Wayback Festival

Rain or shine, join us for Kitchener's classic rock celebration and a trip back in time.

On this page:

1. About Wayback Festival
2. Date, time and location
3. Entertainment
4. Food and drinks
5. Parking and transit
6. What to expect

About Wayback Festival

We're ready to rock rain or shine! Get ready to travel back in time at Wayback Festival. Join us for a weekend of free music, entertainment and fun. With hits that will take you back in time and get you on your feet, it's a can't-miss event for music fans.

Date, time and location

• day one: Friday, July 25, from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
• day two: Saturday, July 26, from 4 to 11 p.m.
• location: Carl Zehr Square in Downtown Kitchener

Entertainment

Get ready to rock with two days of classic hits, featuring the legendary Big Wreck! We'll be rocking out rain or shine, so grab your rain coats and umbrellas for a festival experience you won't forget!

Friday, July 25: Tribute to Classic Rock

• 7 - 8 p.m. AC/DC tribute by Thunderstruck 
• 9 - 10:30 p.m. KISS tribute by Destroyer

Saturday, July 26: Your Favourites, Live!

• 4 - 5:30 p.m. Always On Friday 
• 6 - 7 p.m. Conor Gains 
• 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Default
• 9 - 10:30 p.m. Big Wreck

Food and drinks

Have the perfect evening out on the town with food and drinks while you enjoy our free live concert! Grab a cold drink at our licensed bar area and swing by one of our local food trucks to explore local, seasonal flavours:

• Born2Eat
• Heavenly Dreams Ice Cream
• Los Rolling Tacos
• Siggi's Food Truck & Catering
• The Gator's Tail

You can also check out one of our downtown patios for a meal under the summer skies.

Parking and transit

However you get downtown, there are options available:

• transit
• vehicle and bike parking
• plan your route

Transit

Hop off the ION at either the Kitchener City Hall or Victoria Park station for a quick walk. Central Station is a short walk away, as well.

These GRT bus routes stop nearby:

• route 7
• route 8
• route 20
• iXpress 204

Vehicle and bike parking

Parking is available in the City Hall parking garage, as well as other City of Kitchener parking lots around Downtown Kitchener. Visit our parking locations page to find somewhere to park.

While there is no dedicated bike parking within the festival grounds, there is secure bike parking in the City Hall parking garage and bike racks throughout downtown Kitchener where you can park your bike if you ride it to the festival. Visit our bike parking page for more information about bike parking in Kitchener and to find a location to park your bike.

You can pay for parking in surface lots through the Passport Parking app. Download the app, available both on iOS & Android.

Plan your route

Check road closures on your route before coming downtown.

What to expect

Check out the video and photo gallery below to see highlights from past Wayback Festivals.