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Live music in Kingston this summer

Musiikki Cafe

The performances you have to add to your summer 2022 bucket list

Summer is here and the limestone city is ready to charm you with a variety of musical performances. From up-and-coming bands to Juno winners, Kingston has concerts that will allow you to rock out and wind down. Read on for a list of summertime performances we’re adding to our calendar.

Musiikki Cafe

Live music at Musiikki Café

Daily, various times (check the Musiikki Instagram page)

Musiikki Café (73 Brock St.)

The music in Kingston never sleeps – Musiikki Café makes sure of it! Musiikki has live music for you every single day between 8 and 11 pm (and they’re open until 2 am). This is the best place to grab a cozy coffee, delicious cocktail, or their specialty: fine whiskey, and discover a new favourite artist at the same time. Musiikki offers an eclectic roster of local, national, and international performers. Their downstairs bar offers daytime music; their upstairs stage makes for intimate performances, and their gorgeous back courtyard completely immerses you in the musical experience. Weekly lineups are posted to their Instagram profile.

Cost: FREE

Alpha

Indigenous music at the Katarokwi Indigenous Art & Food Market

Sundays 10:30 am – 3 pm

Springer Market Square (216 Ontario St.)

Every Sunday this summer, you’ll have the chance to see Indigenous performers at the Katarokwi Indigenous Art & Food Market in Springer Market Square. Community members will provide live entertainment such as dancing, drumming, and singing. While enjoying the entertainment, browse the variety of vendors offering handmade jewelry, delicious snacks, and other handcrafted goods. View the schedule to discover the amazing performers from various nations across Turtle Island.

Cost: FREE

Music made in Kingston at the Visitor Information Centre

Music made in Kingston at the Visitor Information Centre

Most Sundays, 1 – 3 pm

Visitor Information Centre patio (209 Ontario St.)

Until August 21, 2022, the back patio at the Visitor Information Centre in Confederation Park will be bustling with local performers, so bring a lawn chair and enjoy a lakeside concert. This series highlights artists from the community and celebrates a wide range of musical genres. For more information and a look at the lineup, visit the event page on Facebook. Come out and support the many sounds of Kingston!

Cost: FREE

Monday night courtyard concert series

Mondays 6 – 8 pm

Frontenac Club (225 King St. E.)

Spend an elegant evening at the Bank Gastrobar, the Frontenac Club’s gorgeous lounge. Enjoy hand-crafted cocktails and a bite to eat while being serenaded by a local musician every Monday throughout the entire summer. The patio is open from 3 to 11 pm, with dinner served between 4:30 and 10 pm. Featured performers include Spencer Evans (a singer who plays piano, clarinet, and accordion), Moira Demorest (a balanced pop and minimalist pianist), Megan Hamilton (an elegant folk musician), and Tiny Horse (a musical duo that will captivate you with their intimate acoustics).

This concert series gives you a chance to unwind, catch up with friends, and connect with the local music scene. For more information and the lineup of performers, visit the event page on Facebook. Tables are limited so make sure to reserve your spot online or by phone.

Cost: FREE

Music in the Park

Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, 12:30 – 1:30 pm

Confederation Park

Experience free concerts all summer long in Confederation Park. Music in the Park runs throughout July and August at 12:30 pm every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Grab a bite to eat and spend your lunch hour getting to know local musicians and enjoying a wide range of musical genres. More details and lineups are available on Downtown Kingston’s calendar.

Cost: FREE

Downtown Country Concerts

Thursdays 7 – 8 pm

Confederation Park

Make room in your schedule on Thursdays from 7 to 8 pm. Confederation Park will be showcasing local country artists all summer. From bluegrass to folk to country-pop, there will be different types of country music every week. More information can be found on Downtown Kingston’s calendar.

Cost: FREE

Music in the Gardens presented by CaraCo

Thursdays at 7pm

Lion’s Civic Gardens

Every Thursday throughout July and August, bring a lawn chair and take in a free concert at Lion’s Civic Gardens. A special weekend concert, featuring Andy Forgie, will be held on Saturday, July 23 at 2:30 pm. The full line-up can be seen on the City of Kingston website.

Big Band Fridays

Fridays 7 – 8 pm

Springer Market Square (216 Ontario St.)

Start your weekend off right by heading down to Springer Market Square every Friday at 7 pm. Big Band Fridays provide the soundtrack you need to welcome the weekend. This event is all about romance, unadulterated joy, and an eclectic mix of jazz tunes. Get ready to swing and jive! More information can be found on Downtown Kingston’s calendar.

Silly Sounds on Sydenham

Saturdays 10:30 – 11:30 am

Sydenham Street between Princess and Queen

Transform your Saturday morning with this live concert series designed specifically for kids. Silly Sounds on Sydenham takes place every Saturday from June 25 to September 3, 2022. This is a fantastic opportunity to get your kids moving. More information can be found on Downtown Kingston’s calendar.

Cost: FREE

Spearhead Brewing Company

Spearhead Brewing Company open mic nights

Various dates and times

Spearhead Brewing Company (675 Development Dr.)

Looking to kick back with a cold one and some cool tunes? Spearhead’s monthly taproom events are a vibrant mix of live music experiences. Their monthly offerings include live music Wednesdays starting at 7 pm, Friday open mic nights at 7 pm, Sunday live music from 2 to 5 pm, and more. Who doesn’t love a night out to discover emerging talent?

Spearhead’s taproom is welcoming, and the airy patio is perfect for a sweltering summer day. You don’t have to be a beer-drinker to relax here either. Spearhead offers their own non-alcoholic sparkling water, Akwa, as well as a list of wines, spirits, and other beverages. Stay up-to-date with who’s taking to the stage next by consulting the Spearhead event webpage for July and August.

Cost: FREE (weekly events)

RCHA Club

Various dates and times

Home venue for the Kingston Blues Society, the RHCA Club offers a variety of live music, from rock to blues to jazz, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Check their website for the latest listings.

 

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JP Saxe at The Spire

July 12, 8 pm

The Spire (Sydenham St. United Church, 82 Sydenham St.)

JP Saxe is a Grammy-nominated artist ready to play his heart wrenching and soul-soothing music to a Kingston crowd. His music combines R&B and pop for catchy, heartfelt tunes. JP Saxe has also partnered with PLUS1 so that a portion of proceeds from the show will go to organizations that provide humanitarian care in conflict zones.

This show is one stop on his The Feelings are Stupid ’22 Tour with Alexander Saint. Saint is a must-see, multi-instrumentalist who’s carving a space for himself in the Canadian music scene as an alternative acoustic soul musician.

These are two phenomenal lyricists you don’t want to miss, so make sure to purchase your tickets online before they sell out.

 

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Relatively Minor

July 15, 10:30 pm

The Toucan (76 Princess St.)

New on the scene, Relatively Minor is a seven-piece jazz-funk ensemble – inspired by Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder. This band has the energy, talent, and soul to give you an unforgettable night. You can find more information on The Toucan website.

The Toucan hosts many local and up-and-coming bands, offering you the chance to enjoy traditional pub food, Irish classics, and good tunes in a venue that’s been around for over 30 years. They host live music every Monday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You can view their upcoming music events on their website.

Cost: FREE

Cost: General admission $31.06; VIP meet–and-greet $76

The National Youth Orchestra of Canada

July 20, 7:30 pm

The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts (390 King St. W.)

Discover the sounds of Canada’s premier training institute for orchestral musicians. This July, the Isabel hosts the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYO). The NYO is made up of young musicians who competed for a place in the orchestra, participated in a six-week residential training institute, and are ready to impress Canadian audiences. More information and tickets can be found on the Isabel website.

Cost: General public $40; faculty/staff $36; students $10

Sounding Thunder

August 2, 7:30 pm

The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts (390 King St. W.)

Experience the amazing acoustics at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts and journey into the life of Francis Pegahmagabow, a member of the Ojibwe nation, a military sniper in the First World War, and a highly decorated member of the Canadian military. Sounding Thunder is a unique piece of art that combines Ojibwe oral history, historical record, and Pegahmagabow family stories. The performance is composed by Tim Corlis and written by Ojibwe poet, Armand Garnet Ruffo. You can purchase tickets on the Isabel website. The show is part of the Human Rights Arts Festival series which also features ECHO: Memories of the World on August 5, an international multi-media project that contemplates knowledge-sharing in Canada, Norway, Austria, and Mali.in Canada, Norway, Austria, and Mali.

