Edmonton's Events
• A WorldWeb.com Travel Guide for Edmonton & Area, Alberta.
Edmonton, Alberta's capital city, is a sprawling metropolis built on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. In addition to its cultural sights, renowned shopping mall and provincial government, people are drawn to the city for its many special events that take place year round, making it a popular destination for Albertans, Canadians and international visitors alike.
Edmonton is easily accessible from the south via the Queen Elizabeth II Highway (QE2) and is known as the Gateway to the North, since the city is on the way to the northern areas of the province as well as further on to the country’s remote territories. Once visitors arrive in Edmonton, reaching the city’s event venues is easy via a well-connected road system and public transportation network. For many major events including the Fringe Festival, the Capital Ex Klondike Days and the Heritage Festival, the city and its hotels and motels provide special event transportation.
YEAR AROUND FUN FOR FAMILIES
Edmonton is known as Canada's Festival City, hosting over fifty annual festivals each year. The summer season is particularly busy with large festivals every weekend. The Heritage Festival is a three-day family-oriented event, where Hawrelak Park is transformed into a vibrant multicultural mosaic featuring colourful dancers, lively music and exotic cuisines when people from almost a hundred different cultures and countries gather in Canada’s biggest celebration of diversity.
Families can also enjoy plenty of fun events through each season, including those centred around holidays and observances. Religious and secular events surrounding the December holidays dominate the winter season. Bundled up families with blankets and flasks of hot chocolate are particularly drawn to light displays, many of which are fundraisers for local charities so attendees are encouraged to make a small donation (usually either monetary or a food item) in lieu of an entrance fee. For a unique viewing experience, visitors can take a horse-drawn sleigh ride through Candy Cane Lane, which is a spectacular light show resulting from the work of enthusiastic residents.
A WINNING EXPERIENCE FOR SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS
Edmonton is known as the City of Champions, a name that the city adopted because of its claim to a particularly large number of hockey and football championships. Not surprisingly then, its residents are enthusiastic supporters of professional and amateur sporting events, and the city is a regular host of national, commonwealth and world championships.
Edmonton has several professional sports teams, including the Edmonton Oilers (in the National Hockey League), Edmonton Eskimos (in the Canadian Football League) and the Edmonton Capitals (in the North American Baseball League). There are also professional basketball, lacrosse and soccer teams, as well as amateur teams, including university-level teams in almost all of these sports.
Regular season games for all of these sports are generally well attended and locals often fuel a friendly rivalry with Calgary's sports teams. Tickets for championship games, especially for hockey playoffs and football, are sought after by many and are often difficult to acquire so visitors should ensure they secure tickets before coming to the city for end-of-season games.
AN INSPIRATION FOR CULTURE LOVERS
Alberta is a diverse province, with a multi-cultural history, major educational and cultural venues and avid support of the arts, all of which creates a culture that appeals to many broad tastes. Events all over Edmonton therefore appeal to all sorts of enthusiasts; there are art shows and exhibits for the artistically inclined, concerts and performances for those with a musical ear, movie and film screenings for those with a dramatic flair and a variety of readings and lectures for those looking to expand their intellectual horizons.
Most large art exhibitions occur at the Art Gallery of Alberta and the Edmonton Art Gallery, but there are hundreds of smaller venues—commercial galleries, cafes and community centres which host up and coming and newly discovered talent. Concerts occur in a variety of indoor and outdoor venues, with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Jubilee Auditorium and the Winspear Centre hosting events year round. For the cinematically inclined, Edmonton has numerous modern theatres and old-style cinemas, including the Princess Theatre and Lazy Sunday Cinema, both of which screen alternative productions.
TEMPTING FARE FOR FOODIES
The city hosts many annual culinary events for food and drink enthusiasts. A Taste Of Edmonton is a good event suited to all pocket books since Edmonton restaurants set up kiosks in Sir Winston Churchill Square with cheap samples of their unique fare. A beautiful pairing of food and drink can also be enjoyed at the Edmonton's Meals on Wheels fundraiser—the Grape Escape: Uncorking California—which features a night of great food paired with some of California’s best wines.
Amateur sommeliers can enjoy the Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival, one of the largest wine and food festivals in Canada, and Winefest Edmonton, which features hundreds of international wines, dessert wines, ports, and champagne from all over the world. Also well attended is Edmonton's Festival of Beer, a popular event so visitors should secure tickets in advance.
A DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT FOR BUSINESS PEOPLE
Edmonton has a diverse economic environment, based on a mix of agriculture, natural resources, and service industries, so fairs and exhibitions and seminars and workshops draw in niche businesses and visitors throughout the year. Those interested in working in the field of health, wellness and beauty, or even members of the public interested in the subject will enjoy annual exhibits and shows such as the Edmonton Body Soul and Spirit Expo, the Edmonton Health and Wellness Show, and the Edmonton Ink Festival: The Tattoo and Body Modification Show.
Edmonton’s strategic location makes it an ideal meeting place for corporate hounds from the south and rugged field workers from the north, meaning many of the city’s conferences and meetings surround the natural resources industry. Every two years the Western Manufacturing Technology Show is held at the Northlands AgriCom in Edmonton as a forum for source machinery, equipment, supplies and services for the manufacturing and refinement industries. Also appealing to the natural resources industry is the annual Alberta Health and Safety Conference and Trade Fair, which offers educational sessions in addition to the traditional trade fair.
