FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
VOLUNTEER
We have a number of volunteer opportunities available leading up to the festival. Check out our Volunteer Local page to view current listings.
TRAVEL
If driving, the best way to access the festival grounds is via Regina Street. Regina also gives you access to numerous parking lots including FREE parking at the UpTown Parkade off Regina St Friday at 6 pm through Sunday at 6 pm. Compliments of UpTown Waterloo Businesses.
From Region of Waterloo International Airport
Turn right off of the Airport grounds and travel north on Fountain Street North.
Turn left onto Victoria Street (HWY 7).
Turn left onto Bruce Street.
Turn right onto HWY 85 NORTH exit.
Take the Bridgeport Street exit, travel WEST on Bridgeport Street (a right turn from the off-ramp)
(Bridgeport Street becomes one-way only).
Continue to the intersection of Bridgeport Road East and Regina Street North.
To reach the Sun Life Financial UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival, turn left on to Regina Street, passing through the intersection of Erb and Regina (traffic lights).
There is parking to your left in the Station Lot and parking to your right accessed from Willis Way. The festival takes place in the Waterloo City Centre parking lot, across from Willis Way.
Total travel time: 19 minutes, 15 kms (approximate).
From Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Toronto (YYZ)
Travel on HWY 401 WEST from Pearson International Airport.
Take the HWY 8 WEST exit 278 into KITCHENER.
Take the HWY 7 exit toward GUELPH/HWY 85/WATERLOO.
Take the Bridgeport Street exit, travel WEST on Bridgeport Street (a right turn from the off-ramp)
(Bridgeport Street becomes one-way only).
Continue to the intersection of Bridgeport Road East and Regina Street North.
To reach the Sun Life Financial UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival, turn left on to Regina Street, passing through the intersection of Erb and Regina (traffic lights).
There is parking to your left in the Station Lot and parking to your right accessed from Willis Way. The festival takes place in the Waterloo City Centre parking lot, across from Willis Way.
Total travel time: 45min, 76 kms (approximate).
From Detroit/Windsor, USA/Canada Border
Travel on HWY 401 EAST from DETROIT/WINDSOR.
Take the HWY 8 WEST exit 278 into KITCHENER/WATERLOO.
Turn right (NORTH) when exiting the off-ramp (Note: when exiting HWY 401, you will temporarily leave the multi-lane highway).
Continue on HWY 8. Exit onto HWY 8/KITCHENER (rejoining the multi-lane highway).
Take the HWY 7 exit toward GUELPH/HWY 85/WATERLOO.
Take the Bridgeport Street exit, travel WEST on Bridgeport Street (a right turn from the off-ramp)
(Bridgeport Street becomes one-way only).
Continue to the intersection of Bridgeport Road East and Regina Street North.
To reach the Sun Life Financial UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival, turn left on to Regina Street, passing through the intersection of Erb and Regina (traffic lights).
There is parking to your left in the Station Lot and parking to your right accessed from Willis Way. The festival takes place in the Waterloo City Centre parking lot, across from Willis Way.
Total travel time: 3 hrs, 15 min, 293 kms (approximate).
Accessibility
We welcome attendees with disabilities and are dedicated to making everyone's experience comfortable.
Our pathways and entrances are accessible and we welcome service dogs within the festival grounds. If there is anything else we can do to assist with making your visit more comfortable, please let us know.
Safe Space
Our festival welcomes persons of any race, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion, or age. We want all of our attendees to feel safe within the festival grounds. The Sun Life Financial UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival will not tolerate harassment or abuse of any kind. Anyone who is found to be violating this policy will be removed from the festival grounds.
Parking
Parking in the UpTown Parkade is FREE during the jazz festival after 4:00 pm on Friday, July 20th and all day on Saturday, July 21st and Sunday, July 22nd, compliments of UpTown Waterloo Businesses.
There are plenty of other parking options available in the city’s core. On-street parking regulations permit FREE time-controlled parking for durations of one, two or three hours depending on the location.
On-street signage provides users with time-control limits, however, on-street parking is not permitted between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. Parking in the Waterloo Town Square lots is time controlled between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays with two-hour free parking permitted during this time frame.
Parking outside these hours and on weekends is free and is not time controlled. But parking is always prohibited there between 2:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. Time-controlled parking encourages parking turnover by short-term customers and opens up space for newly arriving patrons.
Long-term paid parking is available in the centrally located UpTown Waterloo Parkade for people who will be staying for a longer visit.
For more information, please contact the City of Waterloo’s parking programs division at 519-886-2310 x 30340.