Cost: General public $40; faculty/staff $36; students $10

The Sweet Caroline tour: a tribute to Neil Diamond

August 11, 8 pm

Kingston Grand Theatre (218 Princess St.)

Celebrate the best of Neil Diamond at this tribute tour starring Zac Coombs. Celebrate this Grammy-winning rock-and-roll legend who produced music you can’t help but sing along with. Diamond’s classics will be performed by a world-class international band.

Cost: Admit one $56.64; group of 6+ per ticket $52.51; children 13 or under $30.97 (+ HST and handling fee)

Back to the Farm Festival

August 2, 10:30 am to 10:30 pm

MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Company

This popular music and beer festival returns with headliners The Strumbellas, supported by Born Ruffians, Miss Emily, Rocket Surgery, The Gertrudes, KaKaow, Julia Finnegan, Tiny Horse, and The Reds. As well as all-day live music, Back to the Farm features craft beer, food trucks, local wine and cider, games, and more.

Cost: $45; free for kids under 12

Limestone City Blues Festival

Limestone City Blues Festival

August 25 – 28, various times

Throughout downtown

Kingston’s legendary Limestone City Blues Festival returns this year to tug on your heartstrings and get you grooving. You can catch numerous performances throughout the downtown area at small bars, larger music venues, and outdoor locations. Did you know this year the main stage will be mobile? You can find the lineup and headliner information on the event webpage. We’re excited for Crystal Shawanda’s fiery vocals and HOROJO Trio’s rich melodies.

Want access to all three nights of main-stage performances, as well as participating club shows? Make sure to purchase a wristband! Wristbands are $20 when bought in advance and $25 when bought at showtime. Wristbands will be available for online purchase on July 1 at 10 am. They can also be purchased in person at participating clubs and the BIA office (353 King St. E. Suite 200) beginning July 18.

Cost: In advance $20, At the gate $25

Motel Ben’s Strike the Anvil While the Iron is Hot tour

August 28, 8 pm

The Mansion

Check out Motel Ben at The Mansion and experience funky, shoe-gaze folk music from this unique Ottawa band. The Mansion has live music nearly every weekend in their upstairs “Living Room,” and on their patio many afternoons. Keep checking their event list on Facebook for updates on acts.

Cost: $5

Kingston has a reputation for nurturing musical artists, and with so many supportive venues and excited audiences, it’s no wonder why. Enjoy a live music event this summer and perhaps you’ll glimpse a few rising stars.

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Kingston Food Tours: A delicious way to get a taste of Kingston

Food Tours. Let’s Eat – Kingston Style!

Kingston’s abundance of eateries means you’ll never leave the city hungry, but if you’re looking for a fun, educational way to explore a variety of dining options, a Kingston Food Tour should be on your bucket list.

Kingston Food Tours is a locally owned and operated food tasting walking tour that operates all year long. The experience exposes you to a whirlwind of Kingston cuisine in an environment that’s fun, laidback, and incredibly delicious. Choose from two experiences: the Classic Kingston Tour or the Tapas Tour. Both options take you through historic downtown Kingston and are guided by a local host whose upbeat energy is contagious. Indulge in tastings at some of the finest local restaurants and learn about Kingston’s history and food culture – past, present, and future.

The signature Classic Kingston tour offers you exclusive food and beverage tastings at great local restaurants while learning about how the city has become an incredible dining destination by supporting local farmers and producers. The tour begins at 11 am and runs for two hours. With the Tapas Tour, you can transform an ordinary afternoon into an unforgettable experience as you enjoy four tastings, each paired with a beverage. Private tours are also available upon request.

Kingston Food Tours accommodates all food preferences, allergies, and restrictions. Whether you eat gluten-free, plant-based, or dairy-free, you’ll be served accordingly (and your guide will still give you some interesting insight into what you’re eating or drinking).

Begin your day in gorgeous Confederation Park alongside glittering Lake Ontario. You’ll meet your tour guide here at the Visitor Information Centre (209 Ontario Street). Before embarking on your adventure, you’ll receive some background on how the Kingston food scene has grown into a thriving foodie destination that attracts locals, visitors, and food tourists. Feel free to ask your guide any questions – each is a Kingston resident with a wealth of knowledge.

Dianne's Fish Shack and Smokehouse Margarita
Dianne’s Fish Shack and Smokehouse Margarita

Savour the first sip and bite at each stop while your guide provides some information on how the restaurant came to be, and how the ingredients ended up on your table. This is one of the defining features of Kingston Food Tours: you gain an appreciation of the local food movement, which emphasizes sustainable production and eating in-season.

While food is the focus of the tour, you’ll also enjoy a leisurely stroll downtown as you make your way between tastings. Kingston Food Tours incorporates educational moments about Kingston’s unique history, its gorgeous architecture, and key figures in the food industry along the way. From Lake Ontario shipwrecks to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – you’ll be surprised to learn how it all connects to the food scene. The tour also offers a great opportunity to take in Kingston’s historic limestone buildings, charming alleyways, and contemporary street art.

Throughout the tour you’ll learn a variety of foodie terms you can add to your vocabulary. You’ll also learn about the food growing processes that contribute to flavours on a plate. And although you’ll be given just the right amount of time to browse at locations that offer food to go, you’ll probably want to return later to take home some newfound favourites.

Kingston Olive Oil products

Whichever tour you choose, you’ll experience an eclectic mix of sweet and savoury items, from a variety of Kingston’s eateries, both laidback and upscale. Perhaps the greatest part about Kingston Food Tours is how well-organized it is, allowing you to truly unwind as you dine. You’ll have no regrets after a seamless flow from tasting to tasting, and a sweet treat as a final palette cleanser. There’s always room for dessert, right?

Mio Gelato sweet treat

This curated experience is full of local gems that reflect Kingston’s thriving food scene, and you can experience it all from a local’s perspective.

Visit the Kingston Food Tours website to purchase tickets.

Looking for more Kingston food stories?

Looking for date night ideas? Kingston has a dynamic date scene, from classic dining opportunities to experience-based activities. Grab your partner and check out these Kingston date spots.
Arts + Culture
Eat + Drink
Events + Happenings

12 places in Kingston for your next date

Looking for date night ideas? Kingston has a dynamic date scene, from classic dining opportunities to experience-based activities. Grab your partner and check out these Kingston date spots.

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Skeleton Park Brewery: This Kingston brewery emphasizes local connections

Skeleton Park Brewery

Skeleton Park Brewery | 675 Arlington Park Place, Unit 3 | Facebook

At Skeleton Park Brewery, Trevor Lehoux and Becky Lu have revived traditional Kingston beers, with a twist.

Kingston has been home to breweries since the late 1700s. Skeleton Park Brewery has recreated old local recipes, using traditional ingredients and leveraging Kingston’s mineral-rich water to make great beer.

Their flagship beer, the Amber 6.6, “happened by mistake, in a way,” says Trevor. When they started brewing in Kingston, he wanted to try a 6.6% amber ale, and thought to explore Kingston’s beer history for inspiration.

 

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Through archival research, he found an old local newspaper ad for a 7% amber ale. In the same newspaper, there was a classified ad from the same brewer, looking for certain ingredients. So, with that, Trevor had the beginnings of recreating an old Kingston beer recipe.

“For our other heritage beers, like the Proper English ale, we couldn’t find recipes. Brewers of the day were super secretive; they kept their recipes in their heads. But we have found traces of ingredients.” Recreating old recipes for their English ale and Bohemian pilsner involved a bit more detective work.

“For the hops we use for the English ale, there’s a farmer in the Ottawa Valley area, who found it growing at the back of his farm. It was a non-native species. As it turned out, it was really closely related to a hop called Fuggle, an English hop.” Trevor surmised that this type of hop had been introduced to the region by the Loyalists in the 1780s. Today, the “Loyalist hop” is a signature component in Skeleton Park’s Proper English Ale.

 

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Skeleton Park’s third mainstay in the Heritage series is their Bohemian pilsner. “I really suspected that someone would have brewed a Bohemian-style beer in Kingston. So, we did a lot of research on the family names of local brewers and where they came from. And that led us to what they would have brewed because they came from a certain region. So, the last name “Bajus” – that lineage comes from the Czech Republic/Northern Germany area. The Bajus family [who ran the Bajus Brewery on Rideau Street] came from a specific region in Germany that was known for Bohemian-style beer.”

