Amherstburg going retro for new summer festivals

Amherstburg is hoping looking to the past will promise a bright future for festivals in the town. The newest additions to the town’s festival schedule will be the Rhododendron Garden Tea Party and the Amherstburg Uncommon festival, which will both have a Victorian theme.

The Amherstburg Uncommon festival will be the bigger of the two and will take place over the Civic Holiday long weekend, Aug. 3, 4 and 5.

The event will have a Harry Potter/steampunk theme, and its slogans will be “Be Curious! Expect the Unexpected!” and “Invent/ Play/Imagine.” Attendees are being asked to dress in their best Harry Potter or Victorian steampunk costume. What is steampunk? According to Amherstburg ’s administrator of tourism and culture Anne Rota, who made a presentation to the town council Monday night, steampunk is “a genre inspired by historical setting, highlighting technology and esthetic design inspired by the 19th century.”

Last year, the town hosted the Canuck it Up! festival over the same weekend, which featured the giant yellow rubber duck on tour for Canada’s 150th birthday celebration.

“That drew 80,000 people and brought in $775,000 in non-local visitor spending,” said Rota. The festival will take place on the downtown streets of the town, King ’s Navy Yard Park and Toddy Jones Park.

It will feature various forms of entertainment and a big top tent. Also confirmed for the event is the Canadian Historical Aircraft Museum which will perform flybys and have planes displayed on the ground.

The other Victorian-themed festival will be the Rhododendron Garden Tea Party, to be held on May 27 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at King’s Navy Yard Park adjacent to the rhododendron gardens. It will be a ticketed and feature tea, refreshments and acoustic music. Rota said the event will have a Downton Abbey theme and participants will be asked to attend in period costume dress. There will be 125 people for two sittings to be held at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.