At the Southeast Event Centre, Forum & Bistro is building a reputation as a dining destination in its own right.

From interactive cocktail classes to locally inspired patio nights and curated pairing dinners, the restaurant is creating new ways for the community to gather around food and drink.

“We talk about bringing people together and gathering and playing and growing,” says Michelle Sawatzky-Koop, director of communications, marketing and sales. “And so often, could we even get together if there wasn’t food?”

One of the venue’s most popular concepts continues to be “The 45,” an intimate food-and-beverage pairing experience that seats 45 guests at Forum & Bistro. Previous events have featured wine and whiskey pairings, but upcoming editions are taking a more collaborative approach by partnering with other local businesses.

longstanding community worship event during Steinbach’s Summer in the City (SITC) festival is getting a major change of venue this year.

Service moves indoors for 2026
Andrew Dyck, lead pastor at Stony Brook Fellowship Church and co-chair of Worship in the City, says the excitement is building for the annual service.

“This is something we do every year for the festival. A highlight for me personally is always the community worship service, and this year is no different,” he says.

This year, the service will move to the Southeast Event Centre, offering organizers more space and a weatherproof setting as they prepare for what they hope will be their largest gathering yet.

Steinbach has become an international music destination after four bands from the Philippines booked to play the city’s Southeast Event Centre.

Promoters said they were drawn to the Manitoba city by the size of its new 3,500-seat venue, the large Filipino community there and Steinbach’s proximity to Winnipeg.

The first concert, this Saturday, is the Kundiman tour, which involves three bands from the Philippines who helped define the OPM (original Filipino music) genre: Moonstar88, Silent Sanctuary and Hale.