Amherstburg is the place to be during Open Air Weekends. The popular event kicks off Friday, June 2nd and continues every weekend until Labour Day.
New this year is an outstanding summer concert series and night markets! Back by popular demand is Bagpipes in the Burg, Yoga in the Park and Play Amherstburg children’s programming. Pump it up with The Jody Raffoul Band to start the party on Saturday, June 3rd at 6 p.m.
The Canada Day run is Amherstburg returns on July 1st with a new organizer.
Town Councillor Molly Allaire and her husband are picking up the traditional Canada Day Event after they found out the previous organizer was stepping down.
This year the race will be organized all by volunteers, with all proceeds staying in Amherstburg and going to The food mission, Bryerswood, and ACS.Movati Athletic Gym has stepped in as the event’s main sponsor.
Amherstburg’s Open Air Weekends is ranked the No. 1 destination in 2023 in Festivals & Events Ontario’s Top 100 list.
“It’s an incredible event in a magnificent town,” said Amherstburg town councilor Don McArthur. “And it keeps growing and it keeps getting better.”
Open Air Weekends was launched in late-spring 2020 at a time when many small businesses were facing what McArthur described at the time as “an existential crisis” due to capacity limits and other restrictions on non-essential indoor gatherings aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19.
To try to lend a hand and provide an economic boost, the town decided to close streets in the downtown core to motorized vehicles from Friday night to Sunday through the summer months. Entertainment was provided and businesses were encouraged to spread their offerings outdoors.
In its third edition last year, Open Air Weekends ran from the long weekend in May until the end of September and attracted an estimated 122,000 visitors. McArthur said the event offers “a small-town feel” and provides a safe place for families, small children and teens to gather. Clowns, musicians, games and food are all part of the weekly draw.
The Town of Amherstburg took home four awards from the Festivals and Events Ontario Conference Wednesday evening.
Amherstburg received the following awards:
“I am thrilled to receive this award. Amherstburg is a great place to live, and this award reveals that Amherstburg is an extraordinary place to visit too! This award confirms that Amherstburg is doing many things right when it comes to festivals and events,” said Mayor Michael Prue. “Our festivals and events are delivered by the Tourism Team and supported by all Town departments, who continue to raise the bar on delivering quality events that use industry best practices. They use creative ingenuity that engages residents, visitors and businesses alike. We are grateful to Festivals and Events Ontario for this award, and thank you to Enbridge, our award-winning sponsor for River Lights. Delivering festivals and events takes a village of volunteers, staff and supporting organizations to assist us in exceeding our goals.”
2022 Community Mosaic Mural
In 2022 the Amerstburg Community Mural Project took submissions both online and in-person starting July 1st on Canada Day of 300 warm browns, hot reds and blue art piece submissions from the Amherstburg Community. Amherstburg community members came together to design pieces of art that were put together to create the beautiful mural that can be seen on the walls of the Libro Centre today.
66 Richmond St Mural
This new stunning giant mural located at 66 Richmond street showcases the Boblo boat, a Murray street building and references to our towns natural connections including its bird watching popularity. The mural done by DERKZ mixes warm tones and cool tones together beautifully, stop and admire this piece as you walk down Richmond Street.
