| Festivals of Edmonton | |
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This is an incomplete list of festivals in Edmonton, a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. Edmonton plays host to several large festivals each year, hence its local nickname as 'the Festival City.'
This list includes festivals of diverse types, including regional festivals, commerce festivals, fairs, food festivals, arts festivals, religious festivals, folk festivals, and recurring festivals on holidays.
| Festival | Month | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Animethon [1] | August | Western Canada's longest-running Japanese animation festival is held in Downtown Edmonton in MacEwan University. Animethon has been running since 1993 with attendance at over 9000 people. |
| Bikeology Festival [2] | June | Cycling culture |
| Blueberry Bluegrass and Country Music Festival | late July / early August | Bluegrass and country music festival |
| Blue Quill Party in the Park Music Festival [3] | September | free, family-focused, and community-minded 12-hour-long non-stop live performance music festival |
| Canada Day | July | Celebrated with a pancake breakfast and other morning events at the Alberta Legislature grounds, and fireworks. |
| Cariwest [4] | mid-August | Caribbean carnival |
| Chinese New Year | January/February | Celebrated in many locations including Bonnie Doon Mall, West Edmonton Mall, Kingsway Mall, and Chinatown, Edmonton. |
| Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival [5] | January | Arts and winter games celebrating Ukrainian, Franco-Albertan, Franco-African, Indigenous, and Acadian/East Coast communities. |
| Dreamspeakers International Film Festival [6] | June | Aboriginal filmmakers, performers and artists |
| Edmonton Accordion Festival [7] | September | Accordion |
| Edmonton Chante [8] | September | Francophone music festival |
| Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival [9] | August | Dragon boat |
| Edmonton Folk Music Festival [10] | August | Folk music |
| Edmonton International Beerfest [11] | late March – early April | Craft beer and food festival |
| Edmonton International Film Festival [12] | late September – early October | Independent film |
| Edmonton International Fringe Festival [13] | August | Held in Old Strathcona, this is an exhibition of alternative theatre and is largest Fringe Theatre Festival in North America, and second only to the Edinburgh Fringe festival in the world. |
| TD Edmonton International Jazz Festival [14] | June | Jazz music |
| Edmonton International Street Performer's Festival [15] | July | Busking |
| Edmonton Latin Festival [16] | mid-August | Latin culture and music |
| Edmonton Music & Speech Arts Festival [17] | mid-April – early May | Started in 1908 - First Festival, of its kind, in North America - Classical Music (Piano, Strings, Voice, Guitar, Band, Choir, Brass, Woodwinds, Harp, Orchestra), Musical Theatre, Speech Arts - for Ages 5–85+ |
| Edmonton Poetry Festival [18] | April | Poetry |
| Edmonton Pride [19] | June | LGBTQ+ and Gay pride |
| Edmonton Rock Music Festival [20] | August | Rock music |
| Edmonton Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival [21] | October | Wine, beer, spirits, food |
| Edmonton Short Film Festival [22] | 3rd week of October | Independent film |
| Found Festival [23] | June | Edmonton's only multidisciplinary found space arts festival. Find art in unexpected places! |
| Free Will Shakespeare Festival (formerly called River City Shakespeare Festival) [24] | late June – early July | Shakespeare plays |
| Great Outdoors Comedy Festival | July | Outdoor comedy festival produced by Trixstar LIVE |
| Hip Hop in the Park festival [25] | May | Musicians', performers' festival to celebrate a hiphop declaration of peace |
| Ice on Whyte Festival [26] | January | Winter festival, skating, ice sculpture |
| Improvaganza [27] | June | Improv festival hosted by Rapid Fire Theatre |
| International Festival of Winter Cinema | February | Films about winter, polar, or alpine topics; projected outdoors on a snow-screen. |
| Kaleido Family Arts Festival [28] | September | Arts festival of free performances on Alberta Avenue |
| K-Days [29] | July | Provides rides, music and other entertainment. Originally Klondike Days was an annual fair and exhibition which eventually adopted a gold rush theme. Activities include chuckwagon races, carnival rides and fairways, music, trade shows and daily fireworks. |
| Labatt Blues Festival [30] | August | Blues music |
| Latino Heritage Month September 15 to October 15 [31] | September – October | Cultural roots and education |
| LitFest: Edmonton's Nonfiction Festival [32] | late October | Non-fiction writing |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | September | Chinese cultural performances, activities, and a lantern parade including floating water lanterns on the pool in front of Edmonton City Hall. |
| Nextfest [33] | June | Celebrate the work of emerging artists: musicians, actors, poets, visual artists, dancers |
| Northwestfest | May | Documentary film festival at the Garneau Theatre |
| Pets in the Park [34] | June | Fun for animals and humans in Hawrelak Park |
| Play the Fool Festival | late September | Theatre festival focusing on clown and physical comedy |
| Pure Speculation [35] | November | Geek and fan culture |
| Purple City Music Festival | August | Multi-day, multi-venue live music festival in downtown |
| Rainbow Visions Film Festival | November | LGBT film festival at the Garneau Theatre |
| Servus Heritage Festival [36] | August | This ethnocultural food and heritage festival takes place in Hawrelak Park on the Heritage Day long weekend. |
| Silver Skate Festival [37] | February | Winter |
| Edmonton International BeerFest | March | Celebrating the appreciation of Beer from around the world. Held annually at the Edmonton Convention Centre. Western Canadas biggest Beer Festival |
| SkirtsAfire, herArts Festival [38] | March | Edmonton's only multidisciplinary arts festival celebrating and elevating the work of women. Includes musicians, dance, spoken word, theatre, film, cabaret and more. |
| Sourdough River Festival [39] | August | Raft race |
| Strathearn Art Walk [40] | September | Free, family friendly art and music festival |
| Symphony Under the Sky Festival [41] | Labour Day weekend | Edmonton Symphony Orchestra's annual outdoor concert |
| Taste of Edmonton [42] | July | Food and restaurants |
