Music and laughs set for Aurora Town Square this August

July 30, 2026 · 0 Comments

Music and laughter will ring out through the Aurora Town Square this August as the cultural hub braces for a busy fall season.

The Aurora Town Square performance hall will host a Canadian music collective on August 8 when Rubber Tire Peep Show takes the stage with special guests Burs.

“Rubber Tire Peep Show is a Canadian musical collective whose eclectic repertoire spans decades and genres,” say organizers. “With deep musical roots and a love of performance, RTPS’ music is infused with jam-band dynamics, country-blues sensibility and rock and roll spirit that has captured audiences across Canada.”

Rubber Tire Peep Show was recently on tour in British Columbia and Phil Rose, Aurora’s Manager of Cultural Services, says next month’s concert will be something of a homecoming.

“Rubber Tire Peep Show was born and raised in the Aurora-Newmarket area,” says Rose, noting the band was also part of Aurora Town Square’s grand opening celebrations in 2024. “They definitely have a vintage vibe to their music. They’re known for their performances and they put on quite a great show. They’ve got a really great dynamic as a group. They’ll be sharing the stage with the Burs. They’re a Toronto-based indie rock quartet, slightly different music, much more down-tempo kind of music, and… there’s an overlap because one of the leaders of the Burs used to sing with Rubber Tire Peep Show.

“The nature of Town Square has been a facility and a project to be able to support local; that’s always been one of the principles we’ve been behind, and Harrison [of Rubber Tire] has roots here. It’s a matter of celebrating the local talent that is successful out there in the world. We also don’t have a lot of concerts that have this type of music, so it’s a chance to fill a bit of a gap.

“We’ve realized that we have an opportunity to do something that’s a little bit outside of our wheelhouse over the last couple years. With Toronto kind of at our doorstep, there’s a lot of really interesting indie bands that are out there that are emerging, that are looking for space to play in an audience outside of downtown Toronto, so I think if this one does well, we’ll probably try to do a little bit more…something similar. We’ll use this as a bit of a stepping stone to more indie rock-type shows.”

There will be no gaps as far as laughter is concerned on August 22 when comedians Chris Quigley, Ronald Hae, and MC Dan Brennan hit the stage in Yuk Yuk’s Comedy on Tour Improv & Stand-Up Comedy Show.

Nichole Campsall, Cultural Development Coordinator for the Town of Aurora, says the comedy tour has almost become a cornerstone in Aurora Town Square programming. Tickets invariably sell quickly and it’s clearly something the community wants to see.

“We always see the happy participants there and we have a good laugh with everybody, seeing how much fun they have on a girls’ night out, a date night, or a just a group of friends. Yuk Yuks really appeals to everybody, so we’re always happy to have them back,” says Campsall. “I’m particularly excited for this upcoming show because one of the comedians is actually a teacher with a podcast on teaching – I know there’s a lot of teachers and parents in the community, so it will add some [relatability] as well. The best part is just seeing people there, just laughing and bonding over it, walking out still laughing. There’s a lot happening in the world right now that’s not so happy, so it’s nice for us to be able to bring a moment for the community to come together and just decompress, enjoy and laugh together.”

While these two shows are the only Town-produced events at Aurora Town Square in the month ahead, there’s even more to do throughout the Square.

The Aurora Cultural Centre will host a closing talk with artist Jing Fu on August 12, and a reception for incoming exhibitions the following evening. They will also host an opening reception for the new exhibition Arnie Lipsey: Past. Tense. on August 27.

Marquee Theatrical Productions will also take over the Performance Hall with their production of the award-winning Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, from August 18 – 21.

All this is leading up to an exceptionally busy summer season as Culture Days and Doors Open return to the community.

“Our team is currently working with the Library, the Cultural Centre and other cultural organizations,” teases Campsall of the programs to come.

For a full list of upcoming Aurora Town Square events and programs, including ticketing, visit aurora.ca/whatson.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter