WINNIPEG — Businesses in downtown Winnipeg are ready to kick off the summer with a series of weekend events promising to bring tens of thousands of visitors and an influx of cash.
The Jazz Festival’s free weekend,the Manitoba Marathon and Garth Brooks, who is playing four shows over three days to a combined crowd of around 60,000, will all be happening over the weekend.
The Jazz Festival will have a number of free shows take place at Old Market Square downtown.
Nearby restaurants are ready for the influx of customers.
“We get a lot of folks in from out of town too. I think it draws quite a few people,” said Carly Dunston, general manager at Peasant Cookery.
The Manitoba Marathon is also drawing thousands of people to the city.
Hotels like the Inn at The Forks are taking advantage. They’re offering a free pasta dinner or lunch at their restaurant for runners staying there.
As of Friday morning there were only four rooms available.
Others hotels have also seen an uptick in business, “On weekends our occupancy is generally around 50 or 60 per cent but this weekend it’ll be 80 or 90 per cent,” said Vishal Sagar with the Fairmont Hotel.
While most of this activity is centered around the downtown area and southern part of the city, the Red River Ex is also starting up this weekend.