City council will discuss the idea of moving Bright Lights from Jackson Park to downtown Windsor.
In January 2023, Ward 8 Councillor Gary Kaschak asked administration to come back with a report on the logistics and feasibility of hosting the annual holiday lights display in the city core.
Kaschak calls it a terrific event but believes it may have run its course at Jackson Park, that it doesn't provide any real retail benefits, and that there are issues around parking availability.
He suggested the lights could start around Ouellette Avenue and University Avenue, move toward the City Hall Esplanade, and then move toward Riverside Drive.
An administration report on the proposal does highlight several concerns, including closing several downtown streets to allow for the set up of the lights, issues around power cables and available power for the displays, and safety and security considerations to deter vandalism and theft.
Kaschak says that the tricky part would be the infrastructure.
"Certainly, we've got to come up with a way if council decides that they want to do that. I think council does, but I think it's a matter of when, and it's a matter of how much money is going to be associated with that," he says. "A lot of it is timing with the new City Hall Esplanade that's going to open, we're going to have the new ice rink down there, and various other things."
Kaschak says that when you pack the downtown with lots of people, it comes alive.
"The bars, restaurants, and the retail stores benefit," he says. "Some of the problematic people that are currently downtown, and the city has a plan for this going forward, they tend to go away. They let people have that downtown experience and really good feelings."
The report also suggests Festival Plaza as a potential location, if council decides to move the lights, but that would also come with some new challenges, including weather, a lack of trees to hang the lights, and available power sources.
The annual event attracts upward of 100,000 people a year to Jackson Park.
Kaschak expects a real good discussion about this during Monday's meeting.
"I don't think it's going to be a slam dunk that, yes, we're going to move this in 2025 or 2026. I think there's still a ways to go and different aspects. But it's still a good conversation," he says.
Bright Lights Windsor has been held in Jackson Park, near Tecumseh Road and Ouellette Avenue, since 2017.
The light display also includes various themes and a holiday market featuring a number of vendors.
Council meets at 10 a.m., April 22 at Windsor City Hall.