It was way too loud this year! The tents were blaring music as loud as the stages which were already too loud. I'm talking 90 to 100 DbA. This is dangerous and can lead to hearing loss for families with children. What an irresponsible bunch of organizers to ruin such a good festival. . Otherwise the 70 or so countries had nice displays and merchandise in the tents. The food was good and you didn't need to buy food tickets, just pay at each tent with your debit or credit card. No cash. There was also an air conditioned building to cool off in. They also made the free Borden parking lot paid which was an exorbitant $20 to park. $10 would have been OK. Otherwise parking was gouging. read more

I was so impressed by the selection of vegetarian dishes this year! I think there must have been a push to include more vegetarian so I was very happy. This is the first year where I've basically been able to eat everywhere. I particularly liked Morocco and Barbados! Nice! It's awesome to see the community come together every year to host this festival. I haven't danced since 2016, but I definitely had a great time watching others! One thing I think would be great is to add to the idea of keeping the festival a bit more sustainable. I know it is a lot of people but I couldn't get over the insane amount of waste! Wtf! Trash all over the place! I appreciated the recycle station but damn, lets encourage people to bring reusable cutlery. Still one of my favourite festivals though! read more

Edmonton Heritage Festival - Eritrea - Festivals Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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I came to heritage days with my family, we ate at only 3 places for the short period we were there on Saturday. Ethiopia Columbia Jamaica One of these places food poisoned myself my wife and my two little kids. For two days we have been sick to our stomachs bad Need some sort of health inspection in this place read more

This festival usually takes place during the August long weekend, a great time to spend at Hawrelak Park. Tents are set up by many countries around the world offering authentic food, goods for sale and demonstrations of the culture. For example the Hong Kong pavilion offers Chinese food, jade jewelry, toys and Chinese character writing and lion dance demonstrations. Tickets for food must be purchased at the kiosks located around the park. Parking in the park is not available so the best way to get there is by Edmonton transit buses which run frequently with many park n' ride locations throughout the city. This festival is educational and fun for the whole family! read more

Have more tables, like pub style..much more tables,,and have separate lines for seniors, they can't wait in line, in the heat,as a lady told us ,other than that...it as GREAT. read more

First off, love everything the ETS does to get people in and out of the park, makes like so much easier. The August long weekend is usually rainy and today was no different, but it was still so much fun to walk around pavilion to pavilion looking at cool artefacts from each country and trying their food. I try to eat at different pavilions each year and today I tried SriLankan Koththu roti, Kenyan chai and sugar cane juice, Egyptian soujok, Dutch poffertjers, and ofcourse the elephant ear. I loved nearly everything except the sugar cane juice as understandbly it wasn't fresh.My favorites were the Koththu roti from Sri Lanka and the chai from Kenya, both more than worth their price. Some pavilions are incredibly well organized while some others don't even acknowledge you when you walk towards them, but it is important to remember that all of the folks are just volunteering to make this huge event possible. I still have a few tickets left so will be going back for round #2! read more

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I remember coming to Heritage Festival when I was a child with my family and enjoying the time in the park and checking out the tents to learn about cultures around the world. Fast forward and it's still a great time to come to the park but with the crowds and long lines for food, I found I didn't want to visit every tent to view the crafts and read about the history. Next time, I will definitely go earlier in the day with few people and lines. There is a lot to see here if one wants to check everything out and spend a full day here! I was lucky to get a parking pass this year but it's easy to get to by taking ETS, riding bike, or taking a cab. The line ups around 6PM for food tickets wasn't bad. With 30 food tickets, I was able to try a variety of foods. The longest lines seemed to be fried dough found are various pavillions. I went for carb and meat. Most items we tried were good and decent value (up to 8 tickets for meat and carb). Good thing I bought my water bottle with ice so it stayed cold for hours. I would recommend bringing a water bottle otherwise you might be using the coupons on cold drinks! Lots of entertainment with dancing, singing, and music. There are also tents set up by radio stations, free swag given by local businesses that usually have contests to enter. Lots of port a potties to accommodate all the people if you don't want to stand in line for the flush toilets. Still a great summer festival in Edmonton! read more

