There are more than a half-dozen official parties going on across Waterloo Region over the weekend as people look to celebrate Canada’s 157th birthday.
Most will offer free fireworks or light shows as well as other activities but Cambridge continues to lead the way in terms of interesting options for entertainment.
The day will kick off early with a fishing derby for kids and teens at Riverside Park from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m.
This will be followed by a parade at 11 a.m. that runs down King Street between Bishop and Eagle streets in Preston.
In addition, there will be midway rides, as well as areas that offer food and drinks, which will open at the same time as the parade.
Other options for entertainment include live music from 3:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. as well as a fireworks show, which will begin after dusk.
Here are other options throughout Waterloo Region to celebrate over the Canada Day weekend:
Kitchener – Carl Zehr Square
The City of Kitchener will host its annual celebration at Carl Zehr Square in front of city hall from 2 p.m. onwards.
It will feature live music, food trucks and fireworks, with Sydney Jones kicking things off at 2:30 p.m. She will be followed by Living Room for Small, the Redhill Valleys and Danny Michel with Romeo Sex Fighter.
Legendary Canadian rock group April Wine will take the stage at 9 p.m. and will be followed by the fireworks display at 10:20 p.m.
Kitchener – Bingemans (June 30)
The folks at Bingemans in Kitchener will be getting ahead of the crowd as they will hold their Canada Day festivities on Sunday.
Outside of the activities the theme park offers, there will be a free fireworks display as well as performances by The Almost Hip, a Tragically Hip cover band.
Waterloo – Waterloo Park
The City of Waterloo will once again hold a community picnic at Waterloo Park that will feature an art market and food trucks.
There will also be live music from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m., when a drone show will replace the traditional fireworks once again.
New Hamburg – William Scott Park
The Canada Day festivities in New Hamburg will begin at 7 a.m. at the boat launch at William Scott Park with an Indigenous sunrise ceremony led by an elder from Crow Shield Lodge along with a firekeeper.
The festivities will continue with the official opening ceremony at 11 a.m. followed by musical performances throughout the day. There will also be a number of activities for the kids, including bouncy castles and face painting as well as a dunk tank.
At 9:30 p.m., the festivities will come to an end as there will be a fireworks show along the river.
Elmira – Woolwich Community Centre
While the Township of Woolwich will not be putting on a fireworks display on Monday, it will be offering a free swim from 10 a.m. until noon, as well as free pickleball at the Woolwich Memorial Centre in Elmira.
There will also be an antique car show, live music and a host of other activities from noon until 3 p.m.
Hawkesville – Hawkesville Community Centre
The traditional event at the Hawkesville Community Centre continues in 2024 as there will be backyard games available for use while guests can also check out a screening of Come Fly With Me.
The fireworks are scheduled to go off at 10 p.m.
Ayr – North Dumfries Community Complex
The celebration at the North Dumfries Community Complex begins at 6 p.m. with family-fun activities such as lawn games and an obstacle course as well as food trucks.
Children’s entertainer Rumple & Friends will take the stage 30 minutes later, followed by The Boys & I at 7:30 p.m.
There will be a fireworks display to cap off the evening’s festivities.