YORK UNLOCKED Your weekly cheat sheet to York Region Issue #9 — July 29, 2026
👨👩👧 FOR THE FAMILY
Stouffville Ribfest — Stouffville
When: Friday–Sunday, August 7–9 (Fri 4–10 p.m., Sat 12–10 p.m., Sun 12–7 p.m.)
Where: Memorial Park, 2 Park Drive — Free
The Vibe: Four rib teams — Fat Boys, Sticky Fingers, Texas Rangers and Uncle Sam's Smoke House — a licensed beer garden with Muddy York and Town Brewery, a midway kids zone, and Juno winner Rêve headlining Saturday with CON THE ARTIST opening. Parking near the park fills fast, so Saturday is the day to walk in or arrive early before the overflow lots go.
TD Newmarket Music Series — Newmarket
When: Thursday, July 30, 6–9 p.m. (Thursdays through August 20)
Where: Riverwalk Commons, 200 Doug Duncan Drive — Free
The Vibe: This week's headliner is 24K Magic, a Bruno Mars tribute, with local act Supersonic Hearts Band opening. Bring a lawn chair, and note the splash feature is switched off on concert Thursdays so pack water if the kids need to cool down.
One Love Festival — Markham
When: Saturday–Sunday, August 1–2, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Where: Varley Art Gallery, 216 Main Street Unionville — Free
The Vibe: A second-year community weekend of live steel pan, a reggae and dancehall DJ, and drop-in art activities in the gallery courtyard. It's free with no registration, and it sits at the top of the restored Unionville Main Street if you want to make a morning of it.
Aurora Concerts in the Park — Aurora
When: Wednesday, July 29, 7–9 p.m.
Where: Aurora Town Park, 49 Wells Street — Free
The Vibe: Abbamania, an all-Canadian ABBA production that has toured since 1999, plays the catalogue note-for-note with the costumes to match. Food vendors open at 6 p.m. and Slabtown Armoury sells licensed drinks, so bring a chair and come hungry.
Jurassic Kingdom — Richmond Hill
When: Daily through August 10, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Where: David Dunlap Observatory, 123 Hillsview Drive — Ticketed ($20–$95)
The Vibe: A walk-through trail of more than 40 life-size animatronic dinosaurs across the observatory's 77-acre grounds, plus a fossil dig, bouncy castles and face painting. Weekday tickets cost less than weekend ones, and the shaded trail is easier with a stroller before the midday heat. Over Here TorontoThe Jurassic Kingdom
🍻 FOR ADULTS
Richmond Hill Craft Beer Festival — Richmond Hill
When: Saturday, August 15, 4–11 p.m.
Where: Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge Street — $28.25 To Do Canada
The Vibe: A Rotary Club of Richmond Hill fundraiser for Hill House Hospice, now in its second decade, pouring samples from Ontario craft brewers on the performing arts centre plaza with live bands through the evening. Entry is ticketed, beer tokens and food are sold separately, and it's a 19+ crowd.
Rubber Tire Peep Show and Burs — Aurora
When: Saturday, August 8, evening
Where: Aurora Town Square, 50 Victoria Street — Ticketed
The Vibe: A Canadian jam-band bill of country-blues and roots rock in the new Davide De Simone Performance Hall downtown. Seating is inside the hall rather than on a lawn, so this one's for sitting and listening rather than wrangling a picnic blanket.
Back Patio Music Series at The George — Newmarket
When: Thursday, July 30, from 6 p.m. (Thursday nights through summer)
Where: The George Brew House & Eatery, 236 Main Street S — Free
The Vibe: Live music on the covered back patio of a Main Street brewpub, with an outdoor bar and a rotating food truck. The patio is small and fills once the band starts around 8:30, so head over earlier for a table.
🏪 LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
Main Ideas Painting Studio — Newmarket A walk-in paint-your-own pottery and canvas studio on Main Street, run by the same owner since it opened in 2019. Newmarket BIA
Most paint-your-own spots lean hard on kids' birthday parties, but Main Ideas keeps open studio hours for adults too — you can drop in without a booking, pick a piece of bisqueware or a blank canvas, and pay by the hour for your seat and materials. It's a one-off on a stretch of Main Street that skews toward food and salons, and it held on through a stretch when a lot of paint-your-own shops folded. Evenings run latest on Friday and Saturday, when it stays open until 9.
