Things to do this weekend in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and Elora: July 24–26, 2026

If you are looking for things to do in Waterloo Region and Guelph this weekend, the busiest choices are concentrated around live music.

Downtown Kitchener’s Wayback Festival offers two nights of free classic rock, Cambridge hosts a day-long celebration of food and culture, and the Elora Festival reaches its closing weekend with concerts and a barn dance.

There are also smaller alternatives: outdoor flamenco in Waterloo, jazz at the Guelph Civic Museum, a free improvisational performance and several unusual movie screenings at Princess Cinemas.

Most of the large events are outdoors. Organizers recommend checking their websites and social-media accounts before leaving, particularly if thunderstorms, poor air quality or heavy rain become a concern.

Here are some of the most interesting events happening from Friday, July 24 through Sunday, July 26.

Wayback Festival takes over downtown Kitchener

Wayback Festival is the largest free event in the region this weekend, with two evenings of classic-rock tributes and Canadian music outside Kitchener City Hall.

Friday is devoted to tribute performances. Only Journey plays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., followed by Early Elton from 9 to 10:30 p.m.

Only Journey focuses on arena-rock songs including “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Any Way You Want It.” Early Elton recreates the music and visual style of Elton John’s 1970s period, with a set expected to include songs such as “Rocket Man,” “Your Song” and “Bennie and the Jets.”

Saturday begins with Born in the Eighties from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. The Hamilton party band mixes 1980s music with pop, rap and R&B from the 1990s and early 2000s.

The Wayback Collective follows from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m., before Canadian rock band Trooper closes the festival from 9 to 10:30 p.m.

Trooper’s catalogue includes “Raise a Little Hell,” “We’re Here for a Good Time,” “The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car” and “General Hand Grenade.”

One important correction for anyone relying on an older event listing: Loverboy is no longer performing. The band cancelled because of a health issue involving its touring party. The Wayback Collective was added to the revised Saturday schedule.

The city says the festival will proceed rain or shine. Food and drink vendors will operate in the downtown event area, and King Street will be affected by festival-related closures.

The current schedule is available through the City of Kitchener’s Wayback Festival page.

Cambridge Multicultural Festival returns to Forbes Park

Forbes Park in Hespeler will become a cultural marketplace Saturday as the Cambridge Multicultural Festival returns for its fifth edition.

Organizers say more than 40 cultures are represented through food, music, dance, vendors and community displays. The festival includes live bands, a dance showcase, an international food area, children’s activities and a cultural marketplace.

The event is designed as a full afternoon rather than a single headline performance. Visitors can arrive for lunch, move between performances and browse the vendors throughout the day.

The festival’s theme is “Celebration of Cultures—Five Years Strong.” Organizers describe the event as an effort to build social connections among Cambridge residents through food, art and performance.

Visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. Admission is free, but food and vendor purchases are additional.

Directions, accessibility information and schedule updates are available through the Cambridge Multicultural Festival.

Little KW Flamenco Fest brings Spanish music and dance to Uptown Waterloo

Waterloo Public Square will be transformed into a small Spanish-style fair Sunday evening for the Little KW Flamenco Fest.

The event brings together live flamenco music and dance in the centre of Uptown Waterloo. It offers one of the weekend’s more distinctive outdoor performances and is a good option for anyone who wants live music without committing to a full-day festival.

Flamenco is built around the interaction among song, guitar, rhythm and dance rather than a fixed recital format. That makes the live performance considerably different from simply watching a staged dance routine.

The performance begins at 7 p.m. Seating in the square is limited, so bringing a portable chair may be useful.

Updates are available through the Little KW Flamenco Fest organizer.

The Elora Festival reaches its closing weekend

The Elora Festival concludes its 2026 season with four ticketed events spread across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This weekend’s programming moves from contemporary songwriting and professional choral music to a more informal Sunday barn dance.

Gabriel Kahane and The Elora Singers

Composer and singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane joins The Elora Singers for a performance combining classical composition, folk traditions and contemporary song.

Kahane’s work frequently uses personal stories and social observation as source material, placing the voice and narrative at the centre of arrangements that move across conventional genre boundaries.

This is likely the strongest Elora choice for listeners interested in contemporary songwriting rather than a traditional choral program.

Noémi—or “Noël”—Wan: *Les Fleurs du Mal*

The festival’s Saturday-afternoon chamber concert features harpist Noël Wan.

The program’s title refers to Charles Baudelaire’s poetry collection Les Fleurs du mal. The smaller church setting offers a more intimate alternative to the festival’s large evening performances at the Gambrel Barn.

Closing Night: The Elora Singers and Pro Coro Canada

Two professional Canadian choirs share the stage for the formal closing-night concert.

The Elora Singers are joined by Edmonton-based Pro Coro Canada, making this the weekend’s major event for dedicated choral listeners.

Because it is the festival’s closing concert and involves two ensembles, advance ticket availability should be checked before travelling.

Elora Festival Barn Dance

The festival ends on a less formal note Sunday with a community barn dance.

Doors open at 5 p.m. for food trucks and games, with music beginning at 6:30 p.m. It is designed as an all-ages closing celebration rather than a seated classical concert.

The barn dance may be the most accessible Elora Festival event for families or visitors who enjoy traditional social dancing but do not regularly attend choral performances.

Schedules, tickets and any availability notices can be found through the Elora Festival.

Fourth Friday brings New Orleans-style jazz to the Guelph Civic Museum

The Guelph Civic Museum’s Fourth Friday series continues with The Dufferin Groove, a group drawing from New Orleans jazz, swing and street-brass traditions.

The ensemble includes musicians with backgrounds in Toronto’s swing scene and European fanfare and brass-band cultures. The result is expected to be lively and rhythm-driven rather than a quiet museum recital.

Fourth Friday events typically offer after-hours access to the museum alongside the performance, making this a useful choice for visitors who want both music and an indoor cultural activity.

The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Details are available from Guelph Museums.

Improv Circus offers a free, unpredictable show in Guelph

For something smaller and less conventional, Silence is hosting Improv Circus on Friday night.

The show brings together local improvisers, many of whom will be performing with one another for the first time. That makes spontaneity—and the possibility of things going unexpectedly wrong—part of the attraction.

Silence describes itself as Guelph’s venue for adventurous sound and performance. The intimate room is very different from Wayback Festival’s outdoor stage, and capacity is considerably more limited.

The performance is free and begins at 7:30 p.m. Visitors should check the Silence event listing for registration and capacity information.

A Mamma Mia drag brunch comes to Royal City Brewing

Sunday’s Mamma Mia Drag Brunch pairs an ABBA-themed performance with Royal City Brewing’s food and drink menu.

Anne Tique Doll and Ultraviolet host the show, which encourages the audience to dress up and sing along to familiar ABBA songs.

Tickets are listed at $15 individually, with discounted group-table packages offered by the organizer. Seating is limited, and the meal is not included in the base ticket unless a package specifically says otherwise.

The event runs from noon until approximately 2 p.m. Details are available from Doll Haus Events.

A Tigrinya “frame play” combines theatre and cinema in Guelph

Hagos Weldegebriel Debesay, who performs as Suzinino, brings Mestyat to Guelph Little Theatre Sunday evening.

The production is described as a “frame play,” combining live theatrical performance with synchronized images on a screen. It mixes storytelling, comedy, cinema and stage performance.

The event is particularly aimed at Tigrinya-speaking audiences. Organizers clearly state that the show will be performed in Tigrinya without subtitles, an important detail for potential ticket buyers.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with opening activities scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the main show expected to run from 8 to 10:30 p.m.

Information is available through Guelph Little Theatre.

Princess Cinemas offers musicals, anime and a Hitchcock classic

For moviegoers, Princess Cinemas has several screenings this weekend that go beyond the standard multiplex schedule.

At the Princess Twin in Waterloo, a filmed presentation of Hadestown: The Musical screens Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.

Anime programming follows with Evangelion: Death (True)² & Rebirth at 9:15 p.m. Friday and The End of Evangelion at 7 p.m. Saturday.

At the Original Princess, Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope screens Saturday at 9:15 p.m. The 1948 thriller is famous for being constructed to appear as though it unfolds in a nearly continuous take.

Sunday programming and possible schedule changes should be confirmed through the Princess Cinemas calendar.

Start the weekend early with *Raiders of the Lost Ark* outdoors

Although it falls one night before the conventional weekend, Waterloo’s Movies in the Park screening is worth including for anyone able to begin early.

Raiders of the Lost Ark will be shown outdoors near the Waterloo Park bandshell. The movie begins after sunset, with visitors encouraged to bring chairs or blankets.

The screening is presented with Princess Cinemas. Admission is free, while donations are collected for the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.

Outdoor movies are weather-dependent. The event website should be checked before leaving if rain or thunderstorms are possible. Details are available at Movies in the Park.

A quick weekend itinerary

For visitors trying to fit several events into one weekend, one possible route would be:

• Friday: Fourth Friday at the Guelph Civic Museum or Improv Circus at Silence, followed by a late return to Kitchener if desired. Alternatively, stay downtown for Wayback Festival’s Journey and Elton John tributes.
• Saturday afternoon: Cambridge Multicultural Festival at Forbes Park, followed by Trooper at Wayback Festival in downtown Kitchener.
• Sunday afternoon: Mamma Mia Drag Brunch in Guelph or an afternoon in Elora, followed by the Elora Festival Barn Dance or Little KW Flamenco Fest in Waterloo.

The Elora Festival’s Saturday concerts can also be combined into a full day in Elora, although separate tickets are required.

What to know before heading out

Wayback Festival, the Cambridge Multicultural Festival and Little KW Flamenco Fest are free. Elora Festival concerts, the Guelph drag brunch, Suzinino and regular cinema screenings require tickets.

Outdoor visitors should bring water, sun protection and a portable chair where permitted. Evening temperatures can fall quickly after hot afternoons, so a light layer may be useful for late concerts and the outdoor movie.

Schedules and performer lineups can change. Loverboy’s cancellation from Wayback Festival demonstrates why older tourism listings should not be treated as final. Check the event organizer’s page on the day of the event, especially before driving to Elora or Guelph.

For this particular weekend, the strongest free options are Wayback Festival for classic-rock fans, the Cambridge Multicultural Festival for families and food, and Little KW Flamenco Fest for something less typical.

Those looking for a more focused artistic experience have an unusually broad choice: professional choral music in Elora, brass-driven jazz and improvisation in Guelph, or musical theatre, anime and Hitchcock on the big screen in Waterloo.