Skeleton Park’s Sol juice IPA is not a traditional type of beer. But, “the malt behind it, there’s a story,” says Trevor. “Back in the day, there was a transition point away from malted barley. Barley was the cash crop in Ontario. And that stopped as bakeries became more popular, and wheat became the cash crop to grow. Brewers couldn’t get their hands on barley, so they started substituting with wheat and oats.” The Sol Juice IPA incorporates those grains, and so, even if it’s not a traditional type of beer, does reflect the evolution of beermaking in the region.

Speaking of grain, it takes a lot of it – whether you use barley, wheat, oats, or rye – to make beer. The grain is malted – steeped in hot water, then dried – to allow the conversion of starch to sugar that will help fermentation. So, what happens to all that grain after the beer is made? Becky and Trevor have found a few great ways to put it to good use. For some time now, the spent grain from the brewery has been incorporated into dog treats made by Lakeside Dog Biscuits, a local business. (Skeleton Park Brewery is also a dog-friendly property.)

More recently, the brewery has connected with VOCEC, an employment club for people living with mental illness. One of VOCEC’s businesses, Great Lakes Kitchen, uses the brewery’s spent grain in their pretzels, also available for purchase at Skeleton Park. (Becky has also used the spent grain in her breadmaking at home.) And whatever is not used in those endeavours is donated to farmer friends in Harrowsmith for their cows.

In addition to cutting down on waste from the brewing process, it’s a nice way to make connections between the brewery and the local community.

And speaking of keeping things local, this summer, Skeleton Park Brewery launched the first beer in its 100 mile series, which uses ingredients found within 100 miles of the brewery.

While they usually use barley from out west, for the local series, they sourced Ontario barley, malted by Barn Owl Malt in Belleville. Trevor describes Ontario barley as having a distinctive aroma and taste, almost like pie dough, adding a unique flavour for the local brew. The hops come from the Wolfe Island Hopyard. “They supplied four different kinds of hops, and from those different types, we were able to select ones that worked really well for specific recipes.”

And putting it all together, Kingston water. “Kingston water is awesome for beermaking,” says Trevor. “With all its mineral content, we really don’t have to do anything to it, besides filter it. The mineral content is perfect for the styles of beer we make.”

A number of Skeleton Park beers are available at the LCBO, with a greater selection at local restaurants. “A lot of restaurants like to support local,” says Becky, “and they like knowing the story behind the product.” Limited-edition brews like the 100-mile series, as well as special cask ales, are available only in the Skeleton Park Brewery taproom, while supplies last. It’s worth a trip to their Arlington Park Place taproom to see what’s new on tap. And if you go on Fridays, they feature live music from 5 to 7 pm, with different local musicians every week.

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25 things to do in Kingston this summer

Let’s kick off summer in Kingston and roll right into an incredible lineup of festivals ranging from music to buskers, food, and everything in between. It’s going to be a fun three months so start planning!

Do you have a Kingston event you’d like featured on our monthly list? Add it to our events calendar for consideration!

1. Kingston Penitentiary Tours

Kingston Penitentiary Tours

2. Kingston Pride

Kingston Pride

3. Movies in the Square

Movies in the Square

4. Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises

Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises

5. Kingston Trolley Tours

Kingston Trolley Tours

6. YGK Craft Beer Fest

YGK Craft Beer Fest

7. Cannonball Crush

Cannonball Crush

8. County Sips Wine Tours

County Sips Wine Tours

9. Skeleton Park Arts Festival

Skeleton Park Arts Festival

10. Katarokwi Indigenous Art & Food Market

Katarokwi Indigenous Art & Food Market

11. Live music at the Visitor Information Centre

Live music at the Visitor Information Centre

12. Neptune & Salacia Diving

Neptune & Salacia Diving

13. Explore Fort Henry National Historic Site

Explore Fort Henry National Historic Site

14. PumpHouse Museum tours

PumpHouse Museum tours

15. Kingston Buskers Rendezvous

Kingston Buskers Rendezvous

16. Artfest Kingston

Artfest Kingston

17. Bistro on Ontario

Bistro on Ontario

18. Russell Peters: Act Your Age World Tour

Russell Peters: Act Your Age World Tour

19. Promenade: Princess Street Closure

Promenade: Princess Street Closure

20. Kingston Food Tours

Kingston Food Tours

21. WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

22. Kingston Women’s Art Festival

Kingston Women's Art Festival

23. Limestone City Blues Festival

Limestone City Blues Festival

24. Chef cooking demos

Chef cooking demos

25. 1000 Islands Treetop Trekking

1000 Islands Treetop Trekking

Events just in

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Catching up with Rowena Whey

Celebrating an iconic Kingston drag queen

Kingston’s drag scene wouldn’t be what it is today without the fierce Rowena Whey. Rowena is a drag queen entertainer and event promoter who hosts and performs at various events in Kingston and beyond. You’ll spot her at B*tch Bingo at Daft Brewing, or at Queers & Wines Night in Prince Edward County. She’s a drag queen who’s fully deserving of her crown, so we chatted with her about how she continues to slay the limestone city.

“Rowena is very sassy, theatrical. She’s also very friendly, as much as she puts on the front of being a b*tch. She’s a very kind person.”

Ian Burns, the performer of Rowena Whey, also believes he has crafted his character in a way that mirrors himself.

“Rowena and I are very much the same person. I like to say that Rowena is a heightened, more performative, theatrical version of myself, but I am very much that person in my day-to-day life anyways. I like to describe my character as a cougar. She’s kind of that mysterious woman you find in a bar who’s always hitting on the younger men—and she wears a lot of leopard print!”

Rowena, also known as “Muscle Barbie” in Kingston, captivates audiences on stage. She’s a gym-loving woman who’s a mix of rock ‘n’ roll and pure glamour. Rowena came to life in 2016, when Ian began doing drag while completing a master’s degree in genetics in Edmonton. Being in a new city, he had lost a lot of his previous artistic pursuits.

“I found drag by getting involved with the gay scene in Edmonton. I thought it would be really fun to try and then I got one of my colleagues to dare me to do drag for Halloween, so I went out and I bought all the makeup. I spent like $500, and I practised and practised, and I went out on Halloween in drag. A few months later, I performed for the first time and after that, I was just hooked. But I kept doing drag because it’s so many of the different artistic pursuits that I previously did and more, all mashed up into one.”

 

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Before doing drag, Ian was involved in theatre and music. Rowena allowed him to explore dancing, fashion, makeup, and hairstyling. It became an all-encompassing art form. While YouTube videos helped Ian pick up drag queen makeup tricks, his earliest inspiration was the concept that drag doesn’t have to be so serious.

“I like the ideal that you don’t have to take it too seriously. Drag isn’t serious. Drag is comedy, in itself. It is camp and it is performance of gender, so it shouldn’t be taken seriously. I’m a man who dresses up as a woman for other people’s entertainment.”

 

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But Rowena is sure to share the spotlight. She collaborates with other local drag queens at in-person events and on the podcast What’s the Maple Tea?! with fellow local drag queen Tyffanie Morgan. Ian says connecting with other drag queens is vital for developing a vibrant community.

“We all need community, so even as a drag performer, you need to find other performers to support you and do shows with you. Finding other drag performers also means that you can build the drag community and that’s really what the collaborations in Kingston are, for me. When other people who don’t do drag see all of these drag performers having fun, getting along, being themselves, or being their characters on stage, it allows other people to feel like they can do it too.”

Rowena also just loves working with her drag sisters and drag brothers.

 

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One of Rowena’s most memorable collaborations was with Spearhead Brewing Company in 2020. After a wildly successful anti-Valentine’s Day drag show at the brewery, the Spearhead team approached Rowena and asked if she would be interested in helping to create a wheat beer inspired by her, with proceeds going to a charity of her choosing. Rowena chose The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD). She had worked with the CCGSD in the past on a program called U = U (Undetectable = Untransmissible) which educated people across Canada on HIV through a series of drag shows. Supporting the educational vision behind the organization was important to her.

“It’s my belief that the one thing that’s going to improve the lives of queer individuals the most from every aspect of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is education, not just education to youth who might be queer, but also education to people outside the community who don’t understand what all those letters mean, who don’t understand the struggle that it takes to grow up being different than everybody else. The CCGSD is focused on providing educational programming in schools as well as in other facets of everyday life. They were my choice. They were the organization I wanted to support.”

