Recently, while at Fort Henry to do a story on its Tattoo event, I gazed out over the downtown, which can be perfectly viewed from the gorgeous perch the fort has to offer. Quickly, I snapped a pic and posted a social media status declaring Kingston just about the perfect summer city. With its lakeside locale, its picturesque heritage, gorgeous downtown and abundance of history and tourism, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better place to travel to in the warm months.
As someone who has had the privilege of covering events and being a member of the media in this city for more than 20 years, even I am guilty of taking for granted the wonderous offerings here in the Limestone City, especially during the hot months of summer. On Saturday, as I attended for the third time this year the Downtown Kingston BIA’s Princess Street Promenade, which is effectively a downtown street party for businesses and vendors and organizations, I ran into former city councillor Adam Candon. We mused aloud as we watched a group of giddy young girls gather outside The Rocking Horse toy store to witness a Taylor Swift impersonator entertain them with music and Eras tour wardrobe change.
What a great event, he mused, to which I agreed. We stared up Princess Street as thousands of shoppers, tourists, residents or just curious onlookers walked the scenic street, which is closed to traffic for the day to accommodate foot traffic. The event isn’t new by any means.
It’s been happening, in several different incarnations, for decades, but the current version of it, expanded to several Saturdays in the summer months in recent years, is really something to behold. The city closes off it’s beautiful main downtown thoroughfare for the day during a Saturday, allows vendors, entertainers, nonprofits and other organizations to set up shop along the street while thousands of visitors walk up and down, taking in the sights, sounds and deals. It seems obvious that the Downtown Kingston BIA has a winner in the event, with each one amassing large crowds and proving that if you build it, they will come.
It’s not only a boost to the downtown sector that is likely needed in these challenging economic times, but it’s also an event that promotes other businesses, health and fitness thanks to having to walk it and one that really showcases our gorgeous downtown core. The part that most impresses me after having attended the last five of these is that it really doesn’t appear to be disrupting traffic flow at all. There are no horns honking from frustrated drivers trying to manoeuvre through downtown.
There seem to only be smiles, couples holding hands, families out enjoying the beautiful weather and the opportunity to support local. Perhaps it’s time Downtown Kingston and the city look at expanding the Princess Street Promenade from the current four times annually to something more frequent. Might I even be so bold as to suggest it become a regular Saturday event from mid-June to mid-September? The benefits to the downtown business economy are obvious.
But nearby businesses are undoubtedly also benefiting from the influx of shoppers. Last month, Promenade visitors were able to walk to the nearby Skeleton Park Arts Festival, an absolute boost to it as well. Next month, the Kingston Humane Society will hold its annual Big Paws event on the same day as the final Promenade of the season, giving the group the opportunity to siphon Promenade visitors to support its cause as well.
Granted, I have no idea the work, organization or cost that go into putting the events together. Nor can I be certain that the novelty of the Promenades won’t wear off if it were to become a weekly occurrence, though I somehow doubt that. Both of those arguments against expanding it are valid.
But that said, it feels like it’d be worth a shot, the kind of shot in the arm the downtown continues to need as we battle through some difficult economic times. The kind of shot in the arm that our vendors, organizations and entertainers who draw huge crowds to the downtown core during the events could continue to use. Kingston is a glorious, wonderful summer destination.
The lure of shopping downtown, in a traffic-free zone, every Saturday during the summer might just be a gamble worth taking. And while I’m not a fan of the words ‘street’ and ‘party’ for obvious reasons here in Kingston, this is one I can get behind. Jan Murphy is a reporter and former editor with the Whig-Standard and a fan of summers in Kingston.
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