Another successful Open Air weekends season is coming to a close in Amherstburg.
The event kicked off back at the beginning on June, and will wrap up on Sunday, September 3 at 8 p.m.
This year saw new additions to the weekends, including summer concert series, and other events like Bagpipes in the Burg, Yoga in the Park and Play Amherstburg children's programming.
Officials say Open Air has become one of the most popular southwestern Ontario region events for weekends in the summer.
Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb says it's been a great summer.
"Open Air has been another smashing success in Amherstburg. So many people from around Windsor and Essex County have visited, have eaten here, and enjoy everything that Amherstburg has to offer. I think it's just been another great year for Amherstburg's Open Air program," he said.
Some adjustments were made to this year's edition of Open Air weekends, and Gibb says overall he was pleased with the changes.
"It's one of those events that I'll admit not everyone is 100 per cent in favour of it, but we made some adjustments with the schedule and shortening the number of weeks. And it seems to have been quite a success."
He says Open Air weekends are a chance for Amherstburg to host their own community, as well as the rest of Windsor-Essex to show them what they're all about.
"It's also a way to build a sense of community. All of our communities here in Windsor-Essex are growing, and this is an opportunity for the whole Amherstburg family to gather and see each other. I know I go down there almost every weekend. You see people you worked with in the past, or you went to school with, and you connect with people who are back in town who moved away," Gibb said.
The idea first launched back in 2020, during the pandemic lockdowns and capacity limits, with its main objective being to provide a boost to businesses.
A report will come back to council on how the 2023 edition worked sometime in the fall, so councillors will have the opportunity to make further tweaks ahead of next year.
- with files from AM800's Rob Hindi