How to celebrate Canada Day in Waterloo region, Guelph and area

Canada Day is on Wednesday and there are several local events happening to mark the 159th anniversary of Confederation.

It’s going to be extremely hot. The area is under an orange-level weather warning for heat with temperatures expected to reach 34 C on Wednesday, feeling closer to 44. There is also a chance for a thunderstorm in the afternoon.

People should drink plenty of water, use sunscreen and seek out shady and cool spots if they feel too hot.

Cambridge

7:45 a.m. to late

Riverside Park

The fishing derby kicks off at 8 a.m., followed by a parade at 11 a.m. from the corner of King Street and Bishop Street travelling to King Street and Eagle Street.

Starting at noon there will be family activities, food trucks, vendor area and music in Riverside Park. Performers include Ella Ruth, Urban Cowboy and Grace 2.

The day ends with fireworks.

McDougall Cottage open

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

89 Grand Ave. S., Cambridge

The cottage will be open for guided tours, crafts for kids and mini-ice cream and shortbread sandwiches. Admission is by donation.

Kitchener

12 p.m. to late

Downtown Kitchener

There will be a whole afternoon and evening of family fun activities and music. 

Among those performing are Christian Miles, the DJ Canada Day Party with Twenty Five Roses, Steve Strongman and Glass Tiger.

Fireworks near city hall will cap off the night. There are no fireworks or events in Victoria Park.

Doon Heritage Village reopens

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, 10 Huron Rd., Kitchener

After being closed for renovations and upgrades, Doon Heritage Village is set to reopen on Wednesday. There will be music from Errol Blackwood and Injah Band, Jesse T, and The Vaudevillian, plus dance lessons and face painting. Food will be available for purchase. Admission is free.

Blast from the Past

12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Schneider Haus, Kitchener

There will be food, music, games and local history at this free event.

Kitchener Panthers vs. Guelph Royals

2:05 p.m. first pitch

Jack Couch Park, Kitchener

This local rivalry between these two baseball teams will heat up on Canada Day. Plus the first 400 fans through the gates will get a free Panthers Hawaiian shirt.

Waterloo

4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Waterloo Park

The community picnic starts at 4 p.m. where people can bring their own food and drinks or get something from food trucks. There will be giant games, artist pop-ups, an art market and local music. The lineup includes performances by MC Master T, Waterloo Warriors Band, The Mixtape, a circus show by Kate Mior, AJDIDIT, Errol Blackwood and Injah Band and Daniel Kieta.

The evening ends with an LED drone show.

WATCH | Meet AJDIDIT, the musician behind a local summer anthem:

‘Summertime in the Loo, let’s go for a ride on King Street’: song about KW gains traction on social media

Aidan ‘AJ’ Ruston, better known as AJDIDIT on social media, is enjoying the attention his new song is getting. He spoke to CBC’s Aastha Shetty about how he’s handling the local fame from his new song ‘Summertime in the Loo’.

National Youth Orchestra of Canada free concert

7 p.m.

Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, Wilfrid Laurier University

The National Youth Orchestra of Canada will perform a concert from the Formosa Quartet collection including folk, pop, jazz and poetry arrangements. Organizers say “musical surprises to be expected.”

Admission is free but donations are accepted.

North Dumfries 

6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Cowan Park, Ayr

There will be inflatables, backyard games, a face painter, henna artist, food trucks, children’s entertainment by Rumble and Friends and music by Dana K and the Remedy.

Fireworks expected at dusk.

Wilmot 

7 a.m. to late

Norm Hill Park, New Hamburg

The day starts with an Indigenous sunrise ceremony. At 1 p.m., there will be opening ceremonies and vendors, music and a kid and youth area.

Local musicians performing include the New Hamburg Concert Band, After Midnight and Counting Down The Hours.

The evening ends with fireworks.

Woolwich

10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Woolwich Memorial Centre, Elmira

There’s a public swim in the morning, then the afternoon has an antique car show, some family friendly activities including a magic show and Robin in the Hood demonstration and live music.

Guelph

12 p.m. — downtown

3 p.m. to late — Riverside Park

There will be a noon concert of the bells at St. George’s Anglican Church in the downtown core. For the opening moments of the performance, the Basilica of Our Lady will join in too.

In the afternoon and into the evening, there will be family friendly activities in Riverside Park with games, vendors, food trucks and fireworks.

CBC coverage

CBC is offering a full day of live original programming on Wednesday.

CBC News will provide live coverage from across the country beginning at 6 a.m. ET on CBC News Network, CBC Gem and CBC News streaming platforms with David Common live from Halifax. Adrienne Arsenault and Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco will be live in Ottawa beginning at 10 a.m.

On CBC Radio, join host Haydn Watters at 6 a.m. with a special cross-country show called Reporting From which will share stories from new CBC bureaus across Canada.

Beginning at 8 p.m. across all CBC broadcast and streaming platforms and live from Ottawa, Isabelle Racicot will host the evening concert special Celebrating our Canada! with performances by Alessia Cara, Barenaked Ladies, Beatrice Deer, Andrina Turenne, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Gabs Bouchard, Isabelle Boulay, MICO, Noeline Hofmann, P’tit Belliveau, Sylvia Cloutier and more.