 

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Spearhead also worked with Mia St. Amand, a queer artist who lived in Kingston, to incorporate an image of Rowena on the beer can. The beer was named Queen of Wheat and proved to be true beer royalty by winning gold for Wheat Beer – Belgium Style (Wit) in Canada at the 2022 Canadian Brewing Awards. Rowena became the first drag queen to be depicted on a beer can in the LCBO. She remains shocked at how the beer—and her profile—has blown up since.

“I’m so grateful to Spearhead for thinking of me and wanting to support the drag and queer community. I’ve been given so many opportunities to share the message that I wanted to share. My literal profile has been shared all across Ontario now. It’s just been such a rewarding experience.”

 

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Ian appreciates the Kingston drag scene because of the freedom it gives him to celebrate the art of gender expression. He says the drag and non-binary performers here are nothing but welcoming.

“We all joke, we all throw shade, but everyone is just so kind to each other and we’re always asking each other: ‘Do you think we should put on this show? Who do you think I could put in that show?’ Every community has its drama and Kingston’s has had its drama, but I just find it so supporting and warm. That’s what I’m trying to bring to the community as well, whenever I book and host shows. I want people to feel welcomed.”

Kingston has helped Rowena tap into her fierce, shameless attitude…and her sweet side ensures that she’s always serving Kingston realness.

 

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the winter in canada: celebrating the return of live music at Spring Reverb

If you hear the phrase “the winter in Canada,” you’ll likely have an immediate reaction – a memory, an image, or a sensory perception. That’s what Mark Deen was going for when he named his band the winter in canada.

Mark, Eric, and Steven of the winter in canada
Mark, Eric, and Steven of the winter in canada

The name works in two ways. Mark explains:

“The short answer is that this started as a home recording project, and I wrote and recorded it during the winter in Canada. The long answer? It means a bit more than that. I liked the idea of a signifier that was elemental, that was universal. In times where truth and commonality are in short supply, I liked the idea of having a band name that conjured an image people were familiar with and how the music of the band could change that perception, playing with the idea of beliefs.”

For Mark, authenticity in music is vital. “We’re moving from an era of monoculture to one where we’re hearing cacophony of different voices,” he says, “and so to contribute positively to that, I wanted to write songs that were about my specific experience: about being a first- generation Canadian, someone who has lived in both larger cities and smaller towns, and someone who is a visible minority. There’s a lot of focus in our music that I’m writing that deals with the idea of agency and equality.”

I see the information
That you lost all your friends
And the trick to complication
Is forgiveness of sins
I got your frustrations
I got your frustrations
But you don’t see me giving in

Part I: Everyday People from the album a new way to find people… Lyrics by Mark Deen

In March 2020, the members of the winter in canada – Mark, Eric, and Steven – were jamming at Roswell Rehearsals in Kingston. Then they were going to go to a screening of “The Isabel Sessions” (in which the band performed) at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. And then, the festival was suddenly cancelled, due to rising levels of COVID. “And that was the last time we got together as a band,” says Mark. “It was March 12, 2020. The three of us, we had been going for about a year as a band, and really gaining momentum. And then the pandemic hit.”

One of the big losses from the pandemic is the sense of connectivity with other musicians that happens at live gigs. “If you’re playing with larger bands, and opening for them, it kind of raises your level, because you’re being exposed to people who have generated a level of success. And it also exposes you to new and different kinds of music.”

While Mark has missed the spark that comes from playing – and seeing – live music, that doesn’t mean his creativity has been stunted all this time. He continued song writing and experimenting musically. “This has kickstarted a lot of ideas for new songs for the band,” he says. And now that they have been able to start playing together again, they’ll be debuting some of those songs at their June 4 show at The Toucan, as part of the Spring Reverb.

“As we come out of the pandemic,” Mark says, “it’s really great to see the support that the community continues to provide for local musicians. We have promoters like KPP, who are putting on Spring Reverb with a number of local bands. We have contributors to the festival, like the City of Kingston, the Kingston Arts Council…We have the radio station CFRC as well as Amherst Island Radio, all positively contributing and sponsoring events to help promote and get local bands on the scene. It’s been a struggle, not only for the bands, but for the industry that supports those bands as well.”

the winter in canada album cover
a new way to find people… album cover

One of those local resources badly affected by the pandemic is Roswell Rehearsals, a purpose-built music rehearsal facility in Kingston started in 2015. A number of Kingston bands, including the winter in canada, contributed tracks for a fundraiser for the facility. The result is The Roswell Effect, featuring 25 local bands. Sales from the album and associated merch will support keeping Roswell Rehearsals open.

You can catch the winter in canada with two other Kingston bands – Funeral Lakes and Princess Towers – at the Toucan on Saturday June 4, on the final night of Spring Reverb. The free show starts at 9 pm.

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Cheers to Spearhead Brewing Company

Couple enjoying brews at Spearhead

Finding the right beverage for everyone

Spearhead Brewing Company was simply meant to serve Kingston. They’ve been a powerful figure on the Kingston beer scene for years, offering monthly beer releases in their taproom and hosting a variety of events. Everything from their tanks, piping, and cleaning systems were built right here in Kingston, with Kingston engineering and labour. While Spearhead has become vital to Kingston as a beer destination, they’ve since expanded to supply LCBOs across the province. So, when we spoke with Josh Haytor—an early investor turned president of Spearhead Brewing Company—we had to ask about how the idea for the brewery was born in 2011 but raised in Kingston.

“It started out with a group of folks that wanted to do things a little bit differently, wanted to make traditional-style beers with unconventional types of ingredients. Our flagship beer, our first beer, was our Hawaiian Style Pale Ale. Back then, a beer with pineapple in it was just unheard of.”

Hawaiian Style Pale Ale

At the beginning of Spearhead’s journey, the Hawaiian Style Pale Ale was made on a small scale. Everything changed in 2011 after the Spearhead team heard that a legendary brewer, Tomas Schmidt, had just retired from Labatt Brewing Company in London, Ontario. Tomas had become a local legend after spending nearly 30 years working all over the world for Labatt, helping to bring numerous iconic brands, including Cerveza Cristal and Kokanee, to the Ontario market. The Spearhead team decided to visit Tomas, a true brew master, and ask if he was really done with brewing, or just moving on from “big” beer.

Tomas decided that he wasn’t quite done with brewing. So, he joined the Spearhead team and has been involved with every recipe since. His son, Jacob, received his formal education in brewing in Sunderland, England; he is now Spearhead’s head brewer. While the team began as contract brewers (renting out other breweries in order to brew their own batches), Josh remembers that by the time he joined in 2014, their success was evident, and creating their own brick-and-mortar brewery was necessary to keep up with demand. Josh went into every vacant building available in the Greater Toronto Area before expanding the search for a building as far as Lake Huron. The buildings simply weren’t the right fit.

Spearhead Brewery
Spearhead Brewery

The Spearhead team reached out to Richard Ward, an early investor and now CEO of the brewery, who had a design and manufacturing business in Kingston called Pure Ingenuity. The team was interested in having brewery equipment designed by Richard’s company. During a meeting, Richard and the team also began brainstorming location ideas. Mid-conversation, one of Richard’s tenants phoned him to let him know he would be ending his lease. The soon-to-be-vacant building was right across the street, so he invited the team to view it.

“He says, ‘Let’s go for a walk. My tenant is out at the end of the lease, let’s have a look and see if it’s a good fit. It was a perfect fit. This was an old New York Air Brake building. We started construction right away. It was like it was meant to be.”

Spearhead has been brewing their strong staple of “core brands” ever since. This is beer that’s made consistently, so it’s always available.

“Our idea was to have a very solid spectrum, so we have our Decoy Lager, a light lager for those who like the lighter beers, we’ve got our Amber of the North, which is just a solid amber beer, a very British-style red. Jacob actually came up with the idea for that recipe while he was back in school in England. Of course, we have our Hawaiian Style, which is a hoppy IPA, and our Big Kahuna, an imperial IPA which is a big, heavy-hitting version of the Hawaiian. Then we’ve got our New England IPA.”

Amber of the North red ale
Amber of the North – British-style red ale

Along with their spectrum of staples, the brewery puts out a brand-new beer each month. Creating the recipes is a communal effort that involves the sales, marketing, and brew team in order to brainstorm flavours. Some past brews include the Cherry Blossom Green Tea Saison (a light Saison brewed with Bancha leaf and Sakura blossom, with herbaceous and floral aromatics, and notes of fruit and honey) and their Oatmeal Cream Ale (a twist on the classic North American beer style made with a blend of flaked oats and barley, with a crisp, soft malt flavour). Sometimes one-off brews (such as the New England IPA) are so popular that they become core brands.

Queen of Wheat, their latest core brand, began a little bit differently.

Queen of Wheat
Queen of Wheat

Queen of Wheat is a Belgian-style wheat beer that pairs hops and wheat yeast with a touch of peach for a zesty, citrusy beverage. It was also the first beer with a drag queen on the can in the LCBO ever. In February 2020, Spearhead decided to throw an anti-Valentine’s Day party, inviting a host of performers including local drag queen, Rowena Whey, who organized and headlined the show. Entitled, “Love’s A Drag,” the event was unforgettable.

“It was the first all-ages drag show that had been done in Kingston and that’s where it really became important because at the front row there were some parents that had brought their teenagers and they’d been brought out very specifically for their parents to be able to show them that this was okay. You can be who you are. The interaction between Rowena, the other performers, and these young people was amazing. It was right then that I thought: we need to do something to help here, to help with education, to help with something.”

Spearhead already had plans to release a wheat beer, but they asked if Rowena would want to be part of the process. She was thrilled and suggested they collaborate with the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD), an organization that does significant education work. After consulting with Rowena about flavours, hiring an illustrator to put her image on the can, and deciding to donate some of the proceeds from the product to the CCGSD, the Spearhead team had its newest creation: Queen of Wheat.

“We tossed around a whole bunch of names for the beer but after looking at the image of Rowena on the can, we were like: ‘Alright, this is the Queen. The Queen of Wheat.’”

And Queen of Wheat has proven to be beer royalty. It won gold for Wheat Beer – Belgium Style (Wit) in Canada at the 2022 Canadian Brewing Awards.

Every initiative at Spearhead has been rooted in their original vision to be curious and help find the right beverage for everyone—even if it’s not beer. Their taproom serves liquor, wine, cider, and Akwa, their non-alcoholic, zero sugar, hop-infused sparkling water. Josh loves the Kingston taproom because you can see people from every walk of life sitting together, enjoying a beverage.

Couple enjoying brews at Spearhead
A couple enjoying the patio at Spearhead Brewery

“Our mantra has always been beer without boundaries. Just make good beer and hopefully people enjoy it. One of the things that we have going for us is we honestly believe that the right beverage is out there for everybody, we just need to find it. And that’s why we’re constantly innovating and making new stuff.”

While Kingston boasts many breweries that could be viewed as competition, Spearhead embraces the thriving local beer scene.

“All the breweries kind of do their own thing—they have very different styles of brewing, which is great. Really, when you look at it, it’s all of us against the big guys, so the more breweries in Kingston, the more Kingston becomes a brewing-centric travel stop. I said when we moved into town, ‘Kingston was the first capital of Canada. I’ll be damned if it doesn’t become our first capital of beer.’”

Spearhead music on the patio
Live music at Spearhead Brewery’s patio
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The Wilderness set to take the stage at Spring Reverb

The Wilderness is a band based in Kingston but has spent the last few months on the road, rocking audiences with performances that Nick Lennox (saxophones, percussion, and vocals) describes as “big, orchestrated, tight, driving, catchy, and powerful.”

This June, the band returns to Kingston to headline a show for Spring Reverb. The four-day exhibition will showcase the Kingston music scene; it’s jam-packed with concerts, panels, and special guest talks. Over the last two years, The Wilderness has had a lot of time to craft their unique sound, and they’re stoked to bring it all back home on June 4 with a performance at The Ale House. We chatted with band members Nick and Jonas Lewis-Anthony (vocals and guitar), ahead of the much-anticipated performance.

In addition to Jonas and Nick, the band includes Karl Tombak (bass), Henry Lawrence (drums and vocals), and Liam Neale (keys and percussion). While none of the members were born in Kingston, they all proudly claim it as their adopted hometown. The band formed in 2015 at an open mic night that Jonas was hosting at Musiikki Café. A snowstorm was raging; barely anyone showed up, but the storm blew in Karl, Henry, and Sacha Lansky (the band’s former lead guitarist). Jonas recounts the jam session they had that night:

“I was desperate to start a band with some people and I was like, ‘Well, that went pretty well, so let’s do it.’ The next day we found ourselves in a basement on Rideau Street, trying to work out some tunes. That iteration of the band was almost seven years ago. For the last five years now we’ve been playing as a six-piece. Nick and Liam joined the band around 2017 and we just knew them from around the local music scene…so, we just kind of absorbed people over the years.”

Since that start, the band has released an independent EP, Seminary Road, in 2018, along with numerous singles. The band was named Indie Week Best Emerging Artist in 2019. Their debut LP, Until Tomorrow, and live EP Live at the Bathouse were both released in 2020. And they are set to release a new EP later this year.

Listen to a Wilderness song and you might be surprised by the combination of folk-focused lyrics and rock melodies. Their full orchestration performances are ferocious, in part due to the eclectic mix of musical talent each band member brings. Nick says their variety of musical backgrounds is an asset:

“Jonas is a phenomenal lyricist. I am a trained music teacher, so if there’s any questions about what chord we should go to, I’ve got boatloads of answers. Liam is phenomenal with textures and knows how to get the coolest sounds. Henry is rhythmically intricate, and he comes up with parts that are just nuts. Karl is a well-rounded songwriter; the stuff that he writes has a good melody, it’s got good lyrics, and it’s responsive to the rest of the band. So, putting all of us together in a room becomes this dance, this dialogue: ‘How much can we gain from each other and how can we take this one idea – that might be Karl’s or Jonas’s or mine – and keep it what it is but also let it be what it could be?’ That’s the hard part, and when we do it well, it turns out beautifully.”

Often, Jonas brings what he calls a “meat and potatoes” draft of a song to the band and then the team works on shaping it together. They’re all equal shareholders in the songwriting, even if Jonas writes the lyrics. Royalties are split amongst them, and they’ve learned the value of being themselves—together.

 

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The band has played nearly 500 shows across Canada and the U.S. But there’s something unique about performing in Kingston. Not only is the local music scene busy, it’s also supportive and welcoming. Nick calls attention to Kingston’s musical legacy:

“We’re kind of standing on the shoulder of giants, following in the footsteps of arguably Kingston’s biggest export: rock bands. There’s a legendary canon of musicians from here: The Tragically Hip, The Glorious Sons, Blue Rodeo, The Headstones. There are all these people who have blazed the trail that we’re trying to shoot for. The bar is high. We’re just out there trying to be the best we can anywhere, but when we’re in Kingston, it’s a real privilege because we get to feel at home.”

Needless to say, The Wilderness members are looking forward to being a part of Spring Reverb. A huge hometown show like this one gives them the opportunity to connect with old friends, meet new people, and experience one of the most loving and supporting crowds on their own turf.

To continue doing what they love, each member has a part- or full-time job beyond the band. They re-invest all the band’s revenue back into it. This allows them to offer great quality merch, make tour-van payments, and compensate their crew. But Jonas says their dedication has already paid off, although he has had occasion to remind himself of their good fortune. After a post-performance, sleepless night in a basement bar in Sudbury, and a sweltering day spent loading heavy equipment into their van, Jonas was feeling a bit grumpy:

“I said to myself, ‘Jonas, you are literally living your dream right now. Have you any idea how your former self would have killed to be in the position that you are in right now? You have a van, you have all of this equipment, you’re doing it with your best friends, you have people helping you, and you’re going to play a show tonight to a couple hundred people in Toronto—which isn’t even a city you’re from.’ Any time we do anything, I feel like we’ve made it. Even if we don’t end up selling out arenas, we don’t end up getting a record deal, and we don’t end up making a single dime off of this, I would have still had seven years of living my life the exact way I wanted to, with the exact people I wanted to, and living a childhood fantasy.”

The Wilderness is looking forward to future performances, writing sessions, and moments that Nick says are “just a little bit cooler than the last one.”

The Wilderness play The Ale House on June 4, supported by Long Range Hustle, Keaton, and Hinterwood.

