The first full weekend of 2026 offers plenty to do close to home. Here are four options for Friday, Jan. 9 to Sunday, Jan. 11.

1. Newsies at Flato Markham Theatre

Unionville High School stages Disney's Newsies on Friday, Jan. 9 and Saturday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Flato Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd. The musical is based on the 1899 newsboys' strike in New York and its themes of youth activism.

The production draws on all four of the school's specialized arts programs, drama, visual arts, dance and music, and has a $46,000 budget. The school rented set pieces from Disney's Broadway production and hired a professional fight director to coach students in stage combat, the Markham Review reported. Tickets are $30 through markhamtheatre.ca.

2. Last weekend for the Varley's fall shows

The Varley Art Gallery of Markham, at 216 Main St. in Unionville, closes its fall exhibitions on Sunday, Jan. 11: Kejie Lin: A Garden of My Own, a series of detailed gongbi ink paintings of the artist's Canadian garden, and the three-artist show Sights of Convergence.

3. Free skating at the Markham Civic Centre

The outdoor rink at the Markham Civic Centre, 101 Town Centre Blvd., is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, weather and ice conditions permitting. Skating is free. Skate rentals are available from 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the weekend. The city says to reach the rink by walking around the northeast entrance of the civic centre and taking the stairs or the pathway down.

4. Immigrant stories at Angus Glen

The Immigrantstory.ca exhibition is on display at Angus Glen Community Centre and Library until Feb. 22. Founded by Sholom Wargon, who launched the website in 2021, the project has gathered 101 stories of immigrants from 43 countries, written by 53 writers and paired with historical photos. Markham-Thornhill MPP Logan Kanapathi, who came to Canada as a refugee in 1983, was the keynote speaker at the exhibit's ribbon-cutting. It moves to the Pierre Berton Resource Library in Vaughan in March.