Edmonton Heritage Festival - Churro filled with caramel - Festivals Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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The best summer festivals Edmonton is lucky to host year after year- you can steep yourself in close to 100 countries of food, culture and performances. Tip: pre-buy food tickets at Servus locations and Save-on-food locations a few weeks before the August long weekend festival to save yourself from long ticket booth line ups. Yes, while there are usually headaches getting and leaving the park (walk, cycle, bus or taxi only), and this huge outdoor festival is subject to the whims of Mother Nature... it's also huge fundraiser for the Edmonton Food Bank, and a gem I hope to see families, volunteers and talented dancers continue to make this festival Edmonton is proud of for generations to come. read more

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I have been going to this festival since 2009. It hasn't been perfect all the time but it definitely has some good things that has made me go back there every year. The bad part can be due to weather (heat, rain or storm) And I found that the quality of the food may change since this festival is based on volunteers. My most favourite tents are: Iran, Serbia, Croatia, France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine I also enjoyed Afghanistan a couple of years. I have also enjoyed the chocolate covers bananas that you can usually get it from a bunch of tents. Overall it's a good experience and knowing that it's a volunteer base festival, outside and a lot of constraints, I would say they have done a good job and people should go and enjoy this awesome festival. read more

I had no idea it took over the entire Hawrelak Park and that's pretty bug guys! Representing countries from all over the world, there were so many cuisines to sample. But first getting there... Normally I'd just walk but with a toddler in tow that's just not happening. It would be a bit too far for little legs to walk so we opted for the bus service that the city put on. This is where they lose a star. It seems like a money making scheme that you need to pay to get there when they force you to take transit. Just putting that out there. But the busses were rammed and so uncomfortable. By the time we got there (it was bumper to bumper the whole way down the hill) everyone was sweaty and over heating. My poor daughter was getting so cranky the only think to do was sit in the shade with water and an ice cream till we all felt like ourselves again. Having cooled down we took in the sights from Germany to Rwanda, food from all over the world in one place and it really wasn't that expensive. 20 tickets cost $10 and most dishes were about 4-5 tickets. We tries bratwursts and even fish heads...The Germany tent had a cut out for you to try to the lederhosen look! But the different stages around the park with different genres of dancers was fantastic. The costumes, the props. There was always something to see including more educational elements like the cool science station, where kids could make rockets and using water bottles fire them into the air. The journey back into down town was much faster once you got on the bus but the line ups were organised chaos. Next year, we'll just walk it. read more

Edmonton Heritage Festival - Festivals Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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I have made the Heritage Festival a yearly event not to miss and I have to say after this year that next year I might be breaking the tradition. Don't get me wrong... I love the multicultural mixture of dancers, performers, food, booths and items for sale. My main reason for hesitating attending it the price. Wow, has the price ever gone up. There were some booths that were 11 and 14 tickets. Come on... let's get real. For $14 I can go to a restaurant and have an entire portion size that is worth the value, vs having in some cases, a warmed up sample being charged full restaurant prices. I don't know if they keep increasing booth prices and the vendors are trying to pass it onto their customers??? Whatever the reason, it isn't worth the price for the tickets for the quality and amount of the food. It is also an issue when it comes to sitting to eat. If you have a shish kabob it's easy to walk around and eat it. Trying to juggle a plate and fork and knife in some cases, can prove to be a struggle. For as much open space throughout the park, there really is a lack of any picnic tables or just seats to sit. Each year, I always pay to park and walk down (you will be towed for parking in the residential if you don't pay attention to signs), because the buses that run back and forth always seem so packed full and it's easier to walk than to wait for the bus. I do appreciate their support for the food bank though in either a food donation or monetary donation. read more

