Inaugural Bright Lights Windsor draws 60,000
Sixty-thousand people attended the first-ever Bright Lights Windsor, according to city officials who are declaring the $1.5-million holiday light show a dazzling success.
After a month-long run that was extended two extra days because of its popularity, the Jackson Park event concluded Tuesday, “wrapping up to rave reviews from visitors of all ages,” according to a city news release.
In November, just prior to its Dec. 8 opening, Mayor Drew Dilkens said: “The whole point of this is to have a winter event where the entire community can come together.”
Judging from the public response, city hall said that goal was accomplished. Selfies in front of and inside the displays were rampant on social media. It became a popular site for wedding and engagement photos. The free event was such an instant success the city decided to start the show an hour earlier each evening, at 5:30 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m.
“The community has enthusiastically embraced the festival and shared their ‘memories that will last a lifetime’ across social media and through feedback to both 311 and event staff,” said the city release issued Wednesday.
Now comes the dismantling process and then planning for next year’s holiday season. It was originally approved for $3-million in August, but that happened a day before a deluge of rain brought catastrophic flooding that damaged more than 6,000 homes. Acknowledging the criticism of spending so much on holiday lights when sewers need fixing, Dilkens opted to spend only $1.5 million this year and the remaining $1.5 million next year.
The city has collected suggestions for improvement from the public and will analyze it to make Bright Lights better next year, the release said. The new BrightLightsWindsor.ca website was visited more than 47,000 times, its Facebook page was seen by 154,000 viewers and Bright Lights videos were viewed more than 60,000 times.
Dilkens has said the Jackson Park location for Bright Lights likely isn’t permanent. He envisions moving the display to City Hall Square, the downtown riverfront and the esplanade that connects them in future years. This won’t happen until after the new city hall is completed, the current city hall is demolished and the Charles Clark Square skating rink is moved to the City Hall Square as part of a reconfiguration.
The popularity of Windsor’s first foray into hosting a holiday lighting event has not harmed the county’s premier festivals, organizers said.
“I think it just all complements the reasons to come to our region,” said Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos, who sits on the town’s committee for Fantasy of Lights Festival, which just concluded its 25th year.
“We probably set record numbers for our train rides this year,” he said, referring to the trackless mini-train that carries people through Lakeside Park to see the light displays.
At Amherstburg’s River Lights Festival, attendance was also up, said co-ordinator Sarah Van Grinsven, adding that word of mouth has helped attract more people each year. She said the festivals don’t really compete for attendees.
“I think we’re all really unique in our own way, and I really believe more events brought to our region helps every single municipality,” she said. “We had a great year and kudos to Windsor for stepping it up.”