🏡 HOMEOWNER CORNER
General information, not advice specific to your situation.
Markham and Richmond Hill tax due dates don't line up Markham's 2026 final residential property taxes come in two installments, due July 6 and August 5, while Richmond Hill's are due August 4 and October 1. Miss a Markham installment and the city adds a 1 per cent penalty plus 1.25 per cent interest each month on the unpaid balance, and staff can't legally waive it. If you bought recently, or your lender doesn't collect property tax with your mortgage, the mismatch between the two cities is easy to miss. Log into your property tax account at markham.ca or richmondhill.ca and confirm your next installment date before August 4.
📍 AROUND THE REGION
Markham: The federal government said it would make an economic development announcement in Markham on July 28 through FedDev Ontario. Details at canada.ca.
Newmarket: Timothy Street between Doug Duncan Drive and Cedar Street closes each Thursday evening through August 20 for the Riverwalk Commons concert series — plan an alternate route on concert nights. Check newmarket.ca.
Vaughan: Pine Valley Drive between Rutherford Road and Major Mackenzie Drive is under a culvert-replacement closure scheduled to wrap by August 3. Check york.ca for detour routes.
📅 THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR
MARKHAM
→ One Love Festival — August 1–2, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., [Free], Varley Art Gallery (216 Main Street Unionville)
→ Thursday Nights at the Bandstand — Thursdays through August 6, 7:30 p.m., [Free], Millennium Bandstand (Unionville Main Street)
RICHMOND HILL
→ Jurassic Kingdom — Daily through August 10, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., [Ticketed $20–$95], David Dunlap Observatory (123 Hillsview Drive) jurassickingdom.ca
→ LIVE in the Plaza — Tuesdays through August 18, 7–9 p.m., [Free], Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts (10268 Yonge Street)
→ Concerts in the Park — Thursdays through August 27, 7–9 p.m., [Free], Mill Pond Park (321 Mill Street)
→ Richmond Hill Craft Beer Festival — August 15, 4–11 p.m., [$28.25], Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts (10268 Yonge Street) rotarybeertasting.com
VAUGHAN
→ Concerts in the Park — Still Rock'n Roll: Tribute to Billy Joel — July 29, 7:30–9 p.m., [Free], Sonoma Heights Community Park (100 Sunset Ridge) vaughan.ca/concerts
→ Concerts in the Park — Who Are You: Tribute to The Who — August 5, 7:30–9 p.m., [Free], Mackenzie Glen District Park (220 Cranston Park Avenue) vaughan.ca/concerts
AURORA
→ Concerts in the Park — Abbamania (ABBA tribute) — July 29, 7–9 p.m., [Free], Aurora Town Park (49 Wells Street)
→ Concerts in the Park — The Beatle Band — August 5, 7–9 p.m., [Free], Aurora Town Park (49 Wells Street)
→ Rubber Tire Peep Show and Burs — August 8, evening, [Ticketed], Aurora Town Square (50 Victoria Street) auroratownsquare.ca Town of Aurora
NEWMARKET
→ TD Newmarket Music Series — Thursdays through August 20, 6–9 p.m., [Free], Riverwalk Commons (200 Doug Duncan Drive)
→ Back Patio Music Series at The George — Thursdays, from 6 p.m., [Free], The George Brew House & Eatery (236 Main Street S)
STOUFFVILLE
→ Stouffville Ribfest — August 7–9 (Fri 4–10 p.m., Sat 12–10 p.m., Sun 12–7 p.m.), [Free], Memorial Park (2 Park Drive)
→ 53rd Antique & Classic Car Show — August 9, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., [Free], Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum & Community Centre (14732 Woodbine Avenue)
→ Movies in the Park — August 14, at dusk, [Free], Memorial Park (2 Park Drive)
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See you next Tuesday.
— The York Unlocked team
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This newsletter is for general information and entertainment purposes only. We do our best to verify every event before including it, but details can change and errors can happen — always worth a quick check with the organizer before heading out. Nothing in York Unlocked is financial, legal, tax, or professional advice for your specific situation. Program details, dates, and eligibility can change — confirm with the relevant government office, lender, or licensed professional before acting.