Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture
Downtown Kitchener offers a sophisticated atmosphere with entertainment and unparalleled opportunities to enjoy the best in live theatre, gallery showings, musical performances, festivals, sporting events and so much more.
City of Kitchener Rotunda Gallery
The Rotunda Gallery is open year round, and features local artists in individual and group exhibits. Located on the main floor of Kitchener City Hall, just behind the Rotunda meeting place, the Gallery is welcoming and open-concept. Month-long exhibitions are open to the public free of charge.
Hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 am – 10 pm, and Sunday, 11 am – 10 pm.
KW Art Gallery
Established in 1956 and currently operating in a 23,500 square-foot facility, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery is the oldest and largest public gallery in Waterloo region. Through a balanced and engaging range of exhibitions, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery presents the full spectrum of artistic experience to an equally diverse audience.
The Gallery cares for 3,940 works in its permanent collection. Selections from the collection are regularly displayed and interpreted in dedicated exhibitions at the gallery, via off-site loans to other galleries or through outreach projects. Throughout its development, the collection has focused on Canadian painting with particular attention paid to Ontario artists. In recent years the collection has emphasized works of 20th century Canadian artists of national scope. In this manner, the Gallery continues to serve both a provincial and national role.
Family Sundays — 1st Sunday each month
FREE — Drop in from 2–5pm - Explore the world of art and creativity at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery. Discover exhibitions through interactive activities, create original works of art, listen to a story, and participate in drama games.
Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
Located within the Centre In The Square
101 Queen Street North
519-579-5860
www.kwag.on.ca
Opera Kitchener
Opera Kitchener's ambition is to present traditional, fully-staged operatic productions on a yearly basis. Opera Kitchener's main goal is to provide opera productions to the public with affordable ticket prices and employing local artists in their shows.
Opera Kitchener
info@operakitchener.com
www.operakitchener.com
Centre In The Square
Every year, approximately 190,000 audience members attend a variety of events including everything from dance, opera, symphony, international stars, children's performers, mega-musicals, comedians to magic and more! An acoustical and architectural jewel, The Centre In The Square, was designed by Rieder, Hymmen and Lobban, and opened in September 1980.
The focal point of the spacious building is the Raffi Armenian Theatre, one of North America's most expansive, acoustically superior halls. Specially designed to deliver optimal acoustics, performers rave about how they are heard with the same warmth and brilliance in the very last row as they are in the first.
The 2,047-seat design offers exceptional, unobstructed views of the stage, which is one of the largest stages in North America, as well as state-of-the-art sound, lights and theatrical systems all designed to provide an amazing experience for patrons.
101 Queen Street North
Kitchener
Box Office: 519-578-1570 or 1-800-265-8977
www.centre-square.com
The Registry Theatre
The Registry Theatre is home to talented entertainers, world-class performers, local professional artists and community groups. From dance to jazz, poetry to plays, you'll find your place within our doors. Your ticket buys much more than a seat to a show. It's a passport to an experience unlike any other.
122 Frederick Street
519-745-6565
www.registrytheatre.com
Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts
Located at 36 King Street West, the Conrad Centre for the performing arts is a venue for music, theatre and dance in the region. This valuable community resource serves to enhance the arts and culture scene in downtown Kitchener.
Victoria Park Gallery
View photographs, artifacts and 100 years of memories. The gallery is located in Kitchener's Victoria Park. Hours are early April to late October, weekends & holidays 1–5 p.m.
Admission is free.
83 Schneider Avenue
519-742-4990
Historic Tours
History buffs will be delighted with the downtown attractions and self-guided tours that outline much of Kitchener’s past. From Joseph Schneider Haus Museum, a living history museum and Kitchener's oldest dwelling, to the downtown churches tour – our past and present are alive in downtown Kitchener.
Designated Heritage Properties Downtown Churches Industrial Artifacts Public Art
Explore some of Kitchener’s most historic neighbourhoods. Take a self-guided walking tour through the downtown, the Victoria Park/Mill Courtland neighbourhoods or the Civic Centre/Central Frederick neighbourhood.Download File
This tour serves as a guide to several churches that have played important roles in downtown development.Download File
Industry has served as a backbone of Kitchener’s heritage. Take this tour to learn about Kitchener’s Industrial Artifacts Project.Download File
What did the artists envision when they created their sculptures, tapestries, etc? Discover the background behind specific public art located throughout downtown. Download File