Under the Bridge (UTB)
If you are in the scene in KW you have almost certainly heard of the Under the Bridge Community Dance. It happens once a month through Spring and Summer, where we gather under a most excellent bridge in Kitchener and have a dance party. It is a family friendly event with performances for the kids early, leading into a host of local DJ's showcasing their talents, sometimes for the first time in front of a large crowd. It is a place to grow and express yourself, to immerse yourself in the community with your friends and make new friends, too. A river runs nearby, we get to watch the sun set and the moon rise. There is vibrant graffiti art and when it gets dark, the bridge is lit up with multi-colour lights and good vibes. It is paid for by the generosity of its patrons as a donation based event. Being on a public trail, sometimes people come upon something they were not expecting on their evening walk with the dog, but that is part of the charm of Under the Bridge - the whole thing has been unexpected since day 1! It started with inspiration and an idea, as most things do, and is run by Jess Tunes, aka UTB Mama.
Your night time approach to Under the Bridge - full moon is a bonus!
She was inspired by Boogie House, a similar style dance party. They would have one DJ and host a dance on the full moon of each month. The dances were held in different outdoor spaces (even in the winter!) throughout KW. The hosts of Boogie House eventually dispersed, the pandemic hit and things really shifted. The KW electronic music scene was a ghost town.
It was early 2023, Jess was chatting with Delfine and they decided it would be fun to have a dance sometime - "I always liked hosting events and this was just another event to put on for one day. It was never intended to turn out like it did." A few months later, the very first Under the Bridge was had in May of 2023. There were 9 people in attendance, including 3 children.
"I wanted to make a family friendly event and welcome any genre of music without boundaries"
Jess found the bridge while out cycling one day... "there was always a vibe under there, and I wanted to host an event somewhere weather proof and without major accessibility issues. It's cool that there is a seating area to hang out and a river near by. I thought the bridge and the location was perfect!"
Graffiti art Under the Bridge
The first dance poster shared the old crescent moon idea with the DJ logos, since the dance was originally hosted on the New Moon of each month. It said Location TBA - "which should be a another dance series name" Jess jokes. The second dance in June 2023 had more attendees (about 20-30) and more DJs interested. By that time, the poster location said "Under The Bridge".
The very first flyer to the most recent (2023 - 2026)
"It wasn't my intention to call the event Under The Bridge... it was more of a logistical thing that became something more. I don't even know when we started calling it by the nickname UTB... but I am grateful everything fell into place."
Slowly, as the months continued, the dance became well attended and because of the overwhelming feedback from DJs who wanted a place to perform, Jess started Open Decks in September 2023. There wasn't enough time to host all the DJs Under the Bridge, so Open Decks KW was a cool side quest Jess started to accommodate everyone. Open Decks is still offered throughout the year at Pin Up Arcade in Waterloo, which is where a lot of the DJs who play UTB are heard for the first time.
"In this community, I feel like the mama. It's like giving the folks of all ages a place to play and feel safe and comfortable to perform or hang out and dance. I love watching it all evolve... it makes my heart happy. I also love listening to UTB! The programming is purposely random, going from one genre and flipping the switch into something completely different. I love that about UTB, we never know what soundscapes expect!"
Throwing an event like this does not come without its challenges. After hosting the event for four years, Jess feels much more relaxed now, but in the beginning, preparing for and hosting the event was very stressful and overwhelming for her. As time went on, it began to feel like second nature. During the growth of UTB, Jess's professional career in DJ services also started to take off, and with that she learned how to manage events with more grace and ease.
Daylight, Dusk and Dark
Another big challenge for Jess was accepting responsibility for the social media presence and the event itself. The 2025 season really tore her down and she didn't think she wanted to continue with running the event. There were not enough donations to cover the overhead and she had to pay out of pocket for several dances to keep going and to compensate our performers. At one UTB the donations were stolen. Then there was the social media uproar regarding a Capcut video overlay that looked AI generated. It felt like the community was falling apart as one bad incident after another happened in a short period of time.
"The feedback and comments from some folks on our social media still bother me. While it may have been a small blip on their radar, to me, all the negative feedback became so heavy for me."
It was as if the world was saying exactly what people said on social media - "there's no more UTB" - and she almost gave up.
However, no stranger to adversity, Jess did not back down because she believed in the project. After the 2025 season ended, she regrouped and used the hurt as fuel to evolve and keep going. She wanted to prove to herself that this is worth fighting for... and it worked. She didn't give up and continued to make moves in a positive direction for the community and herself.
"The 2026 has been really successful and I am grateful."
At night, the bridge is a vision to behold from every angle!
With all that being said, the idea of UTB was born out of a sadness that needed to be healed. Through grief and pain, grew this beautiful community and celebration. The project kept Jess busy and focused on doing something positive and creative with her time. Within the "walls" of UTB, Jess was able to heal. Because of that shift to a more positive mindset, miracles started happening in other areas of her life.
"I am really grateful that the community has felt safe and free to be themselves and have had their own miracles happen to them, too."
Jess has particularly loved seeing how others are also creating their own projects. It shows that the sadness of the world doesn't decide how we should feel or act - we do. She says it will never be perfect, but it doesn't need to be. UTB is a small production with big vibes. The logistical simplicity of the event is what makes it special for everyone - "If we brought in a larger system, the man would show up (we don't want any of that ;) and the low-fi video promotions and random memes are never perfect either." It's all a part of the "rough around the edges vibe" and encourages us that nothing will be perfect. Jess's advice to us all... "Just put SOMETHING out there and don't hesitate or overthink it too much. Have a dream or a goal and execute a feasible game plan that you can attain. Don't let anyone or anything hold you back."
Jess hopes this story inspires you all to start making moves in a positive direction for you. It doesn't need to be a big thing - "UTB was never meant to be an entire community, but when you push through and have a dedicated vision, anything is possible. I truly mean that! There's too much heaviness and sadness in the world, and doing these things for y'all makes me feel like we can all reach for the stars in a positive way." Jess wishes good luck to everyone and their upcoming creative projects and events. The 2026 Season Finale for Under the Bridge will be on September 9 - if you know you know, if you don't, you should! All are welcome.
The keyhole to our hearts, unlocked by music and a really dope bridge
"When we do good, good things come back - believe that!"
As my journey begins with KW Scene, it felt important to share the story of Under the Bridge, as the event has done so much to bring this community together. Personally, I have met some of my nearest and dearest through Under the Bridge, and have discovered some of my favourite local DJ's there. It's like Jess planted a seed in 2023, and from that seed grew a beautiful and lush garden of awesome people. I want to thank Jess for taking the time to share her story, as I have taken a lot of what she said to heart. It was inspiration from you - the community of DJ's, producers, promoters, dancers and party goers - that turned KW Scene into an idea. It is an idea I am putting out there, even though I am not exactly sure how it is going to look and it definitely isn't perfect. But the seed has been planted, let's watch it grow.
Love, Rachel
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