> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.fromdurham.ca/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Week of August 17-23, 2026 - URL: https://www.fromdurham.ca/what-to-do-in-durham-week-of-august-17-23-2026/ - Published: 2026-08-16T11:00:43.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-18T16:53:31.000Z - Author: Arina Kharlamova - Tags: Ajax, Things to Do, Oshawa, Whitby, Pickering, Clarington, Families Hey, hi, hello there, folks and friends. Welcome to the very first issue of **From Durham**. No fanfare, no confetti cannon (alright, alright, just one) β€” just a weekly rundown of what's actually happening around the region, so you can stop piecing it all together across five different Facebook groups and just know what's on. ![](https://static.klipy.com/ii/d7aec6f6f171607374b2065c836f92f4/50/93/NOjZBLXm.gif) Here's the week, town by town. ✌🏻 --- ## πŸ—“οΈ This week in Durham **Ajax** - 🎼 **Tuesday, Aug 18 (7–8:30pm)** β€” [Music in the Square: Blue Silver](https://ajax.ca/events-calendar/?ref=fromdurham.ca) β€” a Duran Duran tribute act taking over Pat Bayly Square, because nothing says "summer in Durham" like belting "Hungry Like the Wolf" in a lawn chair. Little Beasts Brewing is pouring, so the grown-ups are covered too. - 🏘️ **Thursday, Aug 20 (6–8pm)** β€” [Official Plan Review Open House](https://ajax.ca/events-calendar/?ref=fromdurham.ca) β€” this is "Ajax: Our Future in Focus," the town's big-picture review of how it grows over the next few decades: housing, roads, parks, the works. Worth an hour if you've ever complained about traffic, a new subdivision, or where the next park should go. At Community Hall C, Audley Recreation Centre. - **🎈 Saturday–Sunday, Aug 22–23 (3–11pm)** β€” [Durham Summerfest](https://efosa.ca/durham-region-summer-events-2026/?ref=fromdurham.ca) β€” free, at Ajax Downs, with international music, food, and family activities. It's got [provincial funding](https://www.durhamradionews.com/archives/211247?ref=fromdurham.ca) behind it this year, so expect a bigger swing than usual. **Oshawa** - **πŸš— Friday, Aug 21 (3:30–9pm)** β€” [Kars on King](https://www.oshawa.ca/explore-play/city-events/kars-on-king/?ref=fromdurham.ca) β€” downtown Oshawa turns into one long driveway of classic cars, plus Touch-A-Truck and live music from Jackson & The Phantom Rebels. Free, and genuinely fun even if you don't know a carburetor from a cupholder. **Whitby** - **πŸ’ƒπŸΌ Wednesday, Aug 19 (6–8pm)** β€” [Soca on the Shore](https://www.whitby.ca/news/posts/things-to-do-in-whitby-this-july-2026/?ref=fromdurham.ca) β€” a Caribbean music and dance pop-up right on the waterfront. Good excuse to learn a move or two before anyone you know is watching. - **🎬 Friday, Aug 21 (starts at dusk, \~8:15pm)** β€” [Movies in the Park: *Ferris Bueller's Day Off*](https://www.whitby.ca/news/posts/things-to-do-in-whitby-this-july-2026/?ref=fromdurham.ca) β€” Civic Park, free. Bring a blanket and maybe a light jacket; Ferris didn't wait around for anyone and neither does the sunset. - πŸ‘™ Also this week: [**Fall 2026 program registration**](https://anc.ca.apm.activecommunities.com/whitby/activity/search?onlineSiteId=0&locale=en-US&activity%5Fselect%5Fparam=2&drop%5Fin=0&viewMode=list&ref=fromdurham.ca) opens in stages β€” set a reminder if you're trying to snag a specific swim time before it fills. - Aquatics (residents-only) on Tuesday, **Aug 18** - General recreation programs on Thursday, **Aug 20** - Non-residents recreation programs on Wednesday, **Aug 26** **Pickering** - **🀠 Saturday–Sunday, Aug 22–23 (2–8pm)** β€” [Country Music & Line Dancing Family Festival](https://www.ajaxpickering.ca/events?ref=fromdurham.ca) β€” Pickering