Residents will have a chance to say "happy birthday" to the City of Windsor in person for the first time since 2019.
The City will break out the cake on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to celebrate its 130th birthday. It will be the first public birthday party for Windsor in three years after COVID-19 put a damper on the last two years.
"Windsor is a community unlike any other, and we have much to celebrate," said Mayor Drew Dilkens. "We have worked tirelessly, made many sacrifices, and supported one another throughout the ongoing pandemic. It is wonderful to be able to gather together once again, safely and in person, to celebrate our City’s milestone birthday. Windsor is one of Canada’s most diverse, welcoming and inclusive communities, a city built on multiculturalism and the many stories that have brought us all together. With amazing and unprecedented investments in infrastructure, amenities and services, Windsor’s future is both bright and electric."
The birthday celebration will be accompanied by the traditional Mayor's Walk, led by Dilkens, along the riverfront. The public is invited to meet at Assumption Park before 10 a.m. The walk will follow the riverfront to Dieppe Gardens, complete with entertainment by Abridged Opera, Windsor Light Music Theatre, and Windsor Police Pipe Band.
"I look forward to walking our waterfront alongside residents carrying country flags representing our cultural mosaic and to celebrating Windsor 130 with everyone as we write the next chapter of the Windsor story together," said Dilkens.
The walk will stop for a ceremony at the base of the Great Canadian Flag, featuring the singing of "O Canada" and performances by the Windsor Symphony Community Orchestra and the Ukrainian National Federation Dancers. The walk will then move up the Vision Corridor, adjacent to Art Windsor-Essex and Adventure Bay Family Water Park, in time for the birthday party to start at 11 a.m.
Dilkens will be joined by Indigenous storyteller Theresa Sims, new Windsor Poet Laureate Vanessa Shields, and Multicultural Community Storyteller Teajai Travis. Free hot dogs and cupcakes will be served while supplies last.
Complete information on Windsor's birthday celebration can be found on the City's official website.
