By Emily R. Zarevich, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
January is always a listless month. The holidays come to an end. The rush of the Boxing Week shopping frenzy passes quickly. People have to ease back into their school and work routines after the winter break, and the weather is relentlessly glacial. What is urgently needed post-holidays is some stimulating entertainment to beat back bothersome seasonal blues. Luckily, the City of Burlington and the surrounding areas have just the antidote: lively concerts, dances, stand-up comedy, and theatre plays galore. Here’s a close look at what’s to come immediately in the approaching new year of 2026.
Drury Lane Theatre, located on 2269 New Street near Central Library, has a tribute concert coming up that will pay homage to the musical versatility of American singer Linda Maria Ronstadt. Born in 1946, Ronstadt made a name for herself in the rock, folk, and country genres with widespread hits such as “Someone to Lay Down Beside Me” and “Different Drum.” Local performer Karen Coughlin will do more than impersonate Ronstadt on stage; she will embody Ronstadt’s electric energy and, on January 16, 2026, and January 17 only, don the crown of the celebrated “Queen of Rock.” Tickets to the two anticipated performances can be bought here.
“We will also share Linda’s phenomenal story. We will share secrets from her time with The Eagles, Neil Young, Dolly, and Emmy-Lou and show extremely rare video footage of her,” says Coughlin herself, happy to endorse her collaboration with Drury Lane Theatre. “I’ve been told it’s like a live-action musical documentary. We give the audience much more than they typically expect. There will be laughs, tears, and a whole lot of toe-tapping. We are so proud of this production.”
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre, located at 440 Locust Street, has a full January schedule and plenty of tickets still available for purchase. The first show ushering in the new year will be a karaoke extravaganza by Bounty Enterprises titled “Abbamania and Night Fever.” On Friday, January 9, 2026, enthusiasts of the Swedish band ABBA can sing along to cherished classics such as “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo,” along with Saturday night fever-inducing disco hits by The Bee Gees. BPAC also promises a surprise special guest, so this show has the added element of mystery.
Also coming up at BPAC will be a performance by the Girls Nite Out comedy troupe on Friday, January 23, 2026. Burlington will welcome talent imported straight from the CBC, including renowned comic Elvira Kurt, who will be gracing the stage alongside past winners of the Canadian Comedy Awards. These laugh-luring ladies specialize in interactive improv comedy, so audience members can anticipate the opportunity to participate directly in the silliness and fun.
Music lovers of the classic rock and swing genres can still snag tickets to BPAC’s Pink Floyd tribute concert on Thursday, January 22, 2026, and a concert by the Toronto All-Star Big Band on Sunday, January 25, 2026. Lovers of dance can look forward to the symbolic synchronization of the Côté Danse, who will be performing their routine “Burn, Baby, Burn” on Thursday, January 29, 2026. Using the language of their fluid, expressive bodies and the passion of rhythmic music, the nine dancers that make up the troupe will be making a resolute statement on the looming crisis of climate change, and the anarchic heat that engulfs us all. Their act promises to be both entertaining and thought-provoking.
At 549 Plains Road West, in Aldershot near the Royal Botanical Gardens, the West Plains United Church is putting on what will be the first of an elegant series of concerts throughout the year 2026. This will be “Life in Song” by Colour Film, a trio of dynamic, Dundas-based musicians. Their songs will celebrate the enjoyable keepsake moments of everyday life that colour the pages of our existence. Their concert will be held on January 25, 2026, and tickets can be purchased here.
“On a winter afternoon with sunlight streaming in through the stained glass windows at West Plains, and candlelight warming the beautiful space, Colour Film will capture our imaginations with original stories told through heartfelt songwriting by Matthew deZoete and his trio,” says Lianne Tan, the church’s music director and organist. “Opening act, Mylissa Tom of Burlington, an emerging indie-folk singer-songwriter with much old soul and life experience beyond her years, will stir our hearts with her own experiences told through her original songs.”
“Golden Age Syndrome,” a term made popular by director Woody Allen’s 2001 fantasy film Midnight in Paris, describes an individual’s tendency to romanticize a certain past time period to the point of delusion. Obsessed with the aesthetic and pop culture of their beloved era, someone afflicted with “Golden Age Syndrome” willfully ignores all of the era’s problematic aspects in favour of what their rose-coloured glasses see instead. At Dundas Little Theatre, located at 37 Market Street South, that “someone” will be a giddy protagonist named Judy this January.
Dundas Little Theatre is set to premiere their production of English playwright Laura Wade’s Home, I’m Darling on Friday, January 23, 2026. Director Melissa Roberts will introduce audiences to a traditional housewife who rejects modern-day reality — as well as a highly respected, high-salaried career — in favour of a make-believe world where both she and her exasperated husband pretend it is still the 1950s, staunch gender roles and all. Will they ever change their theatre-like, old-fashioned lifestyle and embrace something a little more current? The show will be a darkly comedic exploration of what toxic nostalgia does to domesticity and mental health.
Readers can regularly check Local-news.ca for more information and news about Burlington-based entertainment.
