Not everything makes the cut. Here are a few things happening around Kingston and the surrounding area that we think are actually worth putting on the calendar.
🎶 Gananoque Porch Jam September 19 & 20
This one gets our vote for sheer simplicity: wander around Gananoque and catch musicians performing from porches and local spots around town.
Saturday’s schedule runs from noon to 7 p.m., with performers at several locations around Gananoque, followed by more Porch Jam on Sunday. It’s the kind of small-town event that sounds like a pretty good way to spend a September afternoon.
🌎 Kingston Intercultural Arts Festival September 20
If food, music and culture are more your speed, Confederation Park hosts Kingston’s Intercultural Arts Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Expect live performances, cultural pavilions, artisans and international food, all on the waterfront. Admission is free.
See what’s happening in Kingston this September
🎭 Come From Away September 22 to November 1
This feels particularly well suited to the Thousand Islands Playhouse.
Come From Away opens at the Springer Theatre in Gananoque on September 22. The musical tells the story of the thousands of airline passengers unexpectedly welcomed into Gander, Newfoundland after September 11, 2001.
If you’ve never seen it, this might be the one we’d put near the top of the list.
See Gananoque event information
🎨 Art After Dark September 25
Downtown Kingston turns into an evening gallery crawl from 7 to 10 p.m., with local galleries, artists, exhibitions and a few surprises along the way.
It’s free, it’s walkable, and it gives you a reason to wander downtown on a Friday night rather than deciding at 8:30 that you’re staying on the couch.
See September events in Kingston
✈️ Wildcard Pick: Wheels on the Runway September 26
This one sounds surprisingly fun.
YGK Airport opens up for Wheels on the Runway, where you can get up close to aircraft, emergency vehicles, tractors, snowplows and other equipment you don’t normally get to wander around. The Canadian Armed Forces SkyHawks are scheduled to appear, there are CN Little Obie train rides, and someone will win a sightseeing flight over Kingston.
It runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., admission is by donation to United Way KFL&A, and there are free Kingston Transit shuttles to the airport.
🍂 Worth the Drive: Pumpkin Smashing in Seeley’s Bay September 26 & 27
Because apparently regular pumpkin picking wasn’t exciting enough.
Forman Farms near Seeley’s Bay is combining its corn maze and wagon rides with pumpkin cannons and a trebuchet. There are also children’s activities, an obstacle course and pumpkin decorating.
It runs September 26 and 27, then again October 3 and 4.
That earns a spot simply because “Want to go watch pumpkins get launched from a trebuchet?” is a difficult invitation to turn down.
One More for Napanee
If you’d rather keep it simple, Market Saturdays continue at Market Square in Napanee on September 19 and 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with local businesses and vendors.