My family/friends and I go to Heritage Days every year. It never fails to leave us with full tummies and stories to share. This year I tried the red split lentil dish from Ethiopia, the Mango and Coconut Rice from Thailand, the Dutch Pancakes, and a Veggie Samosa from Bangladesh. The mix of traditional dress, live entertainment such as singing and dancing, and multiple ethnic dishes means there is something for everyone. read more

Edmonton Heritage Festival - At the German Pavilion with their organ grinder - Festivals Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

I love going to the Heritage Festival (it'll always be Heritage Days to me). My friend and I went on Sunday, first thing when it opened. If you can do the walk, park at the Windsor lot at the U of A and walk down. They also have Park & Ride there, and at some other locations around the city. Food is a big part of Heritage days. Tickets are 75 cents, and items go for 1 to 10 tickets. The 8 to 10 ticket items are usually meal combos. I prefer to go for the 1 to 5 ticket items to I can sample more things. Aditya's tip about coming with a big group to sample more food seems to be really good idea. The only bad thing? Unlike going to Taste of Edmonton where you know you can go to a specific restaurant to have the dishes you tried, and liked, trying to find a place where you had some of the Heritage days dishes might be a little harder. One of my favourite dishes I tried was the Tamia with the cucumber dip from the Sudanese Pavilion. Unfortunately I don't think there's a Sudanese restaurant in Edmonton. So unless I find a recipe and try to make it myself I'll have to wait until next year's Heritage Festival and hope they have it again. But of course there's more than just food at the festival. There's vendors selling a variety of products, from jewellery, to woodworking, to clothes. You can watch performances from dancers, singers, drummers, etc. The water painting at the Turkish pavilion was really interesting to watch. And of course each country's pavilion has information, and often pamphlets about their country and traditions. The best tip I have is to come early because the crowds get much bigger after 1pm. Wear good walking shoes, and bring a water bottle. Even water will cost you a ticket or two, so save yourself some money and bring a bottle from home. And of course bring a food bank donation. Either nonperishable items, or a monetary donation. As well you can donate your extra food tickets if you can't use them all. Heritage Days has free admission, so making a donation to the Edmonton Food Bank seems like a fair price to me. I only wish that the Heritage Festival was a week long festival, and didn't just happen over the August long weekend. Usually I have to work when the Heritage Festival is on, but I ended up lucking out for this year. I really hope that I'll be able to again next year. read more

Great place to see the different cultures and taste the variety of food other people would regularly eat at home. Plus you may find a taste for something you'd love to make at home yourself. It's an event so expect it to be busy. No parking at all. You'll need to find places that will allow you to park'n'ride the buses. Overall it's a great place to explore, family-friendly, good for dates but not if you want to be noticed by family friends. Reminder to prepare for the weather and wear good shoes because it gets muddy when people walk over the grass too many times, you'll see. Enjoy! :) read more

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I'm a huge fan of the Heritage Festival and not just because of the good food or the song and dance multiculturalism (though that's fun too). I enjoy running into folks that I know every single year when I visit, I enjoy trying and savouring items that are new to me. I enjoy learning just that little bit more about countries, cultures and areas. Perennial food favourites include the Afghani bolani, and the Jamaican curried goat. Great booths to visit every year include Japan and Scandinavia. Awesome entertainment is found pretty much everywhere but China and Japan are booths that often catch my notice from an entertainment perspective. In 2014 I really enjoyed the dancers from Scandinavian and Ghana, the Ukrainian singers and the Taiko drummers from the Japan pavillion. Each year I notice some new things for the first time. In 2014 there was a free massage booth as well as several free photo booths in addition to the usual radio station contest sign ups. The weather was impeccable too which was quite nice. read more

A great festival for checking out other cultures with either shops, performances or the main thing, food. Being so popular, expect very long lineups for majority of food pavilions. Can be hit or miss for the price you pay for some items....though every year you can't go wrong with the Croatian donuts aka elephant ears! read more

Edmonton Heritage Festival - Festivals Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

