Burlington Council Orders a Review of the Waterfront Festival

The Burlington Waterfront Festival is getting a formal review, but its return to Spencer Smith Park in 2027 is not frozen while that happens. At its September 29 meeting, council approved the review and then stripped out the clause that would have blocked any 2027 approval until the review was finished.

The push came from the Burlington Downtown Business Association, which told council the July festival hurt downtown businesses and did not deliver the attractions organizers had promised. Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns, who wrote the motion, said the event is essentially a food truck festival, the same kind of event council suspended downtown in 2023. "It doesn't reflect what the community is asking for, and it's hurting our local brick-and-mortar businesses," Kearns said.

Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan disputed much of that account. He said the association counted 22 to 27 food trucks when the real number was 14, with food trailers and tents counted alongside them, and that the Lakeshore Music and Arts Festival had 37 food and drink vendors. He said a Ferris wheel photo used in the association's presentation came from a TikTok user misusing a viral image, and that the midway was dropped because of insurance costs. Joseph Brant Hospital also confirmed to him that Roadshow Events raised $10,405 for its foundation.

Nisan pointed to the weekend the festival drew: a smog day on the Friday, a tornado warning that forced the park to be evacuated on the Saturday, and the FIFA World Cup final on the Sunday.

Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte said the next council needs a staff report before anything is decided. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman both backed removing the paragraph, and the amendment passed six to one, with Kearns opposed. Each clause of the amended motion then passed six to one, with Nisan opposed.

Chief administrative officer Curt Benson said a decision in December would still leave organizers enough time to prepare for a 2027 festival. Staff will look at the event in more detail as part of their broader review of city events.