Kate's 5 fun things to do in and around Waterloo region: June 7 to 9
With a mix of sun, cloud and possibly some rain this weekend, it'll be a good weekend to take both sunscreen and an umbrella along just in case.
The Hespeler Village Market opens Friday at 3 p.m. with entertainment and a kids zone along with the farmers' market.
The Ontario Craft Gin Festival is taking place Saturday in Elora with distilleries from Guelph, Stratford, Brantford, London, Arthur and Ayr expected to take part.
There's a community duck race in Wellesley Saturday afternoon. This event also includes a barbecue and kids games.
An Indian Food Carnival will take place in Waterloo Public Square Saturday and Sunday during the day, with lots of food trucks and vendors on site.
In local baseball action, the Kitchener Panthers are on the road this weekend —in Welland on Saturday and Brantford on Sunday. The Guelph Royals are in Brantford Friday night, then host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
If you need to drive, here are some local gas prices:
AfroVibes Festival
Friday 4 p.m. at Den 1880, Waterloo
Saturday 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Kitchener's city hall
Saturday 10 p.m. at TheMuseum
This festival has grown from a single day last year in its inaugural year to three days this year (there was a karaoke night on Thursday).
The panel discussion on Friday will be with local Black leaders talking about community empowerment and cultural advocacy.
Saturday will be a celebration of music, food, art, fashion and workshops plus there's an after party at TheMuseum.
Grand Porch Party
Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Porches along Alexandra Avenue, Menno Street and Euclid Avenue, Waterloo
This annual porch party will include music from Onion Honey, Paige Warner, Caliban Strange, the Royal City Ukulele Ensemble, a book reading by Anna Humphrey, Silvia Dee and the Boyfriend and many more performances.
Bring a lawn chair or blanket, your own beverages and snacks and enjoy the local music.
Bengali New Year Festival
Saturday 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Trillium Lutheran Church, Waterloo
The Bangladesh Cultural Society of Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge is hosting this new year celebration with food, entertainment, artifacts and a kids show.
This event is open to anyone and organizers say it's a chance to "cheer up for Shuvo Noboborsho" (the traditional greeting for the new year.)
Guelph and District Multicultural Festival
Friday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Riverside Park, Guelph
This event celebrates the wide variety of communities within Guelph and area. It kicks off with a multicultural parade Friday evening. There will be various dance, demonstrations and musical performances throughout the three days.
Take in the arts and crafts area, amusement rides, children's area and the many food vendors. There is a lot to take in, so plan your day accordingly.
Pride events
Various times and locations
Pride events will take place all month and this weekend there's a bunch of different events.
Enjoy Dragilicious night with performer Crystal Quartz at Four Father's Brewing in Cambridge on Friday.
Hear about the importance of queer, migrant, and anti-colonial representation in literature during a talk with Aashay Dalvi, who is an anti-racism consultant for Spectrum and founder of Rad Riot Books. This event is at the Idea Exchange's Queen's Square branch in Cambridge Saturday afternoon.
The Waterloo Public Library is hosting Families Under the Rainbow: Game On! Saturday morning at the eastside branch, with giant games and board games in a welcoming space.
There's also a Pride Street Party on Main Street and Water Street in Cambridge on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. with lots of entertainment throughout the afternoon and evening.
There are also several drag brunches on Sunday.
