Arts & Culture

Exchange ideas at the old post office and relax in the reading room, while enjoying breathtaking views of the Grand River. Enjoy an evening of fine dining before taking in a performance at a menonnite style masonry and timber architecture playhouse. Discover beautiful clay pieces and magnificent sculptures made by Canada’s finest artists, and find a gift of art in the unique boutique.

Theatrical performances & cultural centres, combine a contrasting contemporary innovation district with a historic market district, creating a compelling abundance of different arts & cultural experiences within the region. 

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Centre in the square theatre

Centre in the Square

At the centre of the community, this performing arts centre is the largest theatre in the region. It is the leading choice of venue for symphony performances in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, and is home to the Raffi Armenian Theatre. Known for its high quality acoustics, it is a place for musicians, magicians, comedians, and concerts to entertain and delight. In addition to the classic musical performances, the venue also holds various events from business conferences, TEDX conferences, and school plays for young school children, to performing arts theatricals, and graduation ceremonies for local highschools.

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Clay & Glass Gallery

Clay & Glass Art Gallery

A place to showcase critically acclaimed exhibitions, continuing to redefine the boundaries of the world of art, the gallery is a marvel hosting international and regional audiences alike. The gallery also boasts an emphasis on Canadian art & artists, and is recognized as a fine craft jewelry gallery displaying only the finest ceramic and glass pieces the country has to offer. The boutique Gallery Shop has everything from beautiful clay pieces to magnificent and unique sculptures made by over 130 Canada’s finest artists. Celebrate an anniversary, birthday, graduation or personal milestones with a beautiful custom gift crafted by our nation’s artists.

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Idea Exchange Old Post Office

Idea Exchange Old Post Office

Enjoy breathtaking views of the Grand River in the River Room while meeting with friends and collaborating with colleagues.  Dedicated to creating an environment of curiosity and creativity, play in The Discovery Centre’s hub of interactive fun with a focus on STEAM activities - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. The Maker space gathers people to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge with other community makers. Explore textiles, electronics, laser cutting, robotics, soldering and 3D printing.  In the creative studios, audio software can record your unique sound, edit your video or make your latest indie film sensation come to life.

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St. Jacobs Country Playhouse

St. Jacobs Country Playhouse

Discover captivating theatre performances in the heart of the Market District of St. Jacob’s just a few kilometres beyond North Waterloo.  The alluring award-winning plays are delivered by  Drayton Entertainment at both the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse and at the quaint St. Jacobs Schoolhouse.  The St. Jacobs Country Playhouse is open all year and features plays in a theatre with turn-of-the-century masonry and a heavy timber character associated with traditional Mennonite architecture. The outdoor courtyard is a tranquil place to gather before the show and to relax during intermissions. Located in a renovated 1867 schoolhouse, this historic theatre adds an eclectic mix of charm and entertainment to a popular tourism mecca. With marvellous acoustics, the St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre offers an intimate, cabaret-style approach to professional theatre.

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Waterloo Central Railway

Waterloo Central Railway

The Waterloo Central Railway operates a seasonal steam train tour from Waterloo to the village of St. Jacobs and the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market. Operated by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society, this non-profit charitable organization is made up of volunteers dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and operation of vintage railway equipment. Over the years, art exhibitions have been featured on the trains which run on Saturdays from March to October, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a shorter duration. Once in the Market District, there are several horse-drawn trolley tours departing from the log cabin at the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market. The Mennonite Farm Tours, which operates from mid April to the end of October, is a seventy-five-minute tour that includes an Old Order Mennonite farm, during which tourists are taught about Mennonite culture. The Maple Sugar Bush Tours operates from the beginning of March to mid April, taking visitors to a nearby sugar bush to learn about maple syrup production.

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Stratford Festival

Stratford Festival

Less than an hour from Uptown Waterloo, in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada, the famous Stratford Festival has been enjoying success since it was founded back in 1952. A theatre festival which runs from April to October, it was founded by local journalist Tom Patterson and the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, the Shakespeare Festival and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. In every year since its inception, it has attracted people from all over the world to take part in the theatrical shows, festivals and attractions in the heart of Stratford.

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KW Art Gallery

Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery

Established in 1956, KWAG is a non-profit organization open to the public.  The Gallery emphasizes contemporary art, often premiering works by Canadian and international artists. Exhibitions frequently draw upon selections from over 4000 works from the Permanent Collection to provide a context and forum for dialogue on current exhibitions and contemporary issues. The gallery collects, preserves, researches, interprets, and exhibits the visual arts and offers dynamic public programming relating to the visual arts, all with a view to inspiring creativity and an appreciation of the visual arts in the Region.

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Waterloo Carnegie Library

Waterloo Carnegie Library

Just steps away from The Isabella, the historic library sits quaintly, as it has for over a century, at the address of 40 Albert Street.  Andrew Carnegie built the library in 1903 for $ 9,100 dollars with funding provided by the philanthropist.  Carnegie, who made his money in the steel industry, donated more than $56 million to build libraries around the world. For a number of years, the Carnegie Library served as an office for Waterloo Regional Police Service.  The City of Waterloo will be spending $3 million within the next few years to renovate the Carnegie Library for future use.

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Kitchener Public Library

Kitchener Central Public Library

The origins of this library also date back to a Mechanics Institute first established in 1854, supporting a book collection which grew within the first year to nearly 1,000 books in German and English. The collection, maintained by membership fees and private subscriptions, was destroyed by fire in the 1860s and replaced in 1871 by a library located on the first floor of the town hall. The Berlin Public Library was officially formed in 1884 following the passing of the Free Libraries Act two years prior. The main branch of the Kitchener Public Library opened at 85 Queen Street in May 1962.

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Waterloo Public Library

Waterloo Public Library

A community cornerstone since, est. 1876, the idea of the library evolved in 1875, when the Waterloo’s Mechanics’ Institute was formed. Interested citizens for the ”moral improvement of the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood” organized a committee who agreed “all well conducted persons shall be eligible for membership.” Noise, loud conversation and tobacco were strictly prohibited in the Reading Room. No persons 15 years of age were allowed to borrow books, and only 2 family members were allowed in the library at the same time.  After twelve years, the Mechanics’ Institute decided to “…transfer its assets and liabilities” to the “Municipal Corporation of the Town of Waterloo.”  The Institute would become known as the Waterloo Free Library. The current library opened on June 11, 1966, designed by the city's engineer at the time, Charles Moogk.

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The first City Hall (formerly the Town Hall)

Waterloo’s Mechanics Institutes

While not a physical location, a purview of the local libraries are not complete without an overview of the Mechanics' institutes historically within the region.  These educational establishments were originally formed to provide adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working men. In the same manner, the academic centres of modern day are also called ‘institutes’.  The institutes were often funded by local industrialists on the grounds they would ultimately benefit from having more knowledgeable and skilled employees. The Waterloo Carnegie Library came to fruition from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and both the Kitchener Public and Waterloo Public library have roots in Mechanics Institutes.