magicians from around the world perform. Tickets are required for the tours but there will also be street performers people can watch for free throughout uptown Waterloo.
Magic and Shenanigans website
Plant sales
GardenKitchener will hold is plant and bulb sale Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Rockway Gardens in Kitchener.
Nature Guelph, Pollination Guelph and the Guelph Enabling Garden will hold their annual plant sale Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion, 57 Watson Parkway S. in Guelph.
It's Planting Day at the Preston branch of the Cambridge Public Library (formerly Idea Exchange). They'll plant their garden and offer information about gardening and the seed library.
Nourish Our Neighbours Festival
Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Old Quebec Street Mall, Guelph
This fundraising event for the Guelph Food Bank will include music, a fashion show, silent auction and a chance for people to help fill a van with food.
Musical performances include The Foundation Steppas, KC Lee and His Checkered Past, Lennox and the Hotflashes and members of three groups: UkeJam Program, Silver Strummers and Rockmosa Strummers.
The fashion show on Saturday at 2 p.m. will include hair and makeup work by students from the Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute's cosmetology program.
Guelph Food Bank event page
Disc sports open house
Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Kiwanis Park, Kitchener
Waterloo Organization of Disc Sports along with Grand River Disc Golf will hold an open house to introduce people to ultimate Frisbee, disc golf and Kan Jam.
The event is open to all ages and there will be hands-on activities, demonstrations, a longest throw competition and the May Days ultimate tournament finals will be happening and people can watch.
Grand River Film Festival
All weekend
Various locations
The Grand River Film Festival will run Friday to Sunday with films showing in Waterloo and Cambridge.
Included is one from local filmmaker Sara Geidlinger called Hip Hop Hope. There will also be a free outdoor screening of short films at the Gaslight District in Cambridge from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bonus: Slam-Demonium
Saturday at 6 p.m.
The Aud, Kitchener
There aren't many tickets left for this event (which is why it's a bonus on the list) but it's one local wrestling fans won't want to miss.
Off The Ropes Studio is holding its biggest professional wrestling show to date to benefit KidsAbility.
Local wrestling favourites like Daddy Davis, Sydney "Wild Wild" West, Warhed and Bad Nanny will be in the ring as will WWE alumni Savio Vega, Ring of Honor wrestlers Dynamite Kid Jr. and Soultaker and Rhyno (Terry Gerin) who wrestled in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), and as part of an independent circuit.
There will also be promotions at this event for the local documentary The Ref Didn't See It, where Kitchener's Colin Hunter learns how to become a wrestling referee.