The sky is overcast and threatening to rain but that didn’t stop Michelle Beaulieu and her friends from making the trip from Oakville to Wasaga Beach for the weekend.
She says the nightlife here is part of the attraction.
“Yeah it’s pretty good. We had fun,” says Beaulieu, an Oakville resident. “The cover is expensive to get in, but once you’re inside we had fun. We would come back.”
Currently only half of the waterfront bars have opened this year, and it’s still unclear when the others will.
Baul Cantin is visiting from Montreal. He says the beach isn’t as busy as it should be at this time of year.
“Last year there was twice as much people as this year. It was nicer last year,” Montreal resident Cantin says.
The nightlife has long been part of the scene here at the beach, but new businesses that have opened are hoping this summer marks a turning point and that family activities will become the focus in the future.
Kowabunga Paddle owner Garry Sawatzky opened a pirate-themed mini putt and now a new paddle-board rental on the waterfront. He says fun activities are the key to attracting families back to the beach.
“There are a lot of old things here at the beach. They are at the end of their lifespan,” Sawatzky says. “Let’s put it that way. What we are trying to do is start a new flavour to the beach, a new experience at the beach, one that is family-friendly.”
The midway is here and new volleyball nets are adding some action too. Cantin is happy there is something else to do besides lay in the sun.
“If you want to make friends and have fun,” he says, “you have to do a lot of activities like volleyball, football, Frisbee. Everything. It’s really nice.”
