Celebrating Edmonton as Canada’s Festival City

I am so proud of Edmonton being called “Canada’s Festival City,” and we truly live up to that title. From iconic summer festivals like K Days, Heritage Festival, and Taste of Edmonton, to beloved year-round events like Flying Canoe, Deep Freeze and Silver Skate, our city is vibrant with celebration, storytelling, and community spirit. Festivals bring people together, spread joy and culture, and inject life into our local economy.

They also contribute to what is known as the visitor economy, the broad range of economic benefits that come from people who attend events, stay in our hotels, eat at local restaurants, and explore the city. According to Explore Edmonton, the visitor economy supports over 30,000 jobs and brings in over $1 billion in spending to the Edmonton region annually. Nurturing this economy means investing not just in tourism, but in culture, creativity, and belonging.

How the City Supports Festivals And Where It Can Do More

The City of Edmonton has taken many steps in recent years to support events and festivals of all sizes. These include:

• One-on-one support for event organizers through the Civic Events and Festivals Office

• A centralized Event Planning Guide

• Streamlined permits and processes for road closures, alcohol licenses, fireworks, food vendors, and noise exemptions

• The Festival & Event COVID Recovery Grant and the Signature Festival Operating Grant to help cover operational costs

• Access to city venues, infrastructure, and services such as waste removal, transit coordination, and policing support

• Commitment to inclusivity, sustainability, and reconciliation in event planning through policies and application criteria

  
  

The city also now accepts rolling applications for civic event permits and has reduced red tape for smaller or emerging events. However, there are still ways to improve.

Organizers continue to raise concerns about:

• Complex and siloed processes between departments like permits, fire, transit, and parks

• Unpredictable policing and security costs

• Difficulty accessing affordable venues or storage spaces

• Unclear timelines or lack of communication during reviews

• A lack of permanent infrastructure in high-traffic festival sites like Hawrelak Park (which is currently under renewal).

Getting There and Getting Around

Transportation plays a huge role in how people experience festivals. I’m grateful for how Edmonton Transit has stepped up in this area.

Park and Ride options for large events at Hawrelak Park, Commonwealth Stadium, and other hard-to-access venues have made attending events much more manageable. Even smaller festivals are beginning to benefit from these arrangements, which helps expand accessibility and ridership. In fact, when I was at the Naki Transit Centre in St. Albert this weekend, I saw a few Edmonton Transit buses assigned to transport passengers for an event.

Additionally, hosting festivals in locations with direct LRT access, such as the Edmonton EXPO Centre (currently home to the Heritage Festival) and the K Days grounds, makes a difference. Including ETS fares in the price of festival admission is a smart move that encourages use of public transit and supports our climate goals. I believe these transportation efforts must continue and expand.

As your City Councillor, I will work to:

• Make city processes clear, transparent, and consistent for all event sizes

• Ensure festivals and events especially emerging and culturally diverse ones, can access funding and logistical support

• Push for continued investments in transportation options, like Park and Ride, to ensure accessibility for events in less transit-connected areas

• Work with Explore Edmonton, community leagues, and independent organizers to grow Edmonton’s reputation as a world-class festival destination

• Ensure arts, culture, and heritage organizations are well-supported as vital partners in festival creation

• Be available to help community members navigate city systems when organizing their events

Festivals are about joy, celebration, and connection, not bureaucratic headaches. In order to have a world-class city, a welcoming city, and a prosperous city for both long-time residents and visitors, the process of creating these events needs to be manageable and enjoyable, from the first idea to the final wrap-up.

If you’re a festival organizer, industry partner, or just someone with a passion for events, I’d love to hear from you. Share your suggestions, experiences, and ideas for how we can make Edmonton’s festival culture even stronger.

A city that celebrates together, thrives together.