| Vocal Arts Festival [43] | late May – June | Opera NUOVA's Opera / art song festival, performances, workshops, and elite study opportunities. |
| Water For Life Festival [44] | early June | The all volunteers-directed Sunshine Treeshade Humanitarian Charity presents "water for life"-themed multi arts, science, and recreation events in support of clean healthy water commons and saving the estimated daily global average of over 4000 children and others currently projected to be killed by contaminated water related conditions (World Health Organization, UNICEF data). Held week of World Environment Day, June 5; and World Oceans Day, June 8. |
| The Works Art & Design Festival [45] | late June – early August | Showcases Canadian and international art and design from well-known, award-winning artists, as well as emerging and student artists |
| Edmonton Ukrainian Festival [46] | late May | Ukrainian culture, food, music, visual arts, crafts and dance |
Edmonton is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchors the northern end of what Statistics Canada defines as the "Calgary–Edmonton Corridor", a region spanning between Edmonton and the city of Calgary, Alberta’s largest city, which includes the many smaller municipalities between the two.
The culture of Alberta refers to the art, customs, and traditions of the people of Alberta. Alberta entered into Confederation in 1905, placing her in a tie with Saskatchewan as the country's second youngest province. Despite her short history, the province possesses a rich culture. The vastness of the land and variation of geography – which includes mountains, foothills, grassland, parkland, forest, and rockland – have served as important sources of creative inspiration across all art forms. Alberta's primary industries of farming, ranching, and petroleum also play a major part in the province's culture and identity.
Canada's contemporary theatre reflects a rich diversity of regional and cultural identities. Since the late 1960s, there has been a concerted effort to develop the voice of the 'Canadian playwright', which is reflected in the nationally focused programming of many of the country's theatres. Within this 'Canadian voice' are a plurality of perspectives - that of the First Nations, new immigrants, French Canadians, sexual minorities, etc. - and a multitude of theatre companies have been created to specifically service and support these voices.
Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In London, the fringe are small-scale theatres, many of them located above pubs, and the equivalent to New York's Off-Off-Broadway theatres and Europe's "free theatre" groups.
The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is an annual arts festival held every August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Produced by the Fringe Theatre, it is the oldest and largest fringe theatre festival in North America. The Edmonton Fringe is a founding member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals.
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Edmonton, Alberta. As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city it presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to country. Currently in its 72nd season, the orchestra is composed of 56 core professional musicians who perform 42 weeks per season and who play an active role in the musical life of Edmonton and elsewhere as performers, teachers and recording artists. The ESO also performs as the orchestra for Edmonton Opera and Alberta Ballet productions, and its recordings are regularly heard across Canada on CBC Radio 2.
The Honourable Thomas (Tommy) Benjamin Banks was a Canadian pianist, conductor, composer, television personality and senator. He was married to a musical theatre hobbyist, Ida Heller, the woman who would eventually run Banks Associated Music Ltd., founded by Banks himself.
The Edmonton International Film Festival (EIFF) is a nine-day film festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, hosted at Landmark Cinemas at Edmonton City Centre. It is supported by and partnered with Telefilm Canada, Government of Alberta, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton City Council, and the Edmonton Arts Council.
The Francis Winspear Centre for Music is a performing arts centre located in the downtown core of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened in 1997, it is the home of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The centre is named after Francis G. Winspear, who donated $6 million to the construction of the facility - the single largest private donation to a performing arts facility in Canadian history.
The Calgary Fringe Festival is an annual Fringe theatre festival in Calgary, Alberta.
Victoria School of the Arts is a public school in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada operated by Edmonton Public Schools, offering students from kindergarten through grade 12 an International Baccalaureate aligned, arts-focused education, and is recognized as one of the top arts-focused schools in North America.
The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival is a 14-day annual arts festival that takes place in Orlando, Florida, every May. The festival features 850 ticketed theatrical performances on indoor and outdoor stages, produced by local, national and international artists. It is an open access performing arts festival, meaning there is no selection committee, and anyone may participate, with any type of performance.
Danek Mozdzenski is a Canadian sculptor.
The TD Edmonton International Jazz Festival is an annual 10-day music festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The festival was founded in 2005 by the Edmonton Jazz Festival Society, and focuses on making jazz music accessible to as many people as possible. To this end, the festival showcases many different sub-genres of jazz, played by international stars as well as emerging local musicians.
Edmonton's International BeerFest / Edmonton BeerFest / International BeerFest is an annual festival held in early spring in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective is a Canadian artist collective based in Edmonton, Alberta with a mandate to develop innovative and experimental projects involving Indigenous artists.
The Dreamspeakers International Film Festival is an annual film festival in Edmonton, Alberta, which programs a lineup of films related to First Nations, Métis, Inuit and other international indigenous peoples.