This used to be one of my favourite festivals in Edmonton but some things have affected it's ranking. The price is the first major deterrent. I can go to any restaurant that specializes in a specific culture's cuisine and buy similar dishes for less. I'd also be able to sit down and enjoy the dish rather then eating off a paper plate. I feel that the price has gone up because each booth is trying to get a bigger share of the customer's wallet. Therefore they try to sell entree portions of food rather then a sample portion. The Taste of Edmonton has been able to keep portions small by limiting the number of tickets each vendor can charge for a dish. (Ex. Only 3-4 tickets) This restriction makes vendors adjust their costs and therefore the portion size. The Taste of Edmonton has it's own set of issues though. The quality of food has dramatically declined over the years as well. Once again I'd rather eat at a restaurant which has standards for their cuisine. The booths/vendors at the festival don't have to consider return customers and most booths aren't run by experienced chefs or restauranteurs. The travel issues are the final reason I probably won't return to Heritage Festival. As the event becomes more popular, the bus lines get longer, and commute times are more frustrating. This year was manageable but still not ideal. The best part of the festival, in my opinion, are the cultural performances. However, I've found that it's hard to take in all of the stages while trying to juggle eating, line ups, and walking. In conclusion I would suggest for the organizers to set caps on the number of tickets eat booth can charge and have each country association involve actual people in the food service industry. This year, for two of us, we purchased $60 on tickets plus $12 on return bus fare. I'm sure I can find a $72 meal that would rival and even triumph over my Heritage Festival experience. read more

Excellent day at heritage days. Enjoyed the dancing, the pavilions and the crowds. We try get things we have never tried before when we come to this festival. This years menu: Libera - jollof rice, roasted meet Kebob , roasted chicken, kala/Poff poff. Egypt - hibiscus tea Korea - bulgogi taco, rice cake stick, sweet pancake China - green tea with lychee Germany - Bavarian meat loaf. Everything was good, nothing was bad. This year we tried a lot from Liberia and Korea. Liberian food was really good. Loved the roasted meet kebob and rice. I also loved the sweet pancake. We spent 40 tickets and I will be back next year to try new things. read more

As much as there is so much awesomeness going on here. Where else can you get a small glimpse of so many cultures. It was fun walking around checking out the booths and watching the many dance/music presentations. Our first time and I was truly disappointed at the food offerings. There really isn't anything special offered. The prices are outrageous. And the sampling sizes are tiny. $3 for 2 tatoyaki, $6 for 4 small pieces of pork adobo, $5 for a tiny kangaroo slider, $7 for one small skewer of buffalo. The list is long of the shortcomings on food. Mixed feelings about this event. read more

I'm not exactly sure who organizes this festival, but they need to learn from the organizers of other festivals in this city. Never have I seen so much garbage scattered around, bins way past overflowing, and most disgustingly... porta potties with toilets filled to the seat. So gross, and such an embarrassment for our city. The line ups didn't seem too bad. Unfortunately I noticed some of the long lines were due to the guests not paying attention to the fact that there is someone ready and willing to take their order. As expected, there is a huge variety of food, definitely something for everyone. But vendors do run out so it's probably best to go early. Overall, this festival is a great way to get outside, try some different foods, and enjoy the summer; but the organizers can do a much better job. read more

Who doesn't love the Heritage festival. I have been to "cultural celebrations" in other parts of the country and in other countries, and none hold a patch to what goes on in Edmonton of the August long weekend. It's like a tour around the world in one day. Every year a few new countries are added, plus you can go see the old favorite sites. I have a couple of food that's I count on each summer and then I plan on trying out one or two new tastes. The food, the dancing, and so many people from so many places all getting along just makes me hopeful for the future. While it's done for this season be sure to stick it in your calander for next year! read more

