The best news and events from around the Waterloo Region. Delivered Monday and Thursday mornings. For free.
π Holiday markets, pickles, and Kit Kats
|
November 13th, 2025 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! Hope everyone's having a great week so far. Lot's of great stuff in the newsletter today, and you can really tell how the region is ramping up ahead of the holiday season. A wide variety of events, projects, etc. happening for people of all ages & interests. Love to see it. In today's email:
Let's dive in π WHAT'S HAPPENING βSparkles: A Holiday Shopping Event | November 13th-16th | St. Jacob's "Join us for our annual holiday shopping event amid thousands of twinkling lights in the village - a true holiday experience! Enjoy The Village of St. Jacobsβ many unique shops and eateries. Shop into the evening Thursday, Friday and Saturdays and take in the holiday festivities and entertainment!" Lot's of cool stuff on here depending on the day - bands, carollers, hot chocolate bars, steel drums, wagon rides, Santa visits & more. You can check out what's on each day here. Thursday, November 13th β3rd Annual Boutique Holiday Market | 4-8pm | Catalyst Commons, Kitchener | "In support of the Humane Society!" βThe Strumbellas: Into Dust Tour | 7pm | Maxwell's, Waterloo Friday, November 14th βPickleFest 2025 | 6-11pm | The Museum, Kitchener | "Calling all pickle lovers, join us on November 14th to celebrate Pickle Day with PickleFest! Enjoy dill-icious pickle inspired dishes from local restaurants and cool as a cucumber brews from local breweries at THEMUSEUM." βPoetry Open Mic | 7-9pm | Pink Crow Cafe, Waterloo βUrban Cowboy Line Dancing | 7pm-Midnight | Tapestry Hall, Cambridge | "Dust off your boots and get ready to two-step the night away! Join us inside Tapestry Hall for an evening of high-energy line dancing, country hits, and Urban Cowboy fun." βGarth Brooks & Shania Twain Tributes | 7:30pm | Maxwell's, Waterloo Saturday, November 15th βKW Santa Claus Parade | 10am | "Along Weber Street, from Frederick to Erb Street" | "Join in the spirit of the season, delight in the Santa Run that starts at 9:45am, bring your letters to Santa for Canada Post to deliver, donate to the Food Bank of Waterloo, and help your local Firefighters collect for the Knights of Columbusβ Toy Drive!" βCambridge Santa Clause Parade | 6pm | Dunbar Rd. to Langs Drive | "This holiday tradition continues as a special night time parade, one of few in Ontario where the twinkle and glow of magical parade floats, groups and bands sparkle in the eyes of all to see!" βHoliday Market | 10am-4pm | Bingemans, Kitchener | "100+ amazing vendors, there's something for everyone" βGet The Led Out: A Celebration of "The Might Zep" | 8pm | Centre in the Square, Kitchener Sunday, November 16th βKANSAS: Classic Rock Band | 8pm | Centre in the Square, Kitchener βSydney Jones Live | 6pm | The Jazz Room, Waterloo Farmers Markets βSt. Jacobs | Thursday, October 16th (8amβ3pm) | Saturday, October 18th (7amβ3:30pm) βKitchener | Saturday, October 18th (7amβ2pm) βCambridge | Saturday, October 18th (7amβ1pm)β * none of these events are sponsored. that will always be made obvious if so. COMEDY Thursday, November 13th The Debaters: 20th Anniversary Holiday Special | Centre in the Square, Kitchener | 7:30pm | Infoβ Friday, November 14th Bored Teachers: 'The Struggle Is Real' Comedy Tour | Centre in the Square, Kitchener | 7:30pm | Infoβ Rusty Nail Comedy | TWH Social, Kitchener | 7:30-10pm | Headliner: Moe Ismail | Infoβ Rusty Nail Comedy | Morty's Pub, Waterloo | 9-10:30pm | Headliner: Landry | Infoβ YukYuk's | Kingpin Bowlounge (Bingemans), Kitchener | 9:00pm | Headliner: Pete Johansson | Infoβ Jokes On Us Comedy Tour | Room 47, Waterloo | 7:30pm | Infoβ Saturday, November 15th Rusty Nail Comedy | Morty's Pub, Waterloo | 7:30-10pm & 10-11:15pm (2 shows) | Headliner: Landry | Infoβ Rusty Nail Comedy | TWH Social, Kitchener | 7:30-10pm | Headliner: Moe Ismail | Infoβ * none of these events are sponsored. that will always be made obvious if so. LOCAL NEWS City Invests $8.5M in New Health Innovation Arena. Kitchener solidified its commitment to the health technology sector by directing $8.5 million toward the new University of Waterloo Innovation Arena. The space will house Velocity, offering state-of-the-art labs and enhanced business support to accelerate high-potential health tech startups. FlixBus Expands, Adding Cambridge to Ontario Network. Intercity travel for Cambridge residents was significantly enhanced with FlixBus (Greyhound parent company) adding a new stop in the city. This expansion improves regional connectivity, offering easier access to major hubs like Ottawa and London. Federal Government Commits $9 Million to Regional Business Scale-Up. Over $9 million in federal funding was allocated to seven high-growth Waterloo Region businesses, including Avidrone Aerospace and FluidAI Medical. The investment is strategically earmarked to enhance Canadian-made products, driving innovation in advanced manufacturing and job creation within the Region. Kitchener Unveils New Veteran's Memorial Crosswalk. The City of Kitchener held a meaningful ceremony to unveil a newly painted crosswalk, dedicating the civic landmark in honour of Canada's veterans ahead of Remembrance Day. This public installation acts as a permanent, respectful feature integrated directly into the daily civic landscape, ensuring a constant, visible commemoration of historical service. WEATHER π¦οΈ Thu, Nov. 13th | HIGH 5Β° | NIGHT -2Β° | 40% POP | <1mm π§ β οΈ Fri, Nov. 14th | HIGH 7Β° | NIGHT -2Β° | 25% POP | π§οΈ Sat, Nov. 15th | HIGH 8Β° | NIGHT 4Β° | 80% POP | 7-9mm π§ π¨οΈ Sun, Nov. 16th | HIGH 4Β° | NIGHT -1Β° | 40% POP | <1cm βοΈ | <1mm π§ SPORTS Kitchener Rangers π
