I think that my expectations for the Smoky Lake Pumpkin Festival were low - I thought it would be a…read moresmall fair, with a few scattered activities and a couple of large pumpkins. I was so wrong! There was so much to do that we barely fit it all into one day. Smoky Lake is 1.5-2 hours northeast of Edmonton, depending on what part of the city you are travelling from. Festivities started at 9:00 AM, with the farmer's market in full swing by the time we got there at 9:15 AM. Activities are spread out throughout the arena area and the downtown of Smoky Lake. Locations were well marked with signs, and all of the locations had maps and schedules you could pick up to make sure you don't miss anything. The farmers market, craft fair and art sale ran for the length of the day, although getting there early is recommended to get your pick of the goods (pumpkin everything!). There was a midway with rides, a show and shine downtown, a beer garden in the curling rink and Ukrainian-catered food court. The main attraction of the day was the pumpkin weigh-off, with prizes going to largest pumpkin, squash, watermelon and longest gourd. This year's winning pumpkin clocked in at an astonishing 1210 pounds! After the weigh-off you can go see the pumpkins up close, and this is followed by an auction. Pumpkins went from $25-450, so bring cash or a cheque if you are planning on bringing home a prize pumpkin. Other normal sized pumpkins are also available for sale. The day's activities are topped off with a pumpkin drop, where pumpkins are hosted a few stories up into the air by a crane and dropped onto a car. In one word: awesome. Admission into the pumpkin weigh-off was $10, with everything else free (unless you wanted a ride on the midway or to purchase something from a market vendor). The pumpkin festival runs the first weekend in October annually, and is a super fun way to enjoy the best of Alberta in the fall.

Invited to this yearly 2-day event that starts from Friday evening to Sunday morning. Although it…read morehas a park and public washrooms with separate showers but nothing fancy. The small open stage is where these multiple musicians come to jam music that's mellow and some local. This event surely has a lot of potential so if you like to hear new easy music, check it out. Just be prepared for the random weather or plan accordingly as if you were to go camping. Concession stand sells average food like burgers, fries, ice cream, and merchandise of event clothes, plus it has a beer garden for adults at certain times. The place has camping lots with or without power. I believe parking is first come first serve. See website for details https://www.brotelfestival.com. If you plan to visit, I recommend you bring camping gear, own food with cooler, lawn chairs, umbrellas, and pleasant company (people who'd you think would be good company). Hope you have a good experience.

Very expensive for very little food. Japanese Village sesame…read morebeef with rice was so small and not worth 4 tickets for a price of approx. $7.00 Also, the dish was very salty. Good venue but this will be last year I attend because the price does not match with portion size. Jennie

Hello Summer! Edmonton truly is Festival City whether it's Ice on Whyte or the ever so awesome A…read moreTaste of Edmonton! It doesn't get any better than wandering Churchill as the amazing smells waft from site to site. What to pick? What to choose? So many delicious eats and treats to try. Pro tip #1 NEVER GO ALONE. Always come in a group so that you can share and sample among friends. Pro tip #2 Buy your tickets in advance and save $10 on a sheet of 40. Follow them on Facebook, twitter, or on their website for the current details: http://tasteofedm.ca/ A Taste of Edmonton can also be an idea networking or teambuilding outing for colleagues. I've been lucky to participate in a Charity Cook Off here (and yes Judge's choice went to team Pookersons baby!) You can sign up for special VIP tent events in the evenings (perfect for a date night) or just wander around and people watch any time of day. You simply can't go wrong with YEG festivals. A Taste of Edmonton is where it's at in Summer YEG. Do not miss Canada's largest outdoor food festival!

It's smaller than I expected, but that makes it easy to navigate for kids. There are a few food…read moretrucks and arts and crafts stands. The performers enjoy being there. They blatantly ask for money, around $20, from you for watching. Give what you can. It's in Winston Churchill Square, which is fine during the day but not somewhere you should walk at night.