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The return of Forty Seven Teeth

Kingston indie music favourites showcase their new album at Spring Reverb

Anna, Jesse, and Dee of Forty Seven Teeth | Credit: Anna Robertson

A mosquito has 47 teeth. At least, that’s according to a piece of trivia Dee Prescott read on a bubble gum wrapper years ago. “That’s a great band name!” she thought.

The band Forty Seven Teeth started in 2015, when Dee, Jesse Aylsworth, Anna Robertson, and Joseph Harvey started jamming. “And it just all fell into place,” says Jesse. The band released their first single, “All the feels” in 2016, and an EP a year later. And for a couple of years, they were a mainstay of the Kingston music scene. They were a big draw at live music events across Ontario, including the 2017 Canadian Music Week in Toronto (where the lineup included fellow Kingston band Casper Skulls.)

In 2018, the band took a break to pursue other things, but it was more of a hiatus than a breakup. In 2019, Jesse, Dee, and Anna started playing again as a trio, using the name No Guff. Under that name, they played a show at the Mansion organized by KPP Concerts. They didn’t know it then, but that October 2019 show would be their last for almost three years.

When the pandemic hit, they got together when they could, just to jam. “It was nice,” says Anna, “because as No Guff, we didn’t really have an agenda, we just were writing and playing. We got together whenever there was a lull in isolation. And every time, it seemed a new song would come out.”

Dee says, “It just seemed like when we were having band practice, another song would emerge.” Song writing, she says, “is a team effort. It’s all three of us. If we didn’t have one part of the band, we wouldn’t be able to create the song.”

The songs on “Apologies” are full of emotion: introspection, exhilaration, and regret. “Part of the writing process – because there wasn’t a lot happening in our lives during the pandemic – was a look back at old memories,” says Anna. “Dee and I would riff on funny happenings, old events, a person from the past. That was where we started writing the lyrics. And then all the songs ended up being little snippets of the past. And then I realized a lot of them were apologies. They brought to light the crappy things that other people did to us, that we did to other people…the messiness of youth.”

They decided to record this wealth of new material for posterity. Jesse’s dad, Tim Aylsworth, a local musician and record engineer, recorded and mixed “Apologies” in his home studio. The album – all 16 tracks –was recorded in three days. “In the past, we’ve gotten our heads too much, trying to be perfectionists,” says Anna. So, this time, the trio gave themselves a three-take limit for each song.

“Once we recorded the album, it was clear that it was a Forty Seven Teeth record,” says Dee. Having made the transition into a three-piece outfit, it was time to become Forty Seven Teeth again. And then maybe take a step back into performing in front of a live audience, when the time was right.

Apologies album cover

Before Forty Seven Teeth, there were other bands. Dee was in I Hate Sally: Jesse was in Shushlang. But their musical ventures go back even farther. In elementary school, Jesse played drums for a group called Torn Existence. When Anna was in high school, she was in Lizticket, a band that found an audience – and future bandmates – at a Kingston club that booked all-ages shows, thanks to KPP Concerts.

“They started shows at the 477, a club at University and Princess,” Anna remembers. “I always appreciated my parents allowing me to play shows at this random bar when I was a teenager.”

“That’s how Anna and I met,” says Dee. “I had a band called Love-Sick Bruise, and she was in Lizticket. I don’t know if we played together, but I remember seeing Lizticket and saying, ‘Oh my god, there are other girls who play music! This is great!’ We were instant friends.”

Once “Apologies” was released, Forty Seven Teeth were asked by a few people to play live shows again. Nervous – but excited – to get back on stage, they leapt at the opportunity to play a KPP show as part of Spring Reverb this June.

And will there be more shows after that?

“We have a bit of a timeline,” says Anna, “since I’m currently six months pregnant. So, it’s all a matter of how I can play with my bump,” she laughs, mimicking holding a guitar far out to her side. “We’re going to play this show, and if it works out, we may play a couple more.”

“We’re excited to play, to be in front of people again, and feel that energy. It’s nice to share this creation we’ve made.”

Forty Seven Teeth play at the Ale House on June 1 with PUP and Casper Skulls as part of Spring Reverb.

Check out “Apologies” on Bandcamp.

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The impact of tourism in Kingston: Tourism Awareness Week

Visitor Information Centre

Tourism Awareness Week is May 29 to June 4. During this week, we recognize the impact and benefits of tourism across the Kingston community.

“Tourism is a key economic sector in Kingston,” says Mayor Bryan Paterson. “It employs almost nine per cent of our local workforce and supports many small businesses and cultural organizations in our city, from inns and restaurants to galleries and museums. Tourism is also a critical sector in our community’s pandemic recovery, as sport tournaments, group tours, and in-person events return to the city.”

Visitor Information Centre

When you think about tourism, what may come to immediately to mind are families visiting their relatives or individuals exploring the historic sites of a new city. These visitors are part of the leisure tourism sector. But tourism includes a number of vital non-leisure activities as well. These include:

Travel trade

Tour operators bring motor coach, cruise, and other group tours to Kingston. These groups will either explore the city together before moving on to their next destination, or will come to Kingston for a specific purpose, such as a school field trip to Fort Henry.

From online to real time - start planning

Business events

From small corporate team meetings to large trade shows and conferences, business events bring groups together for work, often from different communities. Business events fill blocks of hotel rooms and provide opportunities for delegates to explore local restaurants, shops, and attractions in their off-hours. While Zoom has been the meeting venue of choice for the last two years of the pandemic, business and academic conference organizers are increasingly looking to get back to in-person or hybrid (in-person and virtual) meetings for greater productivity.

Queen's University Richardson Stadium

Sport and wellness events

Sport tournaments and events also bring large groups of people – athletes, coaches, family members, and fans – to the city, often for several days. Like business events, sport events support local accommodations and businesses. They also provide spectator activities for local residents. And while Kingston’s facilities and natural attractions lend themselves to traditional sporting events like hockey tournaments and sailing races, the city has also played host to events like the 2022 Canadian Scrabble Classic. The four-day Scrabble tournament in March brought 75 top wordsmiths from across North America to Kingston to compete for a $10,000 prize.

Film tourism

Film and television productions bring large groups of cast and crew for overnight – and often multi-week – stays. Kingston has, in recent years, become a popular location for productions, as it offers unique locations like Kingston Penitentiary, which can be used as a closed set. The penitentiary has been used as a location for Star Trek: Discovery and The Mayor of Kingstown, among other productions. In addition to supporting local accommodations, film tourism boosts the local economy through the use of local skilled labour, like carpenters and electricians; rental services (including location, equipment, and bus rentals); and training and employment of local workers.

Visitor Information Centre merch

Visitor Services

Kingston’s Visitor Information Centre provides year-round information on what to see and do in Kingston to both visitors and residents of the city. The centre also hosts local artists and musicians and offers a variety of goods for sale.

While weekend getaways to a new town can often be a spur-of-the-moment decision, non-leisure tourism planning has a long lead time. Conferences and sport tournaments can confirm upcoming major events two to four years in advance. The stability provided by confirmed business events coming to Kingston allows hotels to set aside blocks of rooms well ahead of time and ensure that they are adequately staffed. In addition to hotel rooms, travel trade groups secure restaurant bookings, site tours, and attraction tickets in advance of their visits. Film productions line up locations, equipment rentals and local services, such as catering and security, before they ever come to town for their work. All of these actions provide stability for the local labour market. Almost 15,000 people in Kingston are directly employed in tourism, and there are 7,000 tourism businesses in the region. But even those not directly employed in the sector experience the benefits of the tourism economy.

Love Kingston Marketplace

“Combined, the leisure and business tourism sectors generate $533 million annually to the local economy, through direct spending, employment, and investment in Kingston,” says Megan Knott, Executive Director of Tourism Kingston. “Tourism will also be pivotal in our pandemic recovery as a community. While people are more inclined to travel for business or pleasure than they were a year or two ago, Kingston is still primarily a summer destination for leisure travellers. Business, sport, and film tourism can bring groups, tours, tournaments, and productions to Kingston year-round. This is tremendously important for local businesses and cultural organizations, enabling them to keep their doors open and offer stable employment for staff throughout the year.”

About Tourism Kingston

Tourism Kingston is the destination marketing organization for the City of Kingston. Tourism Kingston’s marketing of the city as a visitor destination is funded by the Municipal Accommodation Tax, a 4% tax on hotel stays of fewer than 30 days.

