NIAGARA FALLS N.Y. (WIVB) — Bars and restaurants in Niagara Falls are preparing for a busy Thursday night. The event Thursdays on Third is back and it draws hundreds to the business district.
This event is still new to the area and businesses hope that over time it picks up momentum and draws in customers on both sides of the U.S. and Canada border.
“The more the better, I’m very excited,” said Joe Hotchkiss who owns Power City Eatery on Third street. “For us, we’re normally closed at night, but it gives people who can’t get to us at night an opportunity to come see us. So we get exposure that we might not get during the day.”
The weekly summer event was started last year by Bill Olesiuk, who owns the Craft Bar and Grill on Third Street. He said he wanted to give people a reason to stop by the businesses in the Falls while enjoying music and local food.
“It gets a lot of other people to be able to see what we have,” he said. “It gets other people to see what goes on in Niagara Falls that we really are. We really are one of the natural wonders of the world and it’s only a block away from the bridge in the Falls from here. It’s just a good day.”
This is the first summer Canadian tourists can stop by for Thursdays on Third, now that there are fewer restrictions on border travel.
“It’s awesome to see the people back on Third Street, especially Canadians,” Olesiuk said. “We like to talk about how it was back in the day but we’re talking about how it was last Thursday.”
However, not all restrictions have been lifted. Canada has extended its requirements for travelers looking to cross into Canada. It includes requiring people to have the arriveCAN app to show proof of a COVID19 vaccination.
The requirements for travelers arriving in Canada are expected to remain in effect until September 30th.