I've been here pretty much every year since I was a kid, and I've never not had a great time…read more The performers vary a fair bit in terms of talent, but if you watch a few, you're pretty much guaranteed to be impressed overall. I love that they added a fresh fruit vendor. It's great to see healthy options pop up at events like this..... though I'll admit that I didn't get any, and instead opted for green onion cakes and ice cream. Hey, it's tradition. Hopefully the next generation can form new traditions involving the fruit vendor, because I'd like to see him stick around. :)

This winter festival lasts about 4 days in January and was started in 2003. This year (2018) was…read moremy first visit and the temperature was a very chilly -20C, great for ice sculptures but not so great for standing around outside too long - kudos to the brave volunteers at the gates standing around handing out guides and giving directions! On Saturday afternoon there was no wait at all, but in the evenings it might be easier to buy your ticket online and skip any ticket line by going through the VIP booth. The ice carving happens at the start of the festival, followed by judging, and then the finished pieces are on display till the end of the festival. There is also an ice bar, which this year seemed heavily sponsored by Strathcona Spirits including a nice hot buttered rum drink which was just the thing to warm up with! A food truck also offered nonalcoholic hot drinks and hot food also. Apparently in previous years there's been an ice slide for kids, but that wasn't present this year. There was an ice carving tent also, offering regular opportunities for both adults and kids to try your hand at carving an ice tile - not as easy as the talented sculptors make it look! The sculptures from the contest were super impressive and illuminated by coloured lights which no doubt look even better at night. The festival was fairly small overall though and doesn't take long to look around. They've made arrangements with a number of other local retailers on Whyte for whom you can get discount coupons if interested. Website: http://www.iceonwhyte.ca/about/

Ice on Whyte this year was absolutely amazing! I think they really did a good job accounting for…read moreweather this year. They had the ice sculptures inside a canvassed area, which kept it from being windy, so allowed for maximum time outside. At -21, frigid, with 80% humidity, we were still able to stay outside long enough to enjoy each of the sculptures. One of the things I liked the most this year was learning how to do an ice sculpture. We made it just in time for the last session of ice sculpture classes, where each person got a square block of ice, a chisel, nails for tracing and some shapes to trace to make our very own ice sculpture! My family is full of love so we all chose hearts :) On a safety note: they even provided PPE! Safety Glasses and Gloves for anyone doing the ice sculptures! There was a separate closed, heated tent where they had beer gardens, which was packed. I felt like this year was very well organized and would definitely go again next year.

Always an amazing fun. Cultural and inclusive experience! Something for almost anyone.read more

Edmonton Fringe Festival is a great collection of unique theatre experiences and fun outdoor shows…read morecomplete with various food trucks and beverage options. I love the excitement of listening to the plugs for various plays and the conversation in the air about what people have seen or plan to see. This is a unique and exciting festival that works for everyone.

Great night out at Halloween. A gorgeous ranch beautiful open fields and free friendly animals…read morefloating around! Lots of work put into the tent on the outer ranch into it and the ranch turned into many different scary haunting stories! Actors and make up were fantastic! The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because on the night they were having problems with the generator so we didn't hang around for the camp fires BBQ and drinks! Other than that well done hard work paid off!!!

When we first arrived I was happy with the set up and the amount of people at the festival. We…read morearrived at 1pm and purchased VIP tickets. I will say if you do decided to purchase VIP tickets make sure you know that it's nothing better then the other tickets except you have better bathrooms. I came to see Fazey Ford who started playing at 545pm. She is an amazing artist, and I have been waiting for years to see her live. We had an amazing time till she came in and we went to the front of the elevated stage to dance and we're told we can't dance. Ok, but isn't a music festivals sole reason to dance???? With that said, I talked with every security guy arguing my point with no luck. We stood on the side of the stage with way less energy then I would have expected, and loved at a music festival. I think it's a great festival but needs to take some pointers from some bigger and better festivals. Not to mention the band after the front of the stage was full! Dancing is what people come for, let us dance!