Karaoke World Championships qualifiers bring global singing competition to local stages

Contestants gather at Chuck’s Roadhouse in Stratford for the inaugural qualifying night of the Karaoke World Championships hosted by Gemstone Entertainment. Local singers are competing for a chance to advance to the Ontario provincial finals and potentially represent Canada on the world stage.

Local singers are getting the chance to take their voices from southwestern Ontario to the world stage through the Karaoke World Championships

The international amateur singing competition began in Finland in 2003 and brings together singers from countries around the world. KWC Canada lists Ontario finals for July 11 and 12, 2026, with nationals scheduled for Aug. 17 to 22 in Calgary.

Rob Puschelberg, a longtime karaoke host, is running qualifying events at multiple local venues, including Chuck’s Roadhouse in Stratford, Good Times in Woodstock, and, starting May 17, the Foundry Tavern in Cambridge.

“I’m really excited,” Puschelberg said. “I’ve done two events in Woodstock and seen some really, really good talented singers.”

Competitors perform two songs of their choice. Over the course of the qualifying series, singers can return for multiple weeks, with their top scores used to determine who advances.

Puschelberg said the format encourages singers to keep improving while also helping venues build a strong weekly crowd.

“Not everybody’s going to win, but everybody’s going to grow,” Puschelberg said.

He said the competition is about more than singing. Judges can offer feedback on areas such as stage presence, breathing and performance, giving singers a chance to develop before moving on to higher levels of competition.

“Our whole thing, with the judges and myself, is to do whatever we can do to make them better, so that they have a better chance at the provincials, the nationals and the world,” he said.

Puschelberg has been hosting karaoke for nearly 31 years. What started as a personal love of singing grew into a career built around helping others feel comfortable on stage.

“To me, music is probably the best drug in the world,” he said. “The feeling that people get from music can be life-changing.”

He said karaoke can create community for people who are new to town, nervous to sing or simply looking for a place to belong.

“You take somebody that’s struggling, give them a microphone and a song that they know and a little bit of encouragement and a good audience that’ll cheer for them, no matter how good or bad it is, and once they feel accepted, it’s crazy,” he said.

Qualifying nights run Tuesdays at Good Times in Woodstock and Wednesdays at Chuck’s Roadhouse in Stratford, with registration at 7:30 p.m. and competition starting at 8 p.m. Starting May 17, Sunday qualifiers will run at the Foundry Tavern in Cambridge, with registration at 5:30 p.m. and competition starting at 6 p.m.

After each competition, the night continues with open karaoke.

Registration for the Karaoke World Championships qualifiers is available through KWC Canada.

Single-venue registration costs $30 for solo competitors, while multi-venue registration is $50 and allows singers to compete at multiple qualifying locations.

Duet registrations are also available, with single-venue entry priced at $50 and multi-venue entry priced at $75.

“I want this to be something that people are going to want to come and watch,” said Puschelberg, “because they’re going to want to come and cheer on their local singers and help them progress through the competition.”

Organizers are also encouraging audience members to attend and support local singers throughout the competition series.

“Bring the crowd, bring the energy. Come be part of the audience and cheer on local singers.”