"There are two seasons in Edmonton: snow and rain." That is a joke about Edmonton that long-time residents can certainly appreciate. However, there is a third season the creator of that joke forgot: Festival Season!
There is a lot to look forward to this Spring and Summer in terms of festivals. In fact, most of these upcoming events are in the planning stages right now, so if you are interested in volunteering for one of
the many great city festivals, please visit the Web sites linked here to find out who to contact.
The Northern Alberta Children's Festival is worth the drive to St. Albert. Especially for kids -- and kids at heart -- performers from around the world come to entertain. There are jugglers, clowns, musicians, magicians at both indoor and outdoor venues.
One of my personal favorite events in the city, hands down, is the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival. The best buskers in the world perform in Winston Churchill square. A lot of people think they perform for free -- wrong.
After each performance, the members of the audience are encouraged to give what they felt the show was worth. Believe it or not, most of the buskers here make a full time living "passing the hat."
Heritage Days is a three day celebration of cultural diversity that takes place the August long weekend in Hawerlak Park.
Pavililions representing over fifty countries and cultures draw huge crowds eager to sample ethnic recipies and view live performances of dance and music.
Edmonton's festivals is one of the city's strongest tourist draws. In fact, there are way too many events to talk about in one column. Please join me again next week, when I take a look at Klondike Days, Jazz City, and more!
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