Additions to Market Square

Downtown Kingston is an active place during the winter months. Many Kingstonians and tourists visit our downtown core to enjoy a skate in Market Square, take a long walk among the ice formations on the waterfront or to pop into one of the many cafes or restaurants to warm up with a hot chocolate, tea, or something a bit stronger. While we have great events like Feb Fest that bring folks downtown to take in professional figure skating, hockey games, ice sculptures and more, the 5 day festival feels like a short blip over the course of what can be a long, challenging season. How great would it be to see even more happening in the square on a regular basis throughout the winter season?

In recent years, Feb Fest has included a Beaver Tail truck in the market as well as outdoor fire pits for chilled skaters and passers-by to enjoy. Ottawa and many other Ontario and Quebecois cities often offer Tire Sur La Neige (warm maple syrup poured over fresh snow) during the winter months. On a recent trip to Europe over the holidays, we enjoyed strolling through Christmas markets, eating chestnuts roasted before our eyes by street vendors, and even the odd sip or two of mulled wine as we wandered. The beautiful winter atmosphere at Market Square made us wonder:

 Loading ...

While we do get to enjoy some of these things on occasion, wouldn’t it be nice to have access to a delicious Beaver Tail or Tire Sur La Neige, or to enjoy the charm of a holiday market throughout the winter season? Since we like all of these ideas so much, this week you can vote for 2 choices. What other features would you add to the list? What seems the most feasible to accomplish in downtown ygk? Would adding one or more of these things to our downtown encourage you to go there more often?

Thanks to M Cheung for today’s pic.