Uptown Waterloo transforms into Easter playground for annual egg hunt

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, children and their families roamed King Street and surrounding areas, collecting treats from participating storefronts.

Uptown Waterloo was bustling with families and festive cheer on Saturday as close to 45 local businesses participated in the annual Easter egg hunt, turning the city’s core into a colourful celebration.

“This is the sixth year we are doing it; it’s a great event,” said Jeyas Balaskanthan, executive director of the Uptown Waterloo Business Improvement Area (BIA). “This year, we have almost 45 of our businesses’ members participating in it, which is a huge 25 per cent increase from last year. And the goal is to activate all of the areas as well. So when you see the [Uptown) Square, there’s lots of activities for kids, families.”

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., children and their families roamed King Street and surrounding areas, collecting treats from participating storefronts. The event, organized by the Uptown Waterloo BIA, featured live music, face painting, caricature sketches, and even a fire truck for children to explore.

“I want to say there’s over 1,000 kids with families here, probably 3,000 or 4,000 people since about 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. in the morning,” said Balaskanthan.

“The turnout is amazing,” said Rolf Malthaner, a sales associate at participating business, Engel & Völkers Real Estate Company. "It’s really nice to see this many people out and sharing all different walks of life."

At the Uptown BIA tent, early attendees received free tote bags, and attendees were encouraged to bring their own baskets to collect goodies.

“My daughter enjoys it, it’s great,” said attendee, Jonathan Warren. “You know, people have a good time touring fire engines, which you don’t get to do every day. So that’s for the big kids. And it’s great to go around to see all the businesses, where they hand out things to kids. We get to see businesses that are maybe new or people haven’t seen yet.”

“I’d say getting candy and going around, being with my parents and all that stuff is super fun,” added 7-year-old Sienna, Warren’s daughter.

The Uptown Easter egg hunt has become a cherished tradition for the Waterloo community, offering a blend of family-friendly activities and support for local businesses.

“We’ve been here since 1972,” explained Balaskanthan. “[We are] one of the oldest BIA’s in Ontario. So events like this, that’s our mandate. We plan it on a regular basis to bring visitors to the uptown core so that they hang around, they have fun, then they keep coming back. We understand our citizens. Our local folks are staying in town, they don’t want to travel further away. So events like this become even more important.”