Peterborough

Trent’s Symons Campus, located in the vibrant city of Peterborough, is an inspiring place for learning. A stunning natural landscape along the Otonabee River provides an environment where you can grow, thrive, live and connect. And a lively downtown with shops, restaurants and entertainment just a short distance away, means you can easily enjoy all that Peterborough has to offer.

A Cool University Town

8 Canoeists paddling up the Otonabee river side by sideA hip place to live, Peterborough has the energy and resources that make it a great university town. With a population of just under 80,000, the City of Peterborough is big enough to offer plenty of things to do, but small enough that it’s friendly and easy to navigate.

Trent University is in Central Ontario in a vacation area known as the Kawarthas – the “Land of Shining Waters” – famous for its beautiful lakes and water recreation. We’re just 90-minutes from Toronto, three hours from Ottawa, and five hours from Montreal.

Arts and Culture

Outdoor stadium show with an audience sittign out front in deck chairsPeterborough is a vibrant, multicultural community with more than 140 arts and culture organizations, including a 700-seat theatre, art galleries, museums, historic sites and other performance spaces.

On our campus alone, you’ll find the Wenjack Theatre and Nozhem First Peoples Performance Space with live theatre, dance and music. Trent also brings famous people to campus to lecture and perform—luminaries such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Canadian authors Alistair MacLeod and Jann Martel and jazz vocalist Diana Panton.

The Music Scene

Band leader playing his guitar and harmonica on stage at the Blue Rodeo concert for Trent's 50th anniversary celebrationsPeterborough has a thriving music scene, including rock, folk, ska, blues and hip hop. Every year a host of bands—famous and those with cult followings--bring the city to life. Music festivals such as the September Downtown Jazz Festival also attract big name headliners.

Shops and Boutiques

Peterborough – with its many shops, stores and boutiques – has everything from vintage and green clothing to the latest in electronics. You can browse for treasures amongst the stacks in “booksellers’ row,” purchase handmade candles or soaps, hunt for beads from India, buy organic produce at the Farmer’s Market, or spend Saturday afternoon at one of the malls.

Places to Eat

Students sitting at tables eating at an in door restaurant in downtown PeterboroughPeterborough has a phenomenal restaurant scene. More than 70 restaurants that include Mexican, Indian, Italian, Greek, Japanese, Thai, Belgian, and new-world cuisine are located downtown in the happening Bistro District. 

Did You Know?

  • Students run an alternative organic/local food café on Trent’s Symons Campus called The Seasoned Spoon.
  • There are 134 lakes near Trent University in Peterborough.

4 Cyclists cylcing past the Bata Library on a sunny afternoonYou can walk, bike, in-line skate or cross-country ski to downtown Peterborough on a path that connects Trent to downtown.