Festival Grounds, $10 for a single day or $20 for the weekend. Boots optional, enthusiasm not. - **πŸ‘» Thursday, Aug 20 (evenings)** β€” the [weekly ghost-hunting walks](https://www.todocanada.ca/80-family-fun-things-summer-durham/?ref=fromdurham.ca) continue along the Pickering waterfront, running every Thursday through October 22, for anyone who wants their history lesson with a side of goosebumps. **Clarington** - 🍿 + πŸ›Ό **Wednesday, Aug 19 (starts at dusk, \~8:15pm)** β€” [Movies Under the Stars](https://www.clarington.net/parks-and-recreation/festivals-and-events/?ref=fromdurham.ca)[: Inside Out 2](https://www.clarington.net/news/posts/this-august-movies-under-the-stars-starts-a-new-summer-tradition/?ref=fromdurham.ca) β€” free, and this week it's at the [Diane Hamre Recreation Complex](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Djh42Uxou5kCwwDdA?ref=fromdurham.ca). Plus, there's *pre-show roller skating* beforehand starting at 6pm and 7pm. Double whammy for a date night, or a kid-friendly outing. Pajamas encouraged. **Looking ahead**: [Autofest Nationals](https://efosa.ca/durham-region-summer-events-2026/?ref=fromdurham.ca) rolls into Elgin Park, Uxbridge, Aug 29–30; the [Port Perry Fair](https://www.portperryfair.com/?ref=fromdurham.ca) runs Sept 5–7 (right before school's back in session); and the [Uxbridge Fall Fair](https://uxbridgefair.ca/?ref=fromdurham.ca) β€” celebrating its 50th year β€” follows Sept 11–13. --- ## πŸ“ Local gem: Eunoia Forest School (Oshawa) ![Kids exploring at Eunoia Forest School, located in Camp Samac, Oshawa.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/41/97410f95-6cd0-4d8b-891b-bcd80ad956dd/content/images/2026/08/eunoia.webp) Tucked in at Camp Samac, north Oshawa, [Eunoia Forest School](https://eunoiaforestschool.ca/?ref=fromdurham.ca) runs on a simple idea: "beautiful thinking happens in naturally beautiful spaces." Translation β€” kids ages 4 to 12 (and toddlers, via the parent-and-tot program) spend their school day, camp day, or Saturday morning outside, learning by poking at the actual dirt instead of a worksheet about it. They run kindergarten and grade 1–3 nature programs, one-day-a-week options, summer day camps, weekend adventure programs, and workshops for teachers who want to steal the model for their own classrooms. If you've got a kid who's happier outside than inβ€”or who needs to get off the screenβ€”this is worth a bookmark. **πŸ’š Why I love it:** My kids have gone regularly for about 4+ years now, and Ellisha, the founder is one of the most forward-thinking, inclusive, expansive educators I've come across. --- ## πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§ This weekend, with littles - **Friday, Aug 21 (3:30–9pm)** β€” [Kars on King](https://www.oshawa.ca/explore-play/city-events/kars-on-king/?ref=fromdurham.ca), downtown Oshawa β€” the cars are for the adults; Touch-A-Truck is very much for everyone under 10. - **Saturday–Sunday, Aug 22–23 (3–11pm)** β€” [Durham Summerfest](https://efosa.ca/durham-region-summer-events-2026/?ref=fromdurham.ca), Ajax Downs β€” free, with music, food, and enough going on to burn off a weekend's worth of kid energy. - **Saturday–Sunday, Aug 22–23 (2–8pm)** β€” [Country Music & Line Dancing Family Festival](https://www.ajaxpickering.ca/events?ref=fromdurham.ca), Pickering Festival Grounds β€” $10–20, and a genuinely good excuse to teach the kids the electric slide. --- Know a hidden gem (or just an obvious, but well-loved rock) in Durham Region I should feature, profile, or talk to? [Submit your Durham gems](https://tally.so/r/lb20yX?ref=fromdurham.ca) Talk soon, Arina from Whitby