PHOTOS: Beads, Booze And Banter At Amherstburg Mardi Gras

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Get your beads, put on your crazy outfits and head down to Amherstburg’s Dalhousie Street to enjoy wine, beer and spirits during their Mardi Gras celebration.

The event, which used to take place on Bob-lo Island according to the general manager of Amherstburg’s Chamber of Commerce Monica Bunde, is taking place for the first time in Amherstburg’s downtown core.

The chamber has sectioned off Dalhousie Street from the CIBC on the corner of Dalhousie and Richmond to the Royal Canadian Legion on the corner of Dalhousie and Gore Street. They’ve also extended their footprint to include Rosa’s on Murray Street and Precision Jewler’s on Richmond Street.

“We’ve got something for everybody here, the food, the beverages, the retail shops,” said Bunde. “We want to bring people into the downtown core to show you what we have here in Amherstburg.”

Flame throwers, fire eaters, stilt walkers, magicians and more will be crowding Dalhousie street entertaining passers-by.

Some of the businesses have even chosen to put their own spin on the event, attaching coupons to the bead necklaces allowing patrons to visit their businesses in the coming weeks. Bunde said the point is to give the retail shops and restaurants exposure so even after Mardi Gras closes their gates in the wee hours of Sunday morning, patrons will be excited to come back to Amherstburg.

“Bringing this many people into our town to see our beautiful town, that’s what it’s all about,” said Bunde. “I think this is a great event and I hope that we can do it again next year. I hope the Shores of Erie Wine Festival comes back next year and we can both work together. The festivals are great for the community, everybody sees each other at these types of events and there’s a real community spirit. I think we need them, and I think it will just be great.”