In every way, Edmonton earns its reputation. With more than 1.4 million people and acknowledged as Canada’s fifth largest city, Edmonton is consistently true to the brand of City of Champions, The Oil Capital of Canada and The Festival City!
With over 50 festivals annually, there is not only something for everyone, it also makes for a win-win-win situation. The festival city is good for the community. The festival city is good for revenues and business. Most of all, the festival city is enjoyable and good fun.
Being the dynamic festival city is a key part of the pitch for the gung-ho Explore Edmonton Corporation, Edmonton’s destination management and marketing organization.
“Edmonton’s festivals, events and attractions are at the forefront of our marketing message to visitors and locals alike,” says Explore Edmonton’s Arlindo Gomes, vice president of business development & venue management. “We market and promote Edmonton and our festival city campaign highlights Edmonton’s festivals year-round, including a website exclusively for festivals.”
“That’s where people can learn that there are more festivals in the city than there are weeks in the year,” he chuckles. “It makes us special. Our festivals play a key role in the city’s excitement and positive atmosphere. Through our marketing efforts, we’re specifically targeting the various geographic markets: Alberta (Edmonton, Calgary, Grande Prairie, Lloydminster), Saskatchewan, parts of B.C. (Kelowna, Vancouver/Abbotsford) and Ontario (Toronto and the GTA and Ottawa).” He adds that Explore Edmonton is also starting to include Edmonton’s festival city messaging targeting the Netherlands, Germany and parts of the U.S. like California, Texas and New York.
With the government and corporate funding support, Edmonton festivals and events are limitless good times… and it is good for business. Despite the distant pandemic shutdowns and disruptions, events and tourism continue as dynamic and vital for Edmonton.
“The tourism industry was the first hit, the hardest hit by COVID and it is still recovering,” Gomes says. “Edmonton welcomed a record number of visitors in 2019, prior to the pandemic, with over 6.3 million people coming here. That dropped to 3.3 million in 2020. For tourism, we’re looking at returning to pre-pandemic levels by 2024. Many festivals touted record-setting numbers last year, though, which is a positive sign.”
Events and festivals provide numerous benefits for the community and the region. The stats and numbers prove that festivals and events increase visitation and revenues, heighten regional awareness and the investment for events and festivals is a potent boost for the region’s economy.
“Based on our marketing figures, last year’s festival city campaign was Explore Edmonton’s highest revenue generating campaign,” he points out. “The conversion we were able to track influenced approximately 2,000 hotel room night bookings in Edmonton last year.”
Some of the festival and event big draws include:
- The Works Art & Design Festival and the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, which brought a massive celebration of art and creativity to Edmonton’s downtown core.
- Taste of Edmonton was Canada’s largest food festival last year, featuring dishes from more than 50 local restaurants and food trucks.
- Late last June’s TD Edmonton International Jazz Festival was a huge hit for applauding audiences from the Edmonton region, Calgary and visitors from across Canada and the world.
- K-Days was, again, one of the four largest fairs in Canada. As an Edmonton tradition, K-Days dates back to 1879.
- The Heritage Festival is a 50+ year tradition of delicious food, creative performances and a celebration of Edmonton’s multiculturalism and good times. It is a world of flavours from more than 60 countries – from Pakistan all the way to Brazil and everything in between. Visitors enjoy free entertainment on more than 25 stages throughout the grounds and learn more about Edmonton’s diverse culture.
- The Edmonton Folk Music Festival in Gallagher Park has grown and matured to become one of the leading folk festivals, bringing in the best of folk music from Edmonton, Canada and around the world.
That’s not all! There are many other events and places to enjoy them, such as the Edmonton Mountain Bike Festival, the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, Fort Edmonton Park, the exceptional experience that is Metis Crossing, Elk Island National Park, big name concerts in Rogers Place and more!
Edmonton’s festival and event organizers and volunteers work hard, year round, to make it all happen.
Megan Dart, executive director of Fringe Theatre, weighs in.
“The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is the largest, longest running Fringe Theatre Festival in North America,” she explains with enthusiasm and pride. “As an event with an international presence, we rank among the top five Fringe Festivals worldwide, alongside Edinburgh, Scotland and Adelaide, Australia. Edmonton Fringe was born of a revolution. We are Edmonton-grown and Edmonton’s own. We exist because theatre exists and what exists here doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world.”
Although it is difficult to properly explain the spirited, creative and captivatingly enjoyable Fringe experience, Dart is enthusiastic that, “Storytelling connects us all. Storytelling inspires curiosity and fosters togetherness. Storytelling builds and celebrates community. It’s what Fringe is all about.
“None of it would be possible without the passion, support and enthusiasm of our patrons, who we lovingly refer to as Fringers. We are grateful for Fringers who see shows, who toss a few bills into an outdoor performer’s hat, who sip a cool one in the tents, high-five a volunteer for their service and who tell an artist how much their work moves them.”
She says that the vibrant success of the Fringe Festival is, “thanks to the more than 40,000 artists who have bravely taken an artistic risk with us since we exploded onto the scene in 1982; to the more than 800,000 Fringers who take creative risks with us every August and the more than 1,600 volunteers who continue to help build one of North America’s most influential arts movements.”
Dart’s infectious energy is not only a high-energy boost for the Fringe Festival but also a terrific example of the community spirit which makes Edmonton the festival city.