This weekend is not lacking in fun things to do around the city.

There’s a Star Wars collectors expo in Meadowvale, Punjabi dance performances in the north end, a free arts and wellness festival downtown, and a family movie night in Streetsville.

We’ve also got the final Sauga Summer Programs Guide for parents still sorting out July, plus the story behind THG’s Hot Chicken in Erin Mills.

Let’s get into it!

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📅 Sunday, June 28 | 📍 Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale

If someone in your house still has a bin of action figures, this is your Sunday plan.

The one-day show brings vintage and modern Star Wars toys, comics, collectibles, guest appearances, autographs, and photo ops to Meadowvale. Guests include Roger Christian, the Oscar-winning set decorator behind some of the most famous Star Wars designs, plus Return of the Jedi actor and stunt performer Julius LeFlore.

It’s easy to do as a quick browse, but collectors may want to get there early. Tickets are sold at the door.

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📅 Sunday, June 28 | 📍 Mississauga Convention Centre

This one brings a full day of Punjabi dance, music, food, shopping, and family energy to the Mississauga Convention Centre.

Expect Bhangra and Giddha performances, live music from Sarbjit Cheema, cultural showcases, and plenty of vibrant colours on stage. It’s a good Sunday plan for families, dance fans, or anyone who wants a bigger community event with real energy.

Tickets are listed at $20.

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📅 Friday, June 26 to Saturday, June 27 | 📍 Mississauga Celebration Square

Celebration Square turns into a free arts and wellness festival this weekend, with live performances, hands-on workshops, wellness activities, local makers, and space to slow down a little.

Go if you want an easy drop-in plan that’s more relaxed than a loud festival, but still gives you something to browse, watch, or try. Friday works as an after-work stop. Saturday is better if you want more time to wander.

Admission is free.

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📅 Sunday, June 28 | 📍 Streetsville Village Square

Streetsville is hosting a free outdoor screening of Cars on Sunday night, with a Lightning McQueen meet-and-greet at 7:30 p.m. before the movie starts at dusk.

Bring a chair or blanket, then grab ice cream, churros, funnel cake, Beavertails, or another treat nearby before the movie. It’s a simple family night out that doesn’t need much planning.

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📅 Thursday, June 25 | 📍 Hazel McCallion Central Library

Tonight, the Noel Ryan Auditorium is screening the cult classic But I’m a Cheerleader for Pride Month.

It’s free, indoors, and easy to join if you want a low-cost Thursday night plan with a friend. It’s a satirical movie with plenty to say about self-discovery, love, and being yourself.

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Summer is already here. If you’re still piecing together July for the kids, this final guide pulls together local programs that should be on your radar.

📍 Erin Mills & Meadowvale

Write On Q helps students in Grades 3 to 12 strengthen critical reading, academic writing, public speaking, and analytical thinking through after-school English classes that go beyond the Ontario curriculum. Rather than grouping students strictly by grade, the program places them by skill level, allowing teachers to provide more targeted instruction and help each student progress with confidence. Its proven curriculum has supported thousands of students in becoming stronger communicators and independent thinkers, building practical skills for school today while laying the foundation for lifelong success.

PSE Academy believes dance is more than movement. It’s a powerful way to build confidence, express creativity, and connect with community.

Proudly serving Mississauga, Brampton, and the GTA for over a decade, they offer classes and performance opportunities for all ages and skill levels, including kids, youth, adults and seniors, ladies Bollywood, wedding choreography, performance teams, Kathak, semi-classical, Bhangra, Chakradance® and wellness programs.

Whether you’re looking to stay active, learn something new or simply have fun, there’s a place for you here.

Book your first FREE lesson today!

📍 Rathwood

Summer at Perfect Harmony is where kids fall in love with music. As Mississauga's only authorized Yamaha Music School, its Music & Arts Camp gives kids ages 4 to 10 real hands-on time with piano, drums, and ukulele, rounded out with arts and crafts, science experiments, movies, and team-building games. Days run 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday, with before and after care available, and families can sign up for the full week or a single day.

Save this for Sunday if the weather holds: do a slow walk at Lakefront Promenade Park in Lakeview, then make the short trip to Dairy Cream for a cone, sundae, or classic dipped soft serve.

