A successful turnout for the 2025 LaSalle Strawberry Festival.
The Town has released the official attendance numbers for the event which ran from June 5 to June 8 at the Vollmer Complex.
The four day event saw just shy of 28,700 attendees, where guests enjoyed 5,453 servings of strawberries and ice cream.
This year's attendance numbers are similar to 2024, which saw just over 28,500 people attend, however the servings of strawberries and ice cream saw an increase this year compared to the 4,640 servings sold in 2024.
The Town had reported a deficit of $2,700 from the 2024 event due to a decrease in admission revenue and strawberry and ice cream sales, along with higher park setup costs. Town administration is currently preparing the post-event report for this year's event and will be presented to council in August.
Patti Funaro, Director of Culture and Recreation with the Town of LaSalle, says the attendance numbers were great.
"Another great weekend, year after year we continue to see consistent numbers with people coming out to enjoy all the various activities that we offer and this year was no different."
She says it's a well-loved event.
"It's been 37 years we've been hosting the festival in LaSalle, and so lots of people who came perhaps as a child themselves, and now want to carry on the same tradition with their family. And I think it is a great event with lots of different activities for people of all ages to come out and enjoy."
Funaro says the town is waiting for all of the suppliers and contractors to provide final invoices.
"For the things that we rented, or the services that we hired over the weekend, so as those come in we'll be able to take a good look at what the numbers are prior to bringing that report out. But we didn't really have anything that came in that was unexpected, so hoping that the revenue we brought in is enough to cover our costs."
Funaro adds that while the event was held at the Vollmer Complex again this year, that once the construction at LaSalle Landing is finished that a report will be presented to council to discuss potentially moving it there.
Proceeds from the festival help offset hosting costs and support community partners, including Life After Fifty, who provided volunteers for the strawberry and ice cream tent, and Bike Windsor Essex, who operated the bike valet service. Any surplus funds will be placed into reserves to support future festivals.
2022 remains the record-setting year with 33,250 visitors.