Edmonton’s diverse events are for everyone, creating fun and adventure for families, a great day out of cheering on teams for sport enthusiasts, satiating food and drink gourmets, firing up the imagination of cultural buffs and providing a welcoming environment for professionals.
Edmonton is easily accessible from the south via the Queen Elizabeth II Highway (QE2) and is known as the Gateway to the North, since the city is on the way to the northern areas of the province as well as further on to the country’s remote territories. Once visitors arrive in Edmonton, reaching the city’s event venues is easy via a well-connected road system and public transportation network. For many major events including the Fringe Festival, the Capital Ex Klondike Days and the Heritage Festival, the city and its hotels and motels provide special event transportation.
YEAR AROUND FUN FOR FAMILIES
Edmonton is known as Canada's Festival City, hosting over fifty annual festivals each year. The summer season is particularly busy with large festivals every weekend. The Heritage Festival is a three-day family-oriented event, where Hawrelak Park is transformed into a vibrant multicultural mosaic featuring colourful dancers, lively music and exotic cuisines when people from almost a hundred different cultures and countries gather in Canada’s biggest celebration of diversity.
Families can also enjoy plenty of fun events through each season, including those centred around holidays and observances. Religious and secular events surrounding the December holidays dominate the winter season. Bundled up families with blankets and flasks of hot chocolate are particularly drawn to light displays, many of which are fundraisers for local charities so attendees are encouraged to make a small donation (usually either monetary or a food item) in lieu of an entrance fee. For a unique viewing experience, visitors can take a horse-drawn sleigh ride through Candy Cane Lane, which is a spectacular light show resulting from the work of enthusiastic residents.
A WINNING EXPERIENCE FOR SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS
Edmonton is known as the City of Champions, a name that the city adopted because of its claim to a particularly large number of hockey and football championships. Not surprisingly then, its residents are enthusiastic supporters of professional and amateur sporting events, and the city is a regular host of national, commonwealth and world championships.
Edmonton has several professional sports teams, including the Edmonton Oilers (in the National Hockey League), Edmonton Eskimos (in the Canadian Football League) and the Edmonton Capitals (in the North American Baseball League). There are also professional basketball, lacrosse and soccer teams, as well as amateur teams, including university-level teams in almost all of these sports.
Regular season games for all of these sports are generally well attended and locals often fuel a friendly rivalry with Calgary's sports teams. Tickets for championship games, especially for hockey playoffs and football, are sought after by many and are often difficult to acquire so visitors should ensure they secure tickets before coming to the city for end-of-season games.
AN INSPIRATION FOR CULTURE LOVERS
Alberta is a diverse province, with a multi-cultural history, major educational and cultural venues and avid support of the arts, all of which creates a culture that appeals to many broad tastes. Events all over Edmonton therefore appeal to all sorts of enthusiasts; there are art shows and exhibits for the artistically inclined, concerts and performances for those with a musical ear, movie and film screenings for those with a dramatic flair and a variety of readings and lectures for those looking to expand their intellectual horizons.
Most large art exhibitions occur at the Art Gallery of Alberta and the Edmonton Art Gallery, but there are hundreds of smaller venues—commercial galleries, cafes and community centres which host up and coming and newly discovered talent. Concerts occur in a variety of indoor and outdoor venues, with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Jubilee Auditorium and the Winspear Centre hosting events year round. For the cinematically inclined, Edmonton has numerous modern theatres and old-style cinemas, including the Princess Theatre and Lazy Sunday Cinema, both of which screen alternative productions.
TEMPTING FARE FOR FOODIES
The city hosts many annual culinary events for food and drink enthusiasts. A Taste Of Edmonton is a good event suited to all pocket books since Edmonton restaurants set up kiosks in Sir Winston Churchill Square with cheap samples of their unique fare. A beautiful pairing of food and drink can also be enjoyed at the Edmonton's Meals on Wheels fundraiser—the Grape Escape: Uncorking California—which features a night of great food paired with some of California’s best wines.
Amateur sommeliers can enjoy the Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival, one of the largest wine and food festivals in Canada, and Winefest Edmonton, which features hundreds of international wines, dessert wines, ports, and champagne from all over the world. Also well attended is Edmonton's Festival of Beer, a popular event so visitors should secure tickets in advance.
A DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT FOR BUSINESS PEOPLE
Edmonton has a diverse economic environment, based on a mix of agriculture, natural resources, and service industries, so fairs and exhibitions and seminars and workshops draw in niche businesses and visitors throughout the year. Those interested in working in the field of health, wellness and beauty, or even members of the public interested in the subject will enjoy annual exhibits and shows such as the Edmonton Body Soul and Spirit Expo, the Edmonton Health and Wellness Show, and the Edmonton Ink Festival: The Tattoo and Body Modification Show.
Edmonton’s strategic location makes it an ideal meeting place for corporate hounds from the south and rugged field workers from the north, meaning many of the city’s conferences and meetings surround the natural resources industry. Every two years the Western Manufacturing Technology Show is held at the Northlands AgriCom in Edmonton as a forum for source machinery, equipment, supplies and services for the manufacturing and refinement industries. Also appealing to the natural resources industry is the annual Alberta Health and Safety Conference and Trade Fair, which offers educational sessions in addition to the traditional trade fair.
Edmonton’s diverse events are for everyone, creating fun and adventure for families, a great day out of cheering on teams for sport enthusiasts, satiating food and drink gourmets, firing up the imagination of cultural buffs and providing a welcoming environment for professionals.
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