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Edmonton summer festivals

Gronk! said:
edmonton.ctvnews.ca

KDays attendance jumps, Taste of Edmonton's declines: organizers

KDays and Taste of Edmonton released the attendance numbers for both festivals on Monday after they officially wrapped up on Sunday.
edmonton.ctvnews.ca edmonton.ctvnews.ca

I went to both the Taste of Edmonton and KDays, and I definitely preferred the former.
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I went to Taste of Edmonton because a friend wanted to go. I hadn't gone in years, but enjoyed it and was pleasantly surprised. I thought the set up was well done.

Of course, it was not cheap, but there was a good selection. It was not that busy when we went, although it was a week day evening.
 
I'm so glad I went to the Heritage Festival on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon.
I'm sure many people had the same idea because the festival was packed that day!
 

EDMONTON HERITAGE FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION

www.canadahelps.org www.canadahelps.org

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1820555822038208608
 
Greenspace said:
^Probably due to hot weather then smoke, then rain, but I found Taste lacking in local restaurants like it used to be. Most of the booths are food trucks and fast food. And the entertainment wasn't a draw like other years for me, except Glass Tiger was great.
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Yeah. I've skipped it since COVID, partly because even if being outside is lower-risk, absolutely crowding into a tight space outdoors is still a good way to get it. But it's long been kind of underwhelming for the cost, with most of the content being decidedly fast food/bar food chains. They also go out of their way to be a pain to bike commuters, and are probably (unlike any other festival) more parasitic upon downtown than synergistic. I tend to scout it, decide I don't want to hang out in Churchill Square on a hot summer day watching suburbanites eat, and go support a local restaurant who probably is not having the best of weeks.

Chinatown does some very nice smaller scale versions of the concept called Chinatown After Dark a few times per summer where the various restaurants set up booths with a few features, and I went to that and had some nice dim sum and a scoop from Little Bonbon for ~$25.
 
It's gonna be such a busy weekend in our fair city! What are your plans?

Folk Festival - should be a gorgeous Sunday night to watch Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Cariwest - their 40th anniversary parade is on Saturday starting at noon
Animethon - their 30th anniversary event is being held at the Convention Centre
Fragapalooza - my geek friends won't shut up about this!
Riverhawks game on Saturday night
Elks game on Sunday night
Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament at Rogers Place
Punk In Drublic concert at ICE District Fan Park - featuring the final shows for the band NOFX
downtown farmers market on Saturday morning/afternoon
Old Strathcona farmers market on Satuday morning/afternoon
Rice Howard Way entertainment district on Saturday afternoon
 
Gronk! said:
It's gonna be such a busy weekend in our fair city! What are your plans?

Folk Festival - should be a gorgeous Sunday night to watch Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Cariwest - their 40th anniversary parade is on Saturday starting at noon
Animethon - their 30th anniversary event is being held at the Convention Centre
Fragapalooza - my geek friends won't shut up about this!
Riverhawks game on Saturday night
Elks game on Sunday night
Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament at Rogers Place
Punk In Drublic concert at ICE District Fan Park - featuring the final shows for the band NOFX
downtown farmers market on Saturday morning/afternoon
Old Strathcona farmers market on Satuday morning/afternoon
Rice Howard Way entertainment district on Saturday afternoon
Click to expand...
Friday Night and Sat Rokin August in St Albert
 
On Saturday I plan to hit up the downtown farmers market and watch the Cariwest parade, and then attend the Cariwest festivities at Churchill Square and possibly the Rice Howard Way entertainment district. Later in the evening I have tentative plans to go to the OTR nightclub if I'm still up for it. No plans for Sunday, so I may do a road trip.
 
Gronk! said:
It's gonna be such a busy weekend in our fair city! What are your plans?

Folk Festival - should be a gorgeous Sunday night to watch Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Cariwest - their 40th anniversary parade is on Saturday starting at noon
Animethon - their 30th anniversary event is being held at the Convention Centre
Fragapalooza - my geek friends won't shut up about this!
Riverhawks game on Saturday night
Elks game on Sunday night
Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament at Rogers Place
Punk In Drublic concert at ICE District Fan Park - featuring the final shows for the band NOFX
downtown farmers market on Saturday morning/afternoon
Old Strathcona farmers market on Satuday morning/afternoon
Rice Howard Way entertainment district on Saturday afternoon
Click to expand...
I've been playing catch up since that last air quality disaster made me as sick as a dog. I'll probably take it easy, but still go to the downtown market, and since I'm not really feeling like cooking I'm probably wandering down to Cariwest specifically for the purpose of grabbing food.
 
So, this morning my cat was quite insistent that it was time for a trip to the catnip patch. I let her out, and she dove right into it and is rolling around paws in the air. I go to look for my sandals so I can come out and supervise her and make sure she stays in the yard. Then I start to hear this meowing, which doesn't sound like my cat.

I come out and a bunch of anime cosplayers are meowing at my cat.

So yeah, there's definitely a life to things this weekend.
 
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I know this would never happen and Folk Fest would throw a fit, but I wish that there was more than one festival that could utilize Gallagher Park. Wouldn't have to have all six stages etc, just the mainstage area. The view is such a great ad for the City and it would be nice to have programmed for more than just one weekend.
 
husky said:
I know this would never happen and Folk Fest would throw a fit, but I wish that there was more than one festival that could utilize Gallagher Park. Wouldn't have to have all six stages etc, just the mainstage area. The view is such a great ad for the City and it would be nice to have programmed for more than just one weekend.
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The monopoly Folk Fest has on Gallagher Park and the Edmonton Ski club is frustrating. They have basically complete veto power over any changes to that space and refuse to work together in good faith with any other partners.
 
I can't think of other summer festivals in Gallagher Park seeing that their current/future locations work just fine. Concerts could take place in the spring or autumn seasons, but they could be in competition with Rogers Place, Commonwealth Stadium, RE/MAX Field or other music venues.
 
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