Tenth anniversary of Meet-A-Machine breaks all-time attendance record, organizers say

Meet A Machine event breaks attendance records Over 13,000 residents showed up to meet a machine this year for kids to learn about different vehicles. CTV Windsor’s Sanjay Maru explains.

The 10th anniversary of the Meet-A-Machine event is being celebrated as a huge success ⁠— not just because it marked the event's return in Windsor since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

According to organizers, this year's free event nearly doubled its previous attendance record.

City of Windsor children services manager Dawn Bosco said about 7,400 people showed up in 2019.

On Saturday, that number topped 13,000.

Meet-A-Machine started with a sensory-friendly hour at 9 a.m. before opening up to the general public between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. outside the WFCU Centre.

"Come 10 o'clock, the flood gates opened. Transit Windsor buses are filled. There's lineups of traffic. People are just beaming from ear to ear," said Bosco.

Meet-A-Machine allows children to sit inside and explore a number of large vehicles they may have never discovered before due to their young age, from transit buses, police cars, fire trucks and race cars.

The annual event is hosted by the city's children services department and is designed to promote literacy through interaction.