City plans to fill Dundas Place with festivities this summer

To bring more life back into London, Ont.’s downtown core - the city is planning to offer several free events on Dundas Place throughout the summer.

From live music to festivals and delicious food events, the 3-block stretch on Dundas Place is expected to look a lot busier this summer as the city of London announces plans to bring more activities to the area.

“I think it’s fabulous. I’ve been a huge supporter of Dundas Place since its inception,” said Jonathon Bancroft-Snell, who has owned his art gallery on Dundas Street for over 20 years.

After the COVID-19 pandemic paused many events, he’s relieved to hear about them returning.

“It gives people the realization that when you’re downtown, it's an exciting place to be,” said the gallery owner. “Dundas Place is filled with owner-occupied businesses and I don’t know any of the merchants who are against having events.”

Recently, some business owners in the downtown have shared concerns about the ongoing violent incidents and the growing homeless population deterring people from visiting their businesses.

But others believe the festivities could be a positive step forward to bringing people back.

“We maybe took for granted all these events that were so common and easy to pull off before,” said Troy Hutchison, the owner of Grooves record store on Dundas Street. “I think a benefit of the pandemic was it gives u a perspective and makes us more aware of the value of our public spaces downtown.”

Beginning on Thursday, Dundas Place will showcase London Music Week’s Latin street party starting.

The city will offer a variety of free weekly events including Sunday jazz in Market Lane, as well as games.

“Salsa dancing on Friday nights is really popular so we tried to fill the week with different activities and reasons for people to come downtown,” said Ryan Craven, Manager, Core Area Programs with the city. “Our strategy is to infuse more life into the public realm by filling the space with as much activity as we can.”

A new addition to the summer events includes Summer Saturdays on Dundas Place, which will be a monthly event series featuring vendors, live music, dance lessons, circus performances, and more.

June events:

• London Music Week Latin Street Party – Thursday, June 15 from 5 to 11 p.m. on Dundas Street between Clarence Street and Wellington Street
• London Music Week Super Saturday – Saturday, June 17 on Dundas Street between Richmond Street and Clarence Street
• Vintage on the Block - Saturday, June 24 on Dundas Street between Richmond Street and Clarence Street
• Night Market London – Friday, June 30 from 7 to 11 p.m. on Dundas Street between Ridout Street and Richmond Street.

Other city events taking place from June to September can be found on the City of London’s website.