As a severe weather specialist with Environment Canada, Geoff Coulson isn't often questioned about festivals that "make it rain", but he has to admit it rains a lot when Art In The Park is underway.
"I can remember having previous conversations about Art In The Park," he says. "Some of them pretty heavy rain from what I remember, seeing images of tents and lots of water on the ground."
This year, organizers have embraced the festival's soggy past by offering novelty umbrellas.
'Art in the Park Rain or Shine' part of the new marketing campaign for the 38th annual festival, April 28, 2016. (Photo by Maureen Revait)
Coulson won't confirm the event has any effect on weather patterns but hints if you're going to Willistead Park this weekend, you might want to head out early Saturday. By mid-afternoon, he says it's going to cloud over, and we might get a few showers Saturday evening.
For Sunday, he predicts "on-and-off showers" and cooler than normal temperatures. Windsor-Essex will peak at 21C (70F) whereas normal is 24C (75F).
This year the festival features 275 artists from across Ontario, Quebec, and Michigan.
Over the past three decades, it's raised $1-million for the restoration of Willistead Manor.
