Canal Days in Port Colborne makes waves with food, fun, and history

Canal Days in Port Colborne celebrates its rich marine history and attracts tourists from as far away as New Zealand.

Organizers are expecting over 60,000 visitors to Port Colborne by the time the event wraps up Monday at 5 p.m. They were blessed by good weather Sunday which kept the party going.

You could hear it from miles away. Port Colborne has been hosting this celebration since Thursday.

“Without the Welland Canal, Port Colborne wouldn’t exist,” said Director of Museum and Culture in Port Colborne, Stephanie Baswick.

Canal Days is in its 47th year and began at the city’s museum as a way to celebrate its roots.

Baswick heads up the museum and says they realized its potential early on.

“Right about in the 90s we realized the potential, and the mayor at the time said ‘let’s expand this,’” said Baswick.

You can still learn about Port Colborne’s history, ride the train, hop on a ride or enjoy some good music. If you play your cards right, you won’t go home hungry either.

“They love our food so they wanna eat early,” said Simon Tsobanakis, chef at the Friendly Greeks.

The Friendly Greeks have been coming to Canal Days for 27 years. They have such a fan base that they say the city asked them to open a restaurant downtown, but they say they only have time for the festival now.

“We’ve come here for the last 27 years in Port Colborne. We are happy to come here every time. We sell chicken fajita gyros and beef and lamb gyros. They are world-famous here,” said Tsobanakis.

It got up to 26 degrees in Port Colborne Sunday. Many were seen beating the heat by sitting with friends enjoying a cool snack.

“We need over 100 volunteers for this festival. They are the backbone of this festival … and we couldn’t do this without them,” said Port Colborne Manager of Recreation and Tourism, Greg Zwiep.

Zweip says with over 120 vendors, Canal Days is attracting more and more from outside the city as a travel destination.

WATCH MORE: Blind golfers tee off in Simcoe for eight-day international tournament