Femme Folks Fest and Irish Real Life Festival are back!
TL;WR for March 4 through March 10, 2025
What to do.
Tuesday, March 4
The best high school wrestlers in Ontario are coming to Kitchener for the OFSAA Wrestling Championships 2025 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Come out and cheer on these student-athletes as they compete for glory on the mat!
Say “I do” in Downtown Cambridge! Check out the 3rd annual Cambridge Wedding Week from March 3 to 9. Check out stunning venues and meet exceptional wedding professionals that make Cambridge the play to tie the knot.
The Princess Cinema has a screening of Eraserhead at 7 pm.
Wednesday, March 5
Noon Hour Concert: From Western to Eastern Europe. Wednesday, March 5 at 12:00 Noon, Conrad Grebel Chapel, Free Admission. Jung Tsai (violin) and Felix Hong (piano) will perform Schnittke’s polka and Schubert’s Fantasie in C Major.
The Waterloo Region Public Library has an author talk with Rebecca Beausaert – Pursuing Play: Women’s Leisure in Small-Town Ontario on Wednesday, March 5 from 6:00-7:00 pm at the Bloomingdale Branch.
Kingpin Trivia is back at Kingpin Bowlounge Boston Pizza with host Joey from 91.5 The Beat! Enjoy six rounds of music and pop culture trivia with your friends. Compete for awesome prizes, including a $100 Bingemans gift card!
Thursday, March 6
The Grand River Hospital Foundation’s Stronger Together: Mental Health Dinner 2025 is this Friday, March 6 at Tapestry Hall. Enjoy a delicious meal crafted by Chef D, experience live entertainment, and hear a moving patient story that highlights the impact of your support.
Check out the Finders Keepers Album Release Party at Midnight Run. The evening features performances from Amanda Braam and the Paper Cranes, Andrew Mac and Jordan Long. Painting Pelicans will perform a combo set of Keepe and Pelicans tunes, too!
Friday, March 7
Celebrate and spotlight the hardworking women entrepreneurs of Waterloo at the International Women’s Day Market. The market will showcase a diverse selection of businesses led by talented women selling jewelry, beauty products, home goods and more. 3 to 8 pm at the CIGI Campus in uptown Waterloo.
The 8th edition of the Kitchener I❤︎BEER & Taco Festival is back for another round of craft brews, tasty tacos, and good vibes. Enjoy a selection of beer, cider, and spirits while sampling delicious tacos from vendors across Ontario.
Together We're Boisterous comedy is back Friday March 7 at TWB Brewing. A spicy lineup of improv, stand up, musical comedy and storytelling to warm your spirits! 7:00pm with sliding scale tickets ranging from $11-$33.
March 7 is the opening day for Burn the Negative at PWD Gallery x @kultiqstudio in Downtown Kitchener. Burn the Negative is PWD Gallery’s debut photography exhibition where artists destroy all physical and digital copies of their work ensuring that every piece is a unique masterpiece. Prints will be on display and available for purchase from March 8 to March 29.
Andy Noble headlines Rusty Nail Comedy at TWH Social starting at 7:30 pm.
Maxwell’s has Percocet Blonde, Avro Arrows, Midnite Vice live. Doors at 7:30 pm, music at 8 pm.
Red Output, CHLORINE & My Angel play Midnight Run live starting at 7pm.
Centre in the Square has the ABSOLUTE LEGENDS Los Lobos live starting at 8 pm. Use promocode MARCHMADNESS to save 25% on tickets.
Saturday, March 8
Celebrate a decade of Irish culture, music, and community at the 10th annual Irish Real Life Festival! The festivities kick off on March 8 with a lively opening ceremony, bringing together traditional music, dance, and a warm Irish welcome.
Take a Walk on the Wild Side during March Break at Schneider Haus! Enjoy live animal shows all week long, meet wildlife experts, and learn how to conserve wildlife for future generations! Get creative with daily animal-themed crafts and challenges in their Makerspace and learn about the Schneider’s farm animals through their Haus Scavenger Hunt. 11 to 4 pm, registration is encouraged as capacity may be limited.
