“Exploring ~ Spotlighting ONTARIO Communities and Events Since 2007″
About Ontario Visited
Ontario Visited is a proudly independent, Ontario-built project founded by Judi and Gary McWilliams in 2007. Today, the website and its related assets are owned by Festival and Event Services Inc., with Gary and Judi as the sole shareholders. What began as a passion for exploring Ontario’s fairs, festivals, and rural communities has grown into a trusted hub where residents and visitors discover what’s happening across the province and meet the people who make it special. As a result, Ontario Visited offers organizers a powerful platform to showcase their events and communities.
Our Roots in Ontario’s Event Community
Long before Ontario Visited went live, the McWilliams were hands-on in the events world, both as organizers and suppliers. In 1989, they co-founded the Cobourg Waterfront Festival and later founded the Port Hope Farini Festival. Over the years, they’ve remained active supporters of the sector, including membership with the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies and Festivals and Events Ontario. That lived experience, seeing how events are planned, promoted, and produced, shapes everything Ontario Visited does.
What You’ll Find on Ontario Visited
Ontario Visited is organized to make discovery easy and enjoyable:
- Ontario Event Directory
A continuously growing, easy-to-browse directory that helps you find fairs, festivals, markets, theatres, historical sites, museum and community events across the province. - Ontario Event News
Story-driven features, updates, and behind-the-scenes looks at the people and places that power Ontario’s event scene. Within Event News, you’ll find four themed series:- Ontario Explored – “Know More, Do More, See More!”
- Ontario Fair News – “Bringing Ontario’s Fairs to Life, One Story at a Time!”
- Ontario Destination News – “Your Passport to Ontario’s Hidden Gems!”
- Ontario Community Pulse – “Where Connections Matter!”
- Ontario Adventures
Perfect for curious travelers who love the “roads less traveled.” Three series anchor this section:- Detours and Disasters – “How to Love Them!”
- Dirt Road Diaries – “Where Every Path Tells a Story!”
- Fairs and Markets – “Routed in Tradition, Grown with Love!”
A Deep Library of Original Content
Ontario Visited is built on original, first-hand coverage. Over the years, we’ve accumulated 50,000+ original photos and 10,000+ video snippets, capturing authentic moments from rural roads to marquee fairgrounds. Our content also extends to social media, where we share highlights, interviews, and on-the-ground stories across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, the latter featuring 1,000+ videos and growing.
How We Support Partners and Advertisers
Ontario Visited offers a range of marketing programs tailored to tourism partners, event organizers, destinations, and local businesses looking to reach an engaged, event-minded audience. Options include:
- Multiple branding ad placements across our network
- Custom promotional video interviews to tell your story in your voice
- Visitor experience packages that connect your offering to ready-to-travel audiences
- Social media promotions that amplify reach and spark conversation
…and more, all designed to showcase your experience and convert interest into visits.
Why It Matters
Ontario’s fairs, markets, festivals, and rural destinations are a vital part of community life. They preserve traditions, create jobs, bring neighbours together, and invite visitors to discover something new. Ontario Visited exists to champion these stories, spotlighting the volunteers, organizers, makers, musicians, growers, and families who keep Ontario’s cultural heartbeat strong.
Join the Journey
Whether you’re mapping out a weekend adventure, promoting an upcoming event, or simply curious about the people and places that make Ontario special, you’re in the right place. Explore the Ontario Event Directory, dive into Event News, wander through Ontario Adventures, and follow along on our social channels for fresh stories and inspiration.
Ontario Visited, celebrating the spirit of Ontario’s communities, one road trip, fairground, main street, and market stall at a time.
Copyright and Liability Disclaimer
All information contained on this web site is provided for your convenience only. Festival and Event Services Inc. o/a Ontario Visited does not accept any responsibility for damages or expenses incurred as a result of reliance thereon. Every effort has been made to ensure the information contained within the Ontario Visited web site is correct and the Festival and Event Services Inc. o/a Ontario Visited accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies.
Information on this website is not intended to constitute advice nor is it to be used as a substitute for advice from a licensed professional.
Festival and Event Services Inc. o/a Ontario Visited will not be liable for damages arising from, but in no way limited to, the transmission of confidential information over the Internet.
Festival and Event Services Inc. o/a Ontario Visited reserves the right to edit, delete, modify, vet or change any material sent or posted to its website in whole or in part at its sole discretion.
By using this website, you agree to use the information contained therein for personal non-commercial use only, and will not use data obtained from the website for solicitations, commercial or otherwise; use any data obtained from the website as part of a commercial product, service or content offering; sell or otherwise distribute any data obtained from the web site.
Copyright
Canadian copyright law protects this website and the material and images appearing within it. Such website materials and images may not be copied, published, distributed, downloaded or otherwise stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or converted, in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Links to Third-Party Sites
The sites to which links are provided on this website are not under the control of Festival and Event Services Inc. o/a Ontario Visited and is not responsible for and makes no representations or warranties concerning the contents of any linked site or any link contained in the linked site. Festival and Event Services Inc. o/a Ontario Visited website provides links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement, investigation or verification by Festival and Event Services Inc. o/a Ontario Visited of the linked site.
Web Privacy Statement
Festival and Event Services Inc. o/a Ontario Visited website does not require you to identify yourself; you may access it anonymously. Festival and Event Services Inc. o/a Ontario Visited does not collect personal information about you.
Festival and Event Services Inc. o/a Ontario Visited is the sole owner of this website.
