What a blast: Windsor-Essex rings in 2025 with fireworks, lots of fun

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The cold, rainy weather may have soaked the region, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of Windsor-Essex residents ringing in the new year with a wide range of festivities Tuesday evening. 

Hours before the countdown to midnight began, families and friends laced up their skates and took to the ice at Kingsville Arena for a free skate and some arts and crafts.

Harrow resident Halena Neufeld, along with her husband and their seven children, spent a lively time gliding around the rink before pausing to warm up with cups of hot cocoa.

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“It’s wonderful and really nice to see the community come together,” Neufeld told the Windsor Star. “We’ve got friends that will be joining us and then we’ll go watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Kingsville.

“The children are so excited.”

In LaSalle, Poonam Shahadat and her daughter braved the wet and windy conditions to watch fireworks at the Vollmer Culture and Recreation Complex, which was packed with eager spectators.

“This will be our first time watching fireworks in Canada,” Shahadat said. “We just moved to Windsor from Bangladesh and are very excited to watch the fireworks.

“It’s very cold but I am looking forward to seeing some lights from the fireworks.”

The Municipality of Lakeshore also set off fireworks at the Atlas Tube Recreation Centre to mark the passage of time.

Among the local places that hosted events were Tequila Bob’s, Disco Inferno, Factory House, the Sportsman’s Club, the Canadian Transportation Museum & Heritage Village, Ariius Nightclub at Caesar’s Windsor, and many more. The Caboto Club and the Ciociaro Club also hosted a New Year’s Eve gala and offered dinners and midnight toasts.

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Ongoing holiday light shows, such as Bright Lights Windsor, Amherstburg River Lights, LaSalle Holiday Lights and Heritage Nights, and Kingsville Fantasy of Lights welcomed visitors on the last night of 2024. Some of those light shows will continue for several days into the new year.

Most businesses and services in Windsor and Essex County that paused operations for New Year’s Day will resume or reopen on Thursday, Jan. 2.

“We are excited to start the new year with some bright lights and fireworks,” LaSalle resident Nitin Kapoor said. “There’s so many things to look forward to in 2025. We’re having a such a fun time  —  even with the weather.”

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