ELORA – Centre Wellington’s mayor said the township is taking some measures to address the expected rush of tourists coming in for the new Christmas market.
As part of a year-end interview, Mayor Shawn Watters acknowledged he was caught off-guard by just how many people have been coming on the weekend this December, largely due to the new Christmas market.
Local building and business owner Kat Florence Canada built a new market with wooden huts, photo stops and fire pit seating in an alleyway behind the Elora Green Space.
The company also put $250,000 into a marketing campaign to promote the market and Elora more generally as a Christmas destination.
This has led to busy weekends, rivaling crowds seen in the summer, which residents have pointed out on social media has created traffic congestion and parking issues due to visitors parking where they aren’t allowed to.
Watters said they’re working to address some of the issues this weekend.
“We know it’s going to be a busy weekend, we’re going to have an increased OPP presence, also parking (enforcement) presence,” he said.
A downtown shuttle service will also be provided this weekend, which a township spokesperson said will be paid for by Kat Florence. This shuttle picks up visitors from designated areas where there is more ample parking and brings them downtown.
“By doing some of these things, we show our ability to be nimble and try to adjust as best we can,” Watters said. “Once we get past this Christmas season we can take a bit of a deep breath.”
He said the township will need to take away some ideas on how to navigate this in the future ahead of the expected busy summer tourist season and the potential for this market to return next year.