The KW Punk Rock Flea Market is happening at The Union KW from 12 to 4 pm. Entry is $5 or PWYC. Music presented by Have Hope, featuing EJ Flemming, Noisy Jacee, and Kristin Corbett. Vendors include Bearface Johnson, Leigh in Stitches, and Sorry Sauce.
The Laurier Brass Ensemble is having their Winter Concert at 7:30pm! They’ll be playing pieces from a wide variety of styles, so if you enjoy brass (+ percussion), come to the Laurier Faculty of Music for a fun show! Tickets are free for youth, seniors, and students, and general admission is on a sliding scale from $10-20!
Quartet for Garlic, Cello, Mouth & Telephone is an interdisciplinary theatre experiment from classical cellist Miriam Stewart-Kroeker and storyteller Ben Gorodetsky. These two powerhouse artists bring their distinct styles to a piece that explores memories, melodies, and smells of grandmaternal love and trauma. 7:30 pm at the Studio Theatre at Centre in the Square. This show is part of the fifth edition of Femme Folks Fest!
The Rabbid Fox has Fugitive playing live starting at 7:30 pm.
The 6th annual Femme Folks Fest brings nine days of performances, presentations, and events to Waterloo Region, with its festival home at The Studio Theatre at Centre in the Square. Featuring original works by nationally recognized and local artists, the festival includes both free and ticketed events celebrating women-identified, presenting, and non-binary artists.
The Hub has the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Tribute Concert. Doors at 7 pm.
Sunday, March 9
Cool Aunt Creatives has a Candle Making Workshop at Arabella Park Beer Bar from 1 to 3 pm.
Experience Latin-American fusion at the DTK Travellers Tour at Kitchener Public Library’s central branch from 1 to 4 pm. Event brought to you by the fine folks at the Downtown Kitchener BIA.
Midnight Run has Dew with Milhowse, Local Goblin and Antenna Sierra live starting at 7:30 pm. $10 online, $15 at the door.
Monday, March 10
Kitchener Public Library has a March Break screening of The Super Mario Bros. Movie at 2 pm.
The Princess Cinema has a screening of Vermiglio at 7 pm.
The Duke of Wellington has an open mic night starting at 6:30 pm.
Norman Hillmer, the leading historian of Canada-US relations, is coming to the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada to reflect on how Canada resisted United States in the past, asking whether the present challenges are different from yesterday’s. The event begins at 7 pm.
Ways to get involved.
Paws for Laughs is back on March 27 and will be funnier than ever with three amazing comedians—Freddy Proia, Juliana Rodrigues, and Olivia Stadler!
Join in on the fun and laugh your tail off at the 6th Annual Paws For Laughs comedy show Presented by Clean & Tidy. This two-night event is the purr-fect way to support your local Humane Society while enjoying a fun night out on the town! General Admission tickets are $50.00/person, and if you’re looking to enhance your experience, VIP tickets are available for $80.00/person. (VIP Tickets include front row seats, a drink ticket and in seat service if you open a tab).
Looking for something fun, free and easy to do in K-W with your kids? The University of Waterloo's Infant and Child Studies group is a group of researchers interested in better understanding child cognition: so how kids learn! All our studies are designed as games for children to play while we observe how they respond to various toys, videos or sounds. The activities are fun for the kids and help us to understand concepts like how children learn new words, when children can begin to understand math, or what learning strategies kids use to understand new concepts.
Their studies are offered in person and online. As an extra thank-you, your child will receive a small gift too at the end of the study session! Click here to learn more and register on their site.
What to read.
How Black entrepreneurs are shaping the local food industry (Jasmine Mangalaseril, CBC KW)
Making a Midnight Run for Events (Alex Kinsella, The Community Edition)
Kitchener rolls out welcome mat for OFSAA wrestling championship (Mark Bryson, The Record)
Six Ways to Make Your Maple Dreams Come True in Waterloo Region (Christine Wilson, Explore Waterloo)