Two days of celebrations are planned in downtown Windsor as part of the FIFA World Cup.
On Thursday, June 18, and Friday, June 19, the city will be hosting watch parties at City Hall Square with free food and activities.
On Thursday, large screens will be set up to watch Switzerland take on Bosnia-Herzegovina at 3 p.m., followed by Canada playing Qatar at 6 p.m.
Then on Friday, there will be another watch party to see the United States play Australia at 3 p.m., followed by Scotland versus Morocco at 6 p.m.
Manager of Parks, Recreation, and Facilities Programming Samantha Magalas says on both Thursday and Friday, Big Daddy’s BBQ will be there.
“We will be giving away 500 free hot dogs while supplies last both days. Get there early and get yourself a free hot dog. On one day we will also be giving away 500 bags of Cottam Candy, and another day we will be giving away 500 bags of popcorn from What’s Poppin’,” she says.
Magalas says there will be fun games for the kids.
“Our little grassy area that’s down there by City Hall Square will have some little soccer nets so the kids can practice their skills and drills,” she says. “We will also have some different things such as face painting, some bracelet making, and some colouring, and we’re hoping everybody, at least for Thursday at 6 o’clock, shows up to cheer for Team Canada, who will be playing at that time.”
Magalas says there will be some picnic tables and chairs available, but people can also bring their own chairs.
“We expect to get a couple thousand people at least. This is our first year in for City Hall Square; we’re coming to the end of our first year. For the World Cup, it’s the first time we’ve hosted World Cup watch parties down there, so we’re expecting a good turnout,” she says.
Along with the games being broadcast live on a large screen, there will also be face painting from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday.
The watch party and special event are presented with the support of the Province of Ontario, Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI) and the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA).