Open Streets Windsor is taking a new direction for its 10th year, with construction forcing organizers to divide this year’s event into two separate routes through the city’s east end. The free, family-friendly event returns Sunday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., transforming local roadways into car-free spaces for people to walk, cycle, rollerblade and explore their neighbourhoods. Organizers announced details of the 2026 event on Thursday, describing a reimagined format featuring two routes and seven community hubs. East End Edition The east end edition starts at St. Rose and runs along Wyandotte Street East until Drouillard. The second leg starts at Walker and runs along Ottawa Street, Parent and Erie, ending at Howard Avenue. “We’ve been rotating the events the last few years, so of course, now we’re on the east side,” said Michael Chantler, Windsor’s commissioner of community services. “What makes it kind of unique is that we ran into some construction. The team got very creative. And now we’ve got two routes that are going to be operating simultaneously.” The two-route format replaces the traditional route because of construction, while maintaining seven hubs offering activities and programming focused on health and physical activity, arts and culture, heritage, diversity and community. Interactive activities Chantler said visitors can expect interactive activities for children and families, performers, cultural programming and food and beverages along the way. Participants are also being encouraged to stop at each of the seven hubs to collect a new series of keepsakes. Open Streets has offered collectibles in previous years, and Chantler said 2026 will feature stickers designed to resemble stamps and highlight unique features of the communities hosting each hub. “We did the badges, and then we decided to go with stickers this year,” Chantler said. “They’re really cute. They look like stamps, and they’ve got pictures of the communities that represent the unique things going on in each of those hubs.” On foot or bicycle The annual event is designed to encourage people to experience neighbourhoods from outside their vehicles. “The Open Streets presents a different way of looking at your neighborhood,” Chantler said. “Being kind of the Motor City of Canada, we are often in our cars and we don’t take the time to really see our neighborhoods the way you see it when you’re on foot or if you’re riding your bicycle.” Organizers say the event can also provide an opportunity for residents to discover businesses and services they may not have known existed. Chantler said business owners have told organizers they have gained new customers after participating in Open Streets. “You can discover the things in your community that you probably didn’t even know were there,” he said. Evolution of Open Streets Candyce Mollard, coordinator of the Old Riverside Business Improvement Association, recalled the excitement surrounding the first Open Streets event a decade ago and said the slower pace of the event can help bring attention to local businesses and services. “There’s some little places there that people don’t really know about,” Mollard explained. “If they’re walking and riding their bikes around in a slower fashion, then they will be able to check out all the businesses in our area.” Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island CEO Gordon Orr said Open Streets gives people a chance to slow down and appreciate the communities and business districts around them. “The business districts are really the DNA of our community,” Orr said. “And it’s really nice that they’re able to be highlighted in this fashion.” While this year’s event is focused on Windsor’s east end, organizers are already looking ahead to a possible return to the west side in 2027. Chantler said organizers will look at potentially connecting next year’s event with the new Gordie Howe International Bridge multi-use path. “Certainly, next year when we go back to the west end we’ll look at tying in something with the new bridge,” he said. Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac said the pedestrian and cycling connection could provide an opportunity to further connect the event with the community. “It’s going to connect us like no other,” Gignac said. “I know that Mr. Orr is going to start to weave this together as we move the Open Streets again back to the West End next year.” Orr said the growing interest in the bridge’s multi-use path could help bring more visitors into Sandwich Towne and downtown Windsor. “The interest in the multi-use path with the Gordie Howe International Bridge has been tremendous,” Orr said. “Wouldn’t it be great if we actually gave them another compelling reason to keep pedaling and keep visiting or walking into Sandwich Town and then to our downtown and celebrate those businesses as well?” Mollard said expanding the event and potentially involving communities on both sides of the border would be welcome. “The more the better and the bigger that we can make this, the better,” she said. “And if we can have our friends over in the United States help us out and create a hub for them, that would be great too.” Volunteers wanted Organizers are also seeking volunteers to help with the Sept. 20 event, particularly with safety along the routes and interacting with visitors. “We can’t do this event without our volunteers,” Chantler exclaimed. More information about the routes, community hubs, programming and entertainment is available through Open Streets Windsor.
