The 12 Best Ways to Celebrate the Holidays In Waterloo Ontario
The weather gets colder, the snow flies, and the sound of carols starts to fill the air.
Waterloo Ontario is a great place to celebrate the holiday season, and there are plenty of great
opportunities across the Waterloo Region to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the
season. Simply click through the slideshow above to see photos of these great events, or keep reading to find out more.
To find out how to enter to win the Freys Flowers winter urn (valued at $200.00) proceed to the end of this article or slide show.
1. Canadian Pacific Holiday Train
A Canadian holiday tradition spends another year on the tracks as the CP Holiday Train
rolls through the area on December 1st with stops in Cambridge (25 minutes from Waterloo) at
4 PM, Ayr (30 minutes from Waterloo) at 5:15 PM, and Woodstock (45 minutes from Waterloo)
at 6:35 PM. Country star Kira Isabella will be performing holiday favourites in all three cities,
with offerings for local food banks also happening at every stop.
2. Canada’s Original Christkindl Market
Downtown Kitchener is transformed into an authentic Christkindl (Christmas Market) full
of vendors, shops, musicians, crafts, model trains, and more from December 4th to 7th. Bring
the family to do some holiday shopping, crafts, or simply enjoy the holiday spirit in the air.
3. Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night: December 11th, 7 PM
Cambridge brings this unconventional holiday light and music parade to life as marchers setups playing Kline’s composition through the streets. A limited number of CD’s and cassettes will be available at Cambridge’s City Hall before the parade, or you can download the free Unsilent Night app that contains the music from the App Store or Google Play.
4. Waterloo Region Museum’s “Country Christmas”
The museum holds their annual “Country Christmas” celebration Sundays in December
leading up to Christmas from 11 AM-5 PM. Enjoy the museum, visiting with Father Christmas,
singing Christmas carols, and touring the village. $10 adults, $8 seniors and students, $5
children, four and under free.
5. Wonders of Winter
Waterloo Park turns into a festival of 100,000 beautiful lights that turn on at 5:30 PM
nightly from November 29th to New Year’s Eve. On select nights, there are other activities that
range from wagon rides to plays at the old schoolhouse. Freewill donations are accepted.
6. Christmas JOY Home Tour: November 14th-15th
Get some holiday decorating ideas while benefiting HOPE House at the same time by
taking a tour of professionally decorated homes in Guelph (35 minutes from Waterloo), Fergus
(35 minutes from Waterloo), and Aberfoyle (30 minutes from Waterloo). $30 in advance, $35 at
the door.
7. Santa Pur-Suit: December 13th, 10 AM
If “getting into the holiday spirit” for you means running either a 1, 3, or 5 K in a Santa
suit, you’re in luck. Participants in the 3rd annual event, which benefits the Waterloo Region
YMCA’s, receive a “Santa suit” which consists of a jacket, pants, hat, beard, and belt in what will
be a jolly run through the streets of Waterloo for the whole family.
8. Waterloo Santa Claus Parade: November 15th, 10 AM
Santa comes to Waterlooon November 15th to wish everyone a Merry Christmas as
the parade moves down King Street, starting at Erb and ending in Kitchener. . Donations to
Toy and used book donations and letters to Santa will be collected along the route.
9. Kids in the Kitchen at the Kitchener Market
Join the people at the Kitchener Market for two free kids’ cooking classes leading up to
Christmas. On December 13th, Santa comes by to help make gingerbread while on December
20th come cook up reindeer treats.
10. Castle Kilbride
If you want a more traditional contrast to Christmas JOY, Castle Kilbride is for you. The
Castle, located in Baden (25 minute drive from Waterloo) was built in 1877 and has two events
to show off the holiday decor in the house. “Christmas at the Castle” takes place during regular
house hours, Tuesdays to Sundays 1-4 PM from November 18th-January 4th. Additionally, “A
Merry Victorian Christmas” will take place on December 4th from 6-8:30 PM so you can see the
decorations at night. Christmas at the Castle is included with Castle admission ($6.50 adults,
$5.50 seniors/students, $4.50 children 4-12), while Merry Victorian Christmas is a flat $5 fee.
11. Flight of White: The Butterfly Conservatory in Cambridge
Enjoy thousands of paperwhite butterflies fluttering around like snowflakes at the conservatory’s annualFlight of White Exhibit. Dec 6th thru the end of the year.
12. Kitchener Rangers 20th annual Teddy Bear Toss Night: December 9th, 7 PM
Join the Kitchener Rangers as they take on the Erie Otters on their Teddy Bear Toss
night. Fans can either buy or donate new or gently used teddy bears at Canadian Tire locations
in the week leading up to the game or at the arena on game night. When the Rangers score
their first goal of the night, all the bears are thrown on the ice and then collected to be donated
to local charities. $21.75 (13 and up), $17.75 (12 and under)
New to Waterloo and Freys Flowers have teamed up to offer you a custom winter urn (retail value: $200.00). Simply like, share or retweet this post and you’re entered to win. This is no limit to entries, so you may enter as often as you like.The winner will be drawn at random on November 24, 2014. Prize does not include delivery. Arrangement may not be identical to the photograph shown.
Happy Holidays from New to Waterloo!