Quick Tip: Come in a big group, that way you can sample a lot without getting full! I really like the Heritage festival. it's this unique event that happens over three days at the Hawrelak Park and exhibits a variety of cultures from the Fiji islands to eastern Europe and Cuba to Afghanistan. Not surprisingly, most of those cultures have some sort of representation in Edmonton, so it isn't all that random. Most people think of it as a food eating event, but there certainly is a lot more to do, like learning to play Go in the Japanese tent or reading about the ancient Mesopotamian history of Iraq (yes, it wasn't always considered the "axis of evil" .. LOL) or of course, seeing the myriad dances across various cultures. There are skits, there are dance shows (the Irish tap dance show is pretty good), you can take a photograph with a hot Mountie or you can bask in the cordon of trees that dress the edge of the lake at the park. Of course, coming back to food, they have a huge, massive variety of food but I was a little disappointed. Some stalls the food was quite sub-par. Somehow, I also feel that there isn't a spirited dialogue between neighboring countries' stalls (not neighboring stalls) about what food to put out. Like, there must have been the sweet fried bread in maybe 7-8 of the east European stalls or, of course a better example, there was samosas in maybe 20 stalls - okay, we get it - samosas are eaten in Africa, south Asia, Fiji islands etc. All in all, you can easily spend a long day (provided it aint too hot) here and sample small food items, sample some culture and sample some sun. read more

The heritage festival brings together the best food,music,dance,and handicrafts from around the world. A sheet of 30 tickets will cost you 25 dollars and I found after finishing all my tickets I was quite full. The food items run anywhere from 2-10 tickets which might seem like a bit much but I found the items that required the most tickets like the churros for 7 for instance were a very generous portion size. Some of the line ups at the pavilions do get a bit long as the crowds increase but they do move quite fast. The longest line I had encountered infact had kept me waiting for 5 minutes max and how much more can you ask really from a festival that has thousands of people attending? There isn't much seating to stop and eat your food or watch the performances so it is a good idea to bring a fold up camping chair or something similar for older or handicapped family members who might have issues sitting on the grass then getting up afterwards. The performances we stopped for were all really enjoyable and included dancers from Ghana and Japanese drumming. The only real drawback about the performances is that some of the pavilions are so close together that noise from another performance may drown out some of the sound from whatever you have stopped to watch. Another important thing to note is that there is no parking down at the festival so you are either looking at taking a cab down or hopping aboard an ETS shuttle bus. The lineups can get quite long despite the fact buses are constantly pulling in and it is all first come first serve which goes back to what I mentioned earlier about older or handicapped family members. If you have people with you who have difficulties standing for long periods of time or don't do well in the heat it is probably in your best interest to attend the festival closer to the beginning of the day when the line isn't overly terrible. This is definitely a great festival and really shines a light on the fact that Edmonton is a city of many cultures. I really enjoyed my first visit this year and already look forward to taking in Heritage Festival 2015. read more

I go to Heritage Festival every year. As far as festivals go, it's my absolute favorite, and I love getting to learn about cultures all over the world, and eat their food. Let's face it, I call it "nom weekend" for a reason - the food is probably the biggest draw I and many others have. And most of the food is absolutely fantastic, if a bit on the small portion side (though this varies wildly by the tent). It's almost always hot, and the crowds will get to you at times. Make sure to take breaks, and find shade where-ever you can. Probably my biggest gripe is that the content at the festival really doesn't change, but it looks as though small progress is being made - we debuted at least one new pavilion this year (Egypt I think), and that makes me happy. read more

Around the World in 3 Days... Come and fill your belly many times... something like 80 venues in hawrelak park serving food, entertainment... Bus, Bike or walk into the site... I volunteered here for about 10 years, and it was always an entertaining, eye-opening experience... read more