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A family-friendly Kingston itinerary

Family walking in front of City Hall

Explore Kingston with the kids this summer

Enjoy some brunch

Blueberry pancakes at Toast and Jam
Blueberry pancakes at Toast and Jam

Make sure to fuel up with some brunch before embarking on your exploration of the limestone city.

Toast and Jam offers delicious breakfast and lunch options made with local ingredients whenever possible. Everything—from Eggs Benedict to apple caramel French toast—is made in-house. They have their own kids’ menu as well, so even the pickiest of eaters can devour something delicious, from grilled cheese sandwiches to pink milk.

The locally owned and operated ’50s-style diner, Tommy’s, serves all-day breakfast (including old-fashioned milkshakes)! The only downside about this place is that it might take you some time to choose what you’ll be eating…their menu is extensive, from classic breakfast dishes to breakfast poutine or pancakes topped with banana cream cheese.

If you’re looking to fill up with a traditional diner-style breakfast, Morrison’s Restaurant is the place to feast. It’s one of the longest-running restaurants in the city and it has a spectacular view of Springer Market Square. This family-owned restaurant is known for its comfortable atmosphere, fast service, and extensive breakfast and lunch menu.

Grab lunch on a patio

AquaTerra Patio
AquaTerra Patio

Kingston is known for its incredible quantity (and quality) of restaurants. Check out our patio guide for a list of all the places ready to serve you al fresco.

Kids will love creating their own burger combo at Harper’s Burger Bar or diving into a slice of Woodenheads pizza (one of the greatest wood-fired pizza joints around).

Treat yourselves to an afternoon treat

Mio Gelato
Mio Gelato

Kingston has several local cafés that will keep the adults caffeinated and the kids’ sweet tooth satisfied. If you want some of the best donuts in town, drop by Coffee Way Donuts, where treats are made fresh daily. Feeling the heat? Head over to Mio Gelato and try to decide what you’ll treat yourself to from dozens of flavours. Pop into General Brock’s Commissary for a cup or cone of Kawartha Dairy ice cream or quench your thirst with their iced tea to-go. Or stop by White Mountain Ice Cream. We love their Cookie Monster, vanilla ice cream with Oreo cookies, fudge cookies, and cookie dough pieces.

Explore unique stores

Kids and adults will be fascinated with Minotaur, an activity store that sells everything from traditional games like chess to epic board games for the whole family. Minotaur also sells a variety of crafting items that just might inspire a new hobby.

Just up the street is The Rocking Horse, a toy store with a vast selection of classic and retro toys, games, and novelty items. While the store sells games for every age, its focus is on toys as tools to help develop children’s physical, social, and intellectual skills.

Wander Kingston’s public market

Kingston Public Market
Kingston Public Market

The oldest vendor-run open-air market in Ontario is always bustling with energy. If you’re downtown on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, you can’t miss the opportunity to visit Kingston’s Public Market. The market takes place from 9 am – 4 pm at Springer Market Square. You’ll discover local produce as well as gorgeous items created by talented artisans. The whole family will have fun browsing funky bath products, unique jewellery, and tie-dye tees.

The Katarokwi Indigenous Art & Food Market also takes place every Sunday this summer at Springer Market Square. Local Indigenous vendors offer art, jewelry, home goods, clothing, and food while performers showcase a variety of talents such as dancing and drumming. You can keep updated on dates and performances online.

Museums and tours

PumpHouse Museum
PumpHouse Museum

At the PumpHouse Museum, you can tour the site of Kingston’s first waterworks, which were in operation from 1851 to 1952. The building is now a museum that hosts dynamic exhibits, educational programs for kids and adults, and a cool collection of model trains. While simply exploring the building itself (where the original pumps can be seen) is interesting on its own, you can also participate in a site tour.

Check out the museum’s new exhibit, On the Move: 400 Years of Transportation in Kingston (on display through to November 2022.) The exhibit incorporates historical objects, interactive displays, and activities for both kids and adults who can learn about various modes of transportation, from snowshoes and toboggans to trains and roads.

In-person programs include a by-donation, drop-in program called Fort Night that takes place on Thursday evenings at 6 pm (beginning July 7, 2022 and ending August 25, 2022). Each visiting group receives a Fort Bundle, including building materials and a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) related challenge. Challenges can be done as a team or alone, with each group competing to see who best accomplishes the challenge. Any age is welcome. To ensure a Fort Bundle is available for your group, pre-register for Fort Night.

If you have a toddler to keep busy, check out the PumpHouse’s Trains and Tots series, happening Tuesday and Wednesday mornings all summer.

The PumpHouse is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm.

Fort Henry
Fort Henry National Historic Site

Impress the whole family with a visit to Fort Henry, a fortress dating back to 1823. This museum and historic site allows you to experience 19th-century military life, guided tours, stunning views, and musical performances courtesy of the Fort Henry Guard. The Fort is open seven days a week, from 10 am – 5 pm. Tickets can be bought online.

The Military Communications and Electronics Museum displays all the military tech you’ve been wanting to discover; large military vehicles, radios, and phones abound. The site also has two escape room games created in collaboration with Improbable Escapes that families rave about. Museum visitors must book their ticket online or on-site to enter. The museum is open Monday to Friday, 10 am – 3:30 pm.

If you’re interested in learning about Kingston’s roots, step into a red trolley and enjoy Kingston’s most popular sites as they pass you by. The City Trolley Tour offered by Kingston Trolley Tours is a one-hour guided tour throughout Kingston. Sit back and relax as your tour guide explores more than 300 years of local history. Tours start at the Kingston Visitor Information Centre each weekday at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. On weekends, they depart every hour from 10 am to 5 pm. You can book your tickets online.

Haunted Walk of Kingston
Haunted Walk of Kingston

Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? Buy tickets to The Original Haunted Walk of Kingston and prepare yourself to be spectacularly spooked. This ghost walking tour explores Sydenham Ward in 90 minutes. Experience haunted hotels, grave robbings, Kingston’s famous cursed courtyard, and more. You’re sure to come away with a new (and creepy) perspective of Kingston—and the tour runs nightly throughout the summer season.

Kingston has many more kid-friendly museums for you to explore, such as the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes (with programs and exhibits dedicated to shipwrecks and marine life in Kingston’s waters), and Frontenac County Schools Museum (which showcases more than 200 artifacts from one-room schools that existed in Frontenac County from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s).

Free outdoor events

Music in the Park
Music in the Park

Starting June 21, 2022, enjoy free concerts all summer in Confederation Park. Music in the Park takes place in June, July, and August at 12:30 pm every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The park also hosts Downtown Country concerts at 7 pm on Thursdays, and the courtyard in Market Square hosts Big Band Fridays every Friday at 7 pm. More details and line-ups will be posted to the Downtown Kingston! website soon.

While these musical events are open to everyone, there is also a concert series a few blocks away specifically for kids: Silly Sounds on Sydenham. This series takes place every Saturday from mid-June to September 3, 2022, at 10 to 11 am between Princess Street and Queen Street.

Bring your popcorn and a comfy lawn chair to Springer Market Square every Thursday at dusk for Movies in the Square. Starting June 16, 2022, and running until September 1, you can enjoy free classic movies under the stars. The schedule will be made available online soon.

Remember to take a peek at the Downtown Kingston! event webpage when planning for your Kingston trip. There’s something happening around every corner.

Get moving

Family cycling
Family cycling

Ahoy Rentals offers hourly and multi-day children and adult bike rentals and even has tandem bikes. Kingston by Bike Tours, at the same location, offers a three-hour guided bike tour of Kingston. This leisurely tour is perfect for older kids and adults. Learn about significant cultural sites and landmarks while enjoying vibrant city and sparkling lakefront views. Book a tour online at least 24 hours in advance. online at least 24 hours in advance.

Ahoy Rentals also offers kayak and canoe rentals, as well as instruction sessions.

Blue Marble Learning Scene provides opportunities to connect with nature. They offer three free walks: Wetland Walk, Waterfront Walk, and Urban Water Walk. You’ll spend the one-hour walk with an impressive guide who will discuss rivers, lakes, reptiles, fossils, and much more as you stroll. While the walks are open to anyone, they are particularly great for families with kids over seven years old.

Lemoine Point Conservation Area
Lemoine Point Conservation Area

Nature-lovers will enjoy discovering Kingston’s green spaces. Lemoine Point and Little Catarqui Creek are popular conservation areas boasting wildlife and family-friendly trails. Grass Creek Park (a 95-acre park in Kingston East) and City Park (a 10-minute walk west of City Hall) offer plenty of space to enjoy a picnic.

