Wizards, steampunk adventurers and post-apocalyptic characters took over downtown Amherstburg on the weekend as the town’s annual Uncommon Festival transformed the streets into a celebration of the weird and wonderful.
The three-day festival saw crowds dressed in the theme of Harry Potter wizardry, a Mad Max apocalypse, anthropomorphic furries and an even a few characters that would have been comfortable in a remake of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The festival has run since 2018, said Jen Ibrahim, manager of economic development and tourism for the town of Amherstburg.
And as is common for the event, the crowd is part of the fun. “This is a crowd that comes to this event to be part of the show,” Ibrahim said. “When they dress up and they come here, they’re here to be part of the show.
“It’s a cosplay event where people can feel comfortable dressing in costume and being part of the show, but it’s also an event where you can just come as you are, and expect to see entertainment that you’ve never seen before,” said Ibrahim.”
“Our tagline is actually expect the unexpected.”
The festival closes several downtown streets to traffic allowing vendors, street shows and pedestrians to enjoy the show in a liesurely manner in an area that includes the King’s Navy Yard Park.
The weekend featured acts, such as Professor Peculiar’s Parlour of Wonder, a wizard academy, a Mysterion Mentalism Show, bad axe throwing and a witches dance.
Saturday offered a fireworks show over the Detroit River.
And despite the weekend drizzle, participants’ fun wasn’t dampened.
“We had incredible reception from our downtown businesses, and they all opened their doors and allowed us to put performers in their businesses,” said ibrahim. “So we, so we, we kept this wheel moving.”