This year we were blessed with sun for the Heritage Festival weekend, which in and of itself, is a miracle considering the awful summer weather we've had. And I'm so glad that the weather co-operated, otherwise I would have missed out on one of my favourite festivals in the city! It's essentially a slightly overpriced multicultural buffet in a park setting filled with music and a shopping bazaar -- ethnic trinkets and fashion can be bought, and even fortune telling can be had! But, as a festival, I expect to overpay a bit in order to sample food stuffs around the world and watch super cute children do their dances in costume. I ALWAYS go to the Croatian Pavillon year after year because they serve a mean roast pork and lamb, along with a small salad and bun. They also have the classic elephant ear as well, so it's pretty convenient that my fave eats in the festival is in one place. After that, it's "anything goes" -- whatever stall hits my fancy and whatever meat-on-a-stick is on sale, I probably get. While many stalls sell the same thing, not all spring rolls, donairs, or other similar offerings are alike. Different cultures DO spice and serve them differently, so if you're aching for gyros/donairs, try say, the Iraq Pavillon instead of the more common Greek or Turkish one. As a woman of Filipino heritage, I can't help but rep the Filipino stall and suggest the "lumpia shanghai" or spring roll (it's a lot meatier than other stalls), as well as the "turon" (basically a banana spring roll), and the "gulaman drink" -- which is a sweet drink with jello-like pieces. On behalf of my husband, who's Polish, he wants to point out that his culture sells non alcoholic Lech -- Polish beer. Anyway, if you're in Edmonton during the August long weekend, make sure to check out the Heritage Festival and see how different and alike we all are. read more

This one, along with The Fringe, has to be my favourite of the summer festivals. Perhaps it is because of the convenience of the Park and Ride System or how the food bank benefits or the fact that I can gorge on all kinds of ethnic food samples or that I can be entertained by all the cultural performances. And if the weather is nice it takes the festival to another level. Purchase tickets from booths to sample the delectable ethnic cuisine tapas from all the tents. I even have some must-purchases every year; for example, souvlaki, fried banana with ice cream and getting a line in the coconut. Also I love the fact that you can stay for 30 mins and come back later or stay for 4 hours straight. If I were to make suggestions I would like to see the annual formula of the event mixed up a little bit. There needs to be something new added to the mix. I can't quite say what, but with social media so prevalent these days could this not be leveraged in some way to make the festival more interactive? Not sure. read more

I am always excited when Heritage Days start! It's a part of Edmonton and it's a lot of fun. The best part about Heritage Days (that's what everyone calls it), is immersing yourself in so many different and unique cultures - all in one day. Sometimes I find that I want more though! The dancing is amazing. I love watching all the different cultures perform because it really gives you a new appreciation for the diversity we have in our city. It's a beautiful thing. And the food is remarkable! If you have ever wanted to try some ethnic food but haven't yet mustered up the courage to sit down in a restaurant and take on a completely foreign menu, Heritage Days can help! Try some of the food at each of the different booths. They don't usually have a full menu so the choice isn't as hard. You can also ask what they recommend (I've done it many times) and they are happy to give you the best they've got. It's a really neat experience, Heritage Days. Enjoy great food, the great outdoors, and experience the diversity that we have right here in our own backyards! read more

The Heritage Festival is mostly about eating your way around the world, although the performances and the arts and crafts tents are great too. The festival is probably best enjoyed with a bunch of friends, an empty stomach, and a lot of tickets, to make sure you get a good sampling of what's on offer. That being said, it's possible to have a good time on the cheap too. $5 gets you 6 food tickets, which is enough to get a decent portion somewhere, and there's always music and/or dancing going on on one of the stages around the park. Plus, the people-watching is fantastic. read more

I definitely come here every year, and I've never been let down. There is awesome food, interesting cultural demonstrations, and a general spirit of openness to experiencing other cultures, which I think is super important. The only reason I left off a star is that some off the tents have lately veered from cultural education towards just selling non food products, which I find a bit off the point of the festival. I went into the Irish booth thinking I could learn a bit more about a part of my ancestry, and it was set up like a general store, which I found to be a bit of a let down. I always get the mango smoothies from the Pakistan booth, chicken roti from the Caribbean booth, Pyrogies from the Ukrainian booth and satays from the Malaysian booth. Plus, I try to grab one or two new things (that is kind of the point). Some places have pretty big portions if you want to get some variety, so I recommend sharing with a friend. read more

