NFL Draft: Windsor welcomes as Detroit overflows with fans
All the excitement of the NFL Draft has officially descended upon Detroit, with Windsor welcoming the spillover.
Events in the 'D' began Thursday – with record-breaking attendance putting the draft area over capacity hours before the start of the show.
Because of the crazy crowds, many fans opted to take it in from the Canadian city next door.
Like Pennsylvanian Noah Werner, visiting Windsor for the first time.
“We like the Canadian atmosphere so we decided to come stay over here,” Werner said.
He and his friends were excited to see what picks the Steelers pulled from a bar or watch party in Windsor, while some chose to stay here and take transit over to watch in person.
“We got a place just around the corner here in Windsor for a couple nights and we’re making a vacation out of it,” Lions fan Andy Rose said while waiting for his Transit Windsor bus to head across the border.
Rose brought his son to Windsor to skirt the cost increase of accommodations stateside.
Fans attend NFL Draft events in Windsor, Ont., on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)
Transit Windsor officials said this week they had capacity to bus about 8,000 people back and forth per day.
For Saturday, Special Event Transit Buses are scheduled to depart continuously from 8 a.m. with fans required to register ahead of time.
For Chatham resident Mitch Anderson, this much excitement this close to home is a win.
“It’s good to see both sides of the border jumping together and doing something fun,” he said.
The official NFL Draft party in Windsor will kickoff at noon Saturday on the front lawn of city hall.
“It’s going to be a big touchdown for Windsor,” said Downtown council rep Renaldo Agostino.
Homegrown NFL heroes like Luke Wilson and Brett Romberg will be in attendance, with football skills trials and coaching clinics and all kinds of fun planned.
And in the evening, the Downtown Windsor BIA will throw an NFL Block Part on Ouellette with performances by Royce Da 5’9, Jody Raffoul Band and Huttch.
“A lot of people who haven’t been downtown in a while are coming back to downtown,” Agostino said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion, 1 person seriously injured: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.