Windsor–Detroit International Freedom Festival
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Windsor–Detroit International Freedom Festival
OR:
Windsor–Detroit International Freedom Festival on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

The International Freedom Festival is a multi-day celebration in late June marking
Canada Day Canada Day (french: Fête du Canada), formerly known as Dominion Day (french: Fête du Dominion), is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 18 ...
on July 1 and the American Independence Day on July 4.
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, in the United States and
Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...
, in Canada jointly celebrate the multi-day festival which draws about 3.5 million visitors. The International Freedom Festival began in 1959. Beginning in 2007, the Festival became two separate events, Windsor Summer Fest, and Detroit River Days. Summer Fest is a 19-day festival, which takes place along the scenic riverfront in Windsor Ontario. More than 500,000 people attend the event each year. The Detroit RiverFront Conservancy began the River Days festival in June 2007 to introduce the community and visitors to the transformed
Detroit International Riverfront The Detroit International Riverfront is a tourist attraction and landmark of Detroit, Michigan, extending from the Ambassador Bridge in the west to Belle Isle in the east, for a total of 5.5 miles (8.8 kilometers). The International Riverfront en ...
. The festival marked the opening of significant portions of the new Detroit RiverWalk and the festival has continued each year to spotlight this destination in the city of Detroit. The highlight of both festivals is the fireworks display in celebration of the United States' Independence Day and Canada's Canada Day. It is one of the largest and most spectacular firework displays in North America, lighting up the sky over Windsor and Detroit. This annual spectacle draws more than 1,000,000 to the Windsor and Detroit river fronts (''citation needed''). It is usually held on the Monday shared by both festivals.


Events

Traditionally, several days of events were planned, ending with one of the world's largest
fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...
displays.Mink, Randy, and Karen Mink (July 2001).Detroit Turns 300 – Detroit 300 Festival. ''Travel America'', World Publishing Co., Gale Group. The event usually took place the last Wednesday of June, every year. However, in 2010, the day was moved to a Monday. The Windsor side also contains a carnival with additional events and rides.


Sponsors

For most of its existence it was sponsored by
Hudson's The J. L. Hudson Company (commonly known simply as Hudson's) was an upscale retail department store chain based in Detroit, Michigan. Hudson's flagship store, on Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit (demolished October 24, 1998), was the tallest d ...
. Its corporate successor
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
took over as sponsor until 2013, when the
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
became the primary sponsor, with the event re-branded as the ''Ford Fireworks presented by Target''. The show is broadcast on TV by NBC affiliate
WDIV-TV WDIV-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with NBC. It serves as the flagship broadcast property of the Graham Media Group subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company. WDIV-TV maintains studio faciliti ...
, while WJR airs an audio simulcast of its music. On the Windsor side, there is a midway consisting of carnival rides and concessions during the festival. The Midway operates as a stand-alone attraction at the end of June and beginning of July. It's also sponsored by
Zehrs Zehrmart Inc. (doing business as Zehrs Markets or simply Zehrs ), is a Canadian supermarket chain in southern Ontario. The chain has 43 locations and is a part of Loblaw Companies Limited which purchased the Zehrs chain in the mid-1970s. Hist ...
, providing free transportation for people to get to the fireworks via
Transit Windsor Transit Windsor provides public transportation in the city of Windsor, Ontario, Canada as well as LaSalle, Essex, Kingsville, Amherstburg and Leamington and serves more than 6 million passengers each year (6.72 million in 2017), covering an area ...
. The Ford Fireworks is produced by The Parade Company of Detroit.


See also

*
Detroit International Riverfront The Detroit International Riverfront is a tourist attraction and landmark of Detroit, Michigan, extending from the Ambassador Bridge in the west to Belle Isle in the east, for a total of 5.5 miles (8.8 kilometers). The International Riverfront en ...
*
Detroit–Windsor The Detroit–Windsor region is an international transborder agglomeration comprising the American city of Detroit, Michigan, the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario, and the Detroit River between them. The Detroit–Windsor area acts as a critical ...
*
Detroit Windsor International Film Festival The Detroit Windsor International Film Festival (DWIFF), which ran from 2008 to 2012, was a publicly attended film festival held each June in the Detroit–Windsor region, with events taking place in both Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario. ...
*
Windsor International Film Festival The Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) is a cultural, charitable organization whose mission is to recognize and celebrate the art of cinema by showcasing Canadian and International films and filmmakers. When the festival first took place, ...


Notes


References


Detroit Riverdays Festival WebpageWindsor Summerfest Webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival Festivals in Windsor, Ontario Festivals in Detroit Economy of Detroit Canada–United States relations Independence Day (United States) festivals Tourist attractions in Detroit Festivals established in 2007 2007 establishments in Michigan