This is probably my favourite festival - I go every year :) There are tons of different pavilions for different countries around the world, complete with food, performances, and stuff to buy! Most people go primarily for the food, but personally I'm more a performance type of person :P Food is usually pretty good but can get a bit pricey at times; though that said, this festival is a great opportunity to try out new stuff you don't see often (like beef hearts or drinks with rosewater and pine nuts). The performances are both my favourite part of the festival (they mostly consist of dancing, music, martial performances, and some various other things) and are a bit of a thorn in my side as well (since for the most part, none of the pavilions advertise a performance schedule in advance, so it's easy to miss things you might really wanna see). You can also find some really interesting items to buy here. It's a pretty huge festival, not just in terms of significance & popularity, but also in a literal sense. It's very sprawling and has a lot going on. Some tips - bring lots of water, cos it's often hot and there's not a lot of shady areas at Hawrelak Park, and you know how expensive buying water at things like this can be. I'd probably bring an umbrella or sun hat too (for shade) and sunscreen (I can't emphasize enough how much that sun can get to you). You may need to walk a ways to get to the tents you wanna check out, so be prepared for that; there's a downloadable map on their website if you wanna plan ahead a bit. Also, be *very careful* about meeting up with people at the festival - it's very busy, and it's typically pretty hard to find people, or to hear your phone going off if someone calls you. If you meet someone there, be as specific as possible as to location :P Trust me, something like "by the Israel tent" is rarely successful :P Bring cash with you to avoid ATM fees and lineups. And also, this is a huge event for the food bank, so remember to bring a donation and that you can give any unused foot tickets to their volunteers, and they'll get a certain amount of money for them after the festival. There's so much to see here, but I feel like I wanna highlight my favourites, in case anyone isn't sure where to start ;) Every year, I make a point of going to the Japan, Wales, and Aboriginal tents. The best thing at the Japan tent is the taiko drumming performance, though of course there's lots of other cool things there. The Aboriginal tent has really great traditional dancing and serves up buffalo, which is cool. I think the Wales tent is a bit of a lesser-considered gem - they usually have fantastic combat performances with guys in full armor, with swords and the whole bit, which is really amazing; they also have a full-size harp and yarn carding in the tent, and some of the cheapest drinks & snacks at the festival. Anyway, if you're visiting or just haven't been here yet, it's definitely a must to check out this festival! read more

Edmonton Heritage Festival - Festivals Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

This is my favourite festival of the summer. I always look forward to the food, music, dancing, and learning a bit about different cultures from around the world. A lot of the food is the same stuff you can get at ethnic restaurants, so I try to go for things I don't normally get a chance to try. The music and traditional clothing are also fabulous. Bring a lot of cash - you redeem tickets for food, and it can get pricy. There is also no end to the souvenirs which are offered at practically every pavilion. Hawrelak Park gets packed as the days progress, so try to come early and avoid the lineups for tickets and food. read more

This is still my favorite festival, and I'm so glad I got to see it after too much time away. I found such cool items I love to buy for better prices than I expect to pay. I'm a sucker for unique jewelry, and I even found earrings as low as $3 a pair! Sure SOME of it is expensive, but whatever. Most of the time when that happens, it's because it's worth it. At any rate, it's fun! I got tons of inexpensive jewelry, candy, a couple of cat statues--Oh! And check out the Bhutan tent (I think?) for great broomstick skirts for $40 each, one size fits all. That is literally half price for anything else like it in the city. LOVE the costumes and dances, as always. That will never get old. Food Bank volunteers? Super sweet and friendly. Don't forget to give them your unspent tickets. Line-ups weren't that bad. Everyone was pretty efficient. Speaking of efficient, thanks ETS. You guys were awesome too. If I have any complaints, it's that I found a lot of the foods to be similar. Lots of kebabs, lots of rice dishes, simple meat and veggie dishes. BUT having said that, I understand why, because I AM a cook for a living, and I've had to prep for events. What you are getting at festivals like this is the simplest, most easily transportable food these places can manage. Oh yeah...and all the equipment has to be transported and it needs to be Foodsafe too. So yeah, everybody's doing their best. So enjoy, right? My favorite things--The Scandinavian has a troll guarding their entrance and a small viking ship and herring on eggy bread. Yum! Irish dancers--Don't miss that! Or the Chinese dragons for that matter. Japan has octopus dumplings-two for 3 tickets, Peru ALWAYS has the best jewelry, as does the Philippines. Egypt and Africa got me a couple of FANTASTIC cat statues. I tried a beef and green bean sandwich at the Chilean pavilion that pleasantly surprised me, because I hate green beans. I can tell you the sandwich wouldn't have been as awesome without them. Weird, huh? There's so much more, but this review would get too long. By all means GO. read more