* what other sports would you like to see included here? reply to let me know what you'd find useful! COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT βKWhabilitation - "Building a community where everyone belongs and participates." A local not-for-profit organization that's been helping the community for over 50 years... KWhabilitation provides support to both children with special needs, and adults with developmental disabilities. They have a wide range of helpful services including "inclusive housing, skill-building, lifelong learning, help to find and keep meaningful work, and early learning & child development programs for children and families" Their main goals: Inclusion, Empowerment and Early Learning A wonderful organization that has such a meaningful impact on the region. I'd encourage you to check out their website at the above link, and there's also some ways you can get involved below. How you can help:
* these are not sponsored placements, just causes I came across. ads will always be made obvious if so. ADOPTABLE PET OF THE WEEK Meet Miller! Miller is a 2 year old, mixed breed male who's been up for adoption since July of this year. "A big love for the outdoors and an even bigger heart. He's looking for an active home where he can go on long walks, explore, and spend time with his people. If you're looking for a fun, energetic companion who's always up for an adventure, Miller might just be your perfect match!" Tap here to find out more. And there are tons of dogs, cats and other animals that are looking for their forever homes. You can find the adopt page here. * if you adopt a dog or any pet from these emails, reply and let me know! I'd love to send you a special gift to help get things started QUESTION OF THE WEEK If you were giving a 'secret tour' of Waterloo Region, what's one quirky or hidden spot (not a major tourist attraction) you would have to include? π€ Hit reply to this message to let me know and I'll share some of the best responses next week! RANDOM FACTS OF THE DAY The filling inside Kit Kat bars is often made of crushed, rejected Kit Kats. This helps reduce waste in the manufacturing process. In space, astronauts cannot cry normally. Because of the lack of gravity, tears don't fall - they instead collect in a small ball and stick to the eye. The sound made by a whip cracking is actually a tiny sonic boom. The tip of the whip moves faster than the speed of sound. THANK YOU! Hope you're having an awesome day. Enjoy the weekend & we'll see you Monday πͺ β ps. I'd love your feedback. Whether it's something you like, or hate, or want to see more/less of - please let me know! My goal is to make sure you're getting value from these emails, and the important info you need. Hit 'reply' to let me know! INFO STATION:β Had enough of these emails? No hard feelings, sometimes I don't like them either.. just tap this link to unsubscribe. π© Did someone forward you this email? And now you're wondering how to get in on the action? Say less friend, tap here to sign up for yourself: grandriverbuzz.ca/signupβ π Do you have an event, funny story or meme about the region you want to share? Hit reply to this email and let me know what you've got to be featured in an upcoming email! π Have a thought, comment or feedback about the newsletter? Or maybe you just want to tell me a random joke.. whatever it is, I love getting replies and try to respond as often as possible. Reach out whenever you'd like by hitting reply. π’ Think someone you know would love this email? Forward this to them to spread the love. β€οΈ Feeling extra generous and loving? Shout us out on your favourite social media platform using this link: grandriverbuzz.ca/signup - it really helps spread the word! |
Grand River Buzz
The best news and events from around the Waterloo Region. Delivered Monday and Thursday mornings. For free.
December 4th, 2025 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! I've said in previous emails that "this newsletter is packed", and I always genuinely thought it was... But this one... is JAM PACKED! There's so much going on around the region and it's fantastic. Great to see such a vibrant community, especially around this time of year. In today's email: a new medical dispatch system for the region Yoko the origin of Ketchup a ton of great, local events the 'GEM of the week' & more Let's dive in π -Ross...
December 1st, 2025 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! Here we are in the final month of 2025. (did this year go super fast for anyone else?!) 24 days until Christmas, and a ton of great events happening around the region. There truly is something going on for all ages and interests. In today's email: a must try for eggs benny lovers question of the week are sharks or trees older? a special community highlight & more Let's dive in π -Ross at Grand River Buzz WHAT'S HAPPENING Monday, December 1st...
November 27th, 2025 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! How about all this sno... ahh, nevermind, let's talk about something else. Hmmm.. tomorrow is Black Friday! I know for some of you it's all systems go for finding the best deals, while others are putting in noise-cancelling headphones and heading on a long walk. Whatever group you're in... hope you're having the best day and an awesome week so far. We've got lots of fun stuff heading into this weekend, so let's get to it. In today's email:...