Windsor city council has approved a multi-day Windsor Pizza Festival as part of a broader $500,000 summer and fall event series designed to encourage local tourism. The festival, set to take place at City Hall Square, will feature pizza slices from over a dozen local pizzerias, along with beverages from local wineries and breweries.
Experience Windsor Program
Dubbed Experience Windsor, the initiative includes dozens of city-led events planned for parks, civic centres, and waterfront spaces between mid-June and early October. The events range from free community swimming to the $150,000 pizza festival. Michael Chantler, city commissioner of community services, told council that the festival aims to highlight Windsor's pizza, which he called 'arguably the best in the world.'
'We felt that was kind of a neat idea, because it's not something that's been done here before,' Chantler said. City staff are currently reaching out to restaurants and pizza shops to participate, and hope to include local wineries and breweries.
Event Streams
According to a report to council, Experience Windsor programming will occur through three main streams:
- A riverfront summer series with multiple $50,000 events at waterfront locations throughout June, July, and August.
- Events that transform civic and cultural facilities into vibrant destinations for culture, entertainment, and shared experiences.
- Community and neighbourhood programming in at least one park in each of the city's 10 wards.
Funding and Purpose
Mayor Drew Dilkens noted that with rising gas prices due to the war in Iran, this summer is expected to be a 'summer of staycation.' The events are funded by up to $500,000 from the city's tourism development, infrastructure, and program reserve fund, supported by the Municipal Accommodation Tax on hotels, motels, and short-term rentals—not property taxes.
'The whole idea of Experience Windsor was to use non-property tax dollars,' Dilkens said. 'When people stay in hotels and pay the hotel tax, it flows down to the municipality. We're able to allocate it for tourism-related purposes.'
Other Events
Additional Experience Windsor events include a soccer viewing party at City Hall Square, a big riverfront picnic at Alexander Park, 'city cinema Saturdays' at the Capitol Theatre, 'wheels nights' with the Windsor Roller Derby at City Hall Square, and a riverfront speakeasy at Mike Hurst Legacy Park. Dates and times for these events have not yet been finalized.