Jump into some more fun at Kingston Xtreme Trampoline Park. This is the city’s largest trampoline facility, and it includes much more than just trampolines. It has a dodgeball court, ninja warrior course, crash pad, basketball area, and more. The most spacious area of the park is open to jumpers over four years old and there’s even a designated Kiddie Court available for jumpers under four. Remember to pre-book your jumping tickets online to secure your spot.

Other spaces that are perfect for energetic kids include The Fun Zone, a centre known for its Laser Tag Arena but also includes a Virtual Reality room, an arcade, and a soft-play structure for little ones. Walk-ins are welcome!

The Boiler Room Climbing Gym offers a variety of climbing activities for all ages—bouldering, auto-belays, lead climbing, and beyond. Don’t worry, everyone receives an orientation before making their ascent.

Solve a mystery with Improbable Escapes

Turn your family into a detective squad at Improbable Escapes. This award-winning escape room company offers a variety of (mostly family-friendly) indoor and outdoor escape rooms at two locations. Improbable Escapes HQ is located downtown at 303 Bagot Street and Improbable Escapes: Wonderland & Board Game Lounge is located just 15 minutes outside of downtown at 500 Gardiners Road.

These escape rooms are award-winning for a reason—they’re fully immersive and satisfy every adventurous spirit. All their escape rooms are designed in-house (sometimes taking up to a year to produce) and the team collaborates with local museums and other escape room companies to provide expertise.

Each room is unique with its own puzzles to solve, challenges to conquer, and mysteries to ponder. Improbable Escape’s newest escape room is The Undersea Overthrow, inspired by the lost city of Atlantis.

Wonderland Kingston
Wonderland Kingston

In addition to its escape rooms, Improbable Escapes’ west end location also offers a whimsical board game café and retail store. Kids and adults can choose from more than 600 games to play (including Catan, chess, or Trivial Pursuit) while enjoying a beverage and a snack. They’re known for their magical hot chocolate.

Kids walking across a rainbow crosswalk

Creative pursuits

The Barefoot Players at Queen’s University’s Dan School of Drama & Music offer a variety of summer workshops for youth of all ages. Kids between the ages of five and eight can create their own puppet at Puppets & Play or join the Broadway Babies workshop to explore musical theatre through singing, dancing, and acting. Older children between the ages of nine and twelve are offered workshops such as Art Comedy Creation, a drama workshop inspired by Commedia Dell’arte theatre from 15th century Italy. There’s also Picture Pantomime, a movement-focused workshop that incorporates mime, tableau, and mirroring.

The Barefoot Players also offer several week-long summer camps celebrating the performing arts. For more information on camps or workshops, you can contact barefoot.players@queensu.ca.

Entertaining every family member with a day in the limestone city is easy. However you choose to spend your holiday, Kingston offers both leisurely and adventurous activities for all ages.

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Meet the makers: Greg and Allison Shannon of Sun Harvest Greenhouses

Supporting every growing journey

Sun Harvest Greenhouses | 2542 Perth Road | Website

2022 marks Sun Harvest Greenhouses’ 20th anniversary. Sun Harvest is a family-owned, full-service garden centre and market, located in Glenburnie, just a five-minute drive from Kingston, that celebrates every customer’s growing journey.

From its start solely growing and selling hydroponic tomatoes to becoming a centre for educational workshops, custom growing programs for events, and a cut-your-own flower garden, Sun Harvest continues to bloom bigger with each passing year. We spoke with the business’s co-owner, Allison Shannon, about how Sun Harvest has evolved over the past two decades.

“I’m a person who’s always wanting to improve, and if you’re wanting to improve a business you have to pay attention to your customer base and what they’re looking for. That drives you to make changes in your business and as a result, our business looks very different today than it did when we started. Our original reason for being was to grow a better tomato and to share our love of growing, to help make people more aware of locally grown food, and to have access to locally grown, nutritious, affordable, food. It snowballed from there.”

Beginning with only one growing zone bursting with their now Kingston-famous hydroponic tomatoes, Sun Harvest later began growing cucumbers and a variety of lettuces through the closed loop system that relies on water, rather than soil, to produce crops. They gradually added new products and opened their all-season garden centre.

“The business has been growing to the point where, every few years we add on a little more production space to grow more of something. Most of that space has been dedicated to growing annuals for gardeners, such as that we’ve evolved into a full-season, full-service garden centre specializing in our homegrown annuals, veggie, and herb transplants for the home gardener. We’ve partnered with some growers in Niagara to bring in flowering shrubs and perennials, and we’re known for our hanging baskets and containers.”

Allison focuses on managing the garden centre and social media marketing; her husband, Greg, and son tend to the hydroponic crops. While they stay busy year-round, preparing for the spring gardening season requires all hands on deck. As visitors seeking bunches of homegrown annuals, colourful containers, vibrant hanging baskets, and fresh herbs increase in May, the Sun Harvest team takes copious notes each week to use as benchmarks. How fast a perennial is selling, what herb people are asking for, and which item seems most popular—these are all measurements used to tweak production.

“It’s constant. Even though we’re in the middle of growing and executing the plan for spring 2022, we’re always thinking ahead. I’m the type of person who always wants to enhance the customer experience – whether through customer service, educational workshops, bringing in speakers, trying new varieties of veggies, herbs, annuals, or new colour combinations for containers – that just takes research. The research starts with working with our suppliers, the companies that develop the genetics of geraniums or petunias, so I like to travel in the summer to grower trials where I research new varieties. When people walk into the greenhouse, one of the first questions they have is: ‘What’s new this year, Allison?’ I think it’s important that we give people that excitement, that opportunity for them to try something new on a limited basis and hopefully have success and expand on that in future years.”

This season, Sun Harvest continued to add some exciting new variants to the garden centre. While the team has always been a huge fan of Supertunia Vista Bubblegum petunias, this year they’ve added a new variety for customers to fall in love with: the Supertunia Vista Snowdrift. This pearly white petunia is a garden showstopper. Another Sun Harvest plant pick for 2022 is the Hot Blooded Red lantana, a shrub that bursts with red-hot flowers all summer long. It can withstand even the hottest heat wave and encourages pollinators.

Allison’s passion for excellent customer service has inspired her to ensure that a visit to Sun Harvest is a community experience. Various educational events attract both long-time home gardeners and first-time visitors. While workshops have always been a part of Sun Harvest’s programming, the team began offering pop-up markets in 2022 as a thank-you to the community.

“We had one market in March and one in April and we have a few in the summer: June, July, August, and September. This is where we get to collaborate with local makers in an interesting plant-filled environment. They’ve been really well received. Everyone who comes those days is just in a happy mood. The makers have been wonderful, and the quality of products is incredible. We have a robust, rich community of makers in YGK.”

This year, Sun Harvest will be expanding on the Flower Fields, a cutting garden that’s been open to the public for the last three summers. Visitors can walk through a one-acre garden brimming with a variety of flowers, to cut a bouquet for themselves or simply spend time in a quiet, beautiful space.

Although springtime at Sun Harvest buzzes with energy, the family business requires hard work year-round. Hydroponic veggies are planted in January and by March these crops are available for purchase, along with a robust selection of houseplants. April is a hectic month as preparations for the spring rush begin, and by the middle of June thousands of mums have already been planted for fall. May marks the biggest wave of customers searching for vibrant annuals, while perennials and shrubs are available all summer long. The summer market also offers sweet corn, potatoes, and beans, in addition to the usual hydroponic tomatoes, lettuces, and cucumbers. The lively fall season offers pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, and the holidays are filled with wreath-crafting and tree-decorating workshops. While the season wraps up just before Christmas, hydroponic planting begins at the start of the new year.

Allison sees her job as a vocation, and she’s been excited about how the last few years have shown people embracing a biophilic lifestyle, that is, the desire to be connected to nature and incorporate natural elements into one’s home. Allison believes that everyone has the capacity for a green thumb.

“People are excited about growing their own food, growing their own plants indoors and outdoors, and seeing success with that. People are being extremely kind to themselves and celebrating their growing journey and that is really why we are here in the community, to celebrate growing journeys. If we can help with that in any way, that’s what we’re here for. Our journey has been a growing one; we started as just a hydroponic greenhouse and have diversified to be a full-service garden centre with aspects of education and experiences throughout the season here. It’s been quite a journey for us.”