The park gives you lake views, lots of space, and a walk that feels easy without turning into a full hike. Dairy Cream keeps the whole thing simple and nostalgic, especially if you’ve got kids, parents, or someone visiting who just wants a nice Mississauga afternoon.

Lakefront Promenade Park

Dairy Cream

📍 4099 Erin Mills Pkwy

Chef Aleem Syed grew up in the kitchen.

He learned how to cook from an early age and saw how a meal could bring people together. That love of food eventually led him to Le Cordon Bleu, one of the world’s best-known culinary schools, before joining Canoe, one of Toronto’s top fine-dining restaurants.

By 27, Aleem was building the career he had always dreamed of. Then, in 2008, he was shot and paralyzed from the waist down, leaving him permanently in a wheelchair.

He thought his life as a chef was over. But another chef who also used a wheelchair helped show Aleem that the kitchen was still where he belonged.

But returning to a professional kitchen proved difficult. So Aleem took matters into his own hands, buying an old delivery truck, adding a ramp, lowering the counters and creating a kitchen he could run himself.

In 2011, that became The Holy Grill food truck.

Aleem began serving from a tucked-away Scarborough parking lot on weekends. Word spread fast. Lines grew around the block, turning the truck into a local destination and eventually giving rise to THG’s Hot Chicken.

Today, that journey continues at THG’s Hot Chicken in Erin Mills.

The menu takes Aleem’s fine-dining background and turns it toward pure comfort food: crispy jumbo tenders, Nashville-style sliders, seasoned hot fries, crunchy pickles, slaw, creamy comeback sauce and loaded Dirty Mac ’n’ Cheese.

Behind every order is the same thing that built THG’s from the ground up: serious chef training, years of grit and one man’s refusal to walk away from the thing he loved.

📍 6660 Kennedy Rd #1

Rick’s Good Eats is Punjabi-Canadian comfort food with big, filling orders made for sharing.

Go for the butter chicken loaded fries, tandoori fried chicken sandwich, samosa chaat, tandoori chicken, or one of the rice bowls if you want something hearty. It’s the kind of place that works for a casual lunch, a no-cooking dinner, or takeout that doesn’t feel like an afterthought.

Good if you want Indian flavours in a fun, easy format that still feels very Mississauga.

Menu

📍 1090 Kamato Rd, Unit 18-19

Pho Ngoc Yen is a Vietnamese spot people will cross the city for, especially if they’re craving a proper bowl of noodle soup.

Start with pho, bun bo hue, or bo kho, a rich Vietnamese beef stew that’s great with noodles or bread. Add fresh rice paper rolls, grilled meat over vermicelli, or one of the house specialty soups if you want to go beyond the usual order.

It’s best for a comfort-food lunch, a rainy-day dinner, or a table that wants warm bowls and no fuss.

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A group of local entrepreneurs took home funding at the Momentum to Millions pitch event, with winners working on everything from language learning to Alzheimer’s therapy and drone technology.

It’s a good reminder that Mississauga’s business scene is not just warehouses and office parks. There are founders here building companies that do amazing things for the world.

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Starting Monday, June 29, Route 51 Tomken will extend to Dixie GO Station, making it easier to connect to the Milton GO line.

That matters if you use transit to reach Toronto, work near the Dixie corridor, or want another way to get to GO without driving all the way to the station.

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Sunday marks 10 years since the Hickory Drive home explosion, which caused neighbourhood-wide damage and displaced many residents in 2016.

A community pop-up at Hickory Green Park will give neighbours, first responders, and community members a place to remember, reflect, and connect. It runs Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

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Mississauga is asking residents what they want to see in the city’s streets, buildings, parks, and public spaces.

The online feedback is open until July 31. If you care about walkable streets, better public spaces, new buildings that fit their neighbourhoods, or how the city feels as it grows, this is one to fill out.

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Mississauga’s Summer Concert Series is back, bringing free live music to parks across the city.

It’s an easy one to keep in mind for July and August if you want a free evening plan that doesn’t involve tickets, parking stress, or a huge crowd. Bring a chair, check the location, and make it a simple night outside.

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The goal is simple: make it easier to know what's happening around Mississauga and prove our city is more interesting than people think.

See you Tuesday!

— Will