More than 300 vendors make 45th annual Art in the Park its 'biggest' yet, organizers say

Willistead Park in Walkerville was busy all day Saturday for the return of the annual Art in the Park festival.

The two-day event kicked off Saturday morning under sunny skies, featuring a wide variety of art, crafts, food vendors and a kids' zone.

“I’d say this was probably one of our busiest Saturdays,” said Art in the Park committee member Gerry Pocock.

Art in the Park is held the first full weekend in June of each year and is the signature event that launches Windsor’s festival season.

It is also one of Ontario's largest outdoor arts and crafts shows, with exhibitors from all over Ontario and Quebec.

“The gates, they were lined up around corners trying to get in right at 10 o’clock,” Pocock said. “A lot of people are spending and enjoying themselves, having a very good time.”

Earlier this week, event chair Allan Kidd expected this year’s Art in the Park weekend to be the “biggest event ever” for organizers, noting proceeds from beer and wine sales go towards the Rotary Club of Windsor and Rotary’s clean water initiatives around the world.

Pocock said it was too soon to tally up Saturday’s attendance figures but believed thousands of people walked through the park.

“In Windsor, Art in the Park is the unofficial kickoff to summer, and that’s true because everyone is in the summer spirit now and going forward, it’s a good way to launch summer in Windsor.”

Vendor Jean Bancroft of JeannieB Photo Chalk Boards from the Niagara region said Art in the Park is a favourite show of the year, noting they’ve been returning each year since 2016.

“You guys in Windsor know how to spend money. It’s a lot of fun. It’s worth coming all the way down here for sure," Bancroft said.

“They know we’re only here once a year. Some markets we go to several times a year, but here in Windsor, we only have one shot at it throughout the year, so people come and do their Christmas shopping, birthday shopping for the year, what have you.”

Willistead Park in Walkerville was busy all day Saturday for the return of the annual Art in the Park festival. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)Officials noted parking and shuttle service from Hiram Walker continue Sunday, suggesting there vendors anticipate many more people to check out the event.

Art in Metal owner Henry Wiersma from Smith Hill, Ont. said this was his second Art in the Park event as a vendor.

“It’s been fabulous, as you can see by the number of people and the food vendors, all the art vendors, it’s just fantastic," said Wiersma. “We’ve already done way over what we did last year ... Last year was around 32,000 people but I bet you, this year, there’s 40,000.”

The event continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets are $7 in advance and $8 at the gate.