The Heritage Fest is an awesome part of Edmonton's festival culture, and a very fun way to spend a summer weekend learning about (and eating food from) cultures around the world. Sometimes I think the festival is maybe just too big (it took 2-3 hours to get through most of it), but then I remember how many countries there are in this world (and not all of them are even represented at the festival). My two main complaints are that the food is too pricey (I find Taste of Edmonton to be a better bang for my buck) and the line-ups can get to be insanely long (20 minute line-up for meat on a stick under a hot, hot sun? No thanks!) It would be great if there were more seating around the park -- or if I had the foresight to bring a picnic blanket! read more

2019 The best Festival in Edmonton ... Heritage Days celebrating Canada's multicultural mosaic. Winners of Best Entertainment.. Palestine Pavillion... well deserved for the hard work the dancers put in to create a stellar performance. First year - first place!!! The only suggestion is a bit of public education.... Information that the dance was a traditional Palestinian wedding dance. Welcome to Canada and thank you to the Palestinian people for sharing their unique culture with us, regardless of their background history of political conflict. read more

This is one of my favourite Edmonton festivals. It all started in 1976 with 11 communities taking part. Now more than 40 years later it has grown to more than 60 pavilions representing 85 different cultures. This is always a great opportunity to try food you have never tried or even heard of. You can also learn a lot about each culture at their pavilion. Buy some of their cultural items and experience some of their entertainment. The site for this festival is Hawrelak Park and it is so huge it pretty much takes up the entire park so be prepared for lots of walking. It seems like this weekend is also usually one of the hottest weekends of the year so make sure you bring water or be prepared to buy on site for a bit of a premium. This is also one of the biggest food raisers for the Edmonton Food Bank. If the weather is bad and the crowds stay away then it can impact that organization quite negatively. So make sure you bring a good donation for the Food Bank too! This is one of the major festivals in Edmonton so if you are a visitor here on this weekend make sure to schedule some time to come and check it out! read more

This is always one of the best festival in Edmonton. It's great to see so many countries represented in the community wanting to share more of what they have to offer. It's always sunny and there are thousands of people having a great time. I do have a couple gripes though. I always bike to this event because it's so busy and it's just so much easier. However, once I get off the Groat Bridge I'm never sure where to go. As they encourage so many people to cycle to the event, they need a designated bike lane into the park. If you walk your bike in with the pedestrians then you overshoot the bike parking area because the walkway is fenced off and then you have to back track. If you ride on the road, the lanes are separated by cones so they are very narrow and you have to go in the bus lane. It just seems like there should be some proper signage for the cyclists. Secondly, I just went yesterday to the 2013 version of Heritage Festival and had 3 food tickets left. I went for the deep fried wontons from the Hong Kong tent. Worst decision ever. It was more like deep fried wonton wrappers. Instead of it being wrapped like a wonton, the wrapper was folded diagonally in half into a triangle and had a tiny piece of meat the size of a dime. It was pretty gross and was nothing close to a wonton. I am actually offended and insulted that they are serving this and calling it a wonton! read more

Come checkout this year's heritage days! Come prepared for rain and or hot weather, no parking but that means you can burn some calories before filling your tummy! Bussing and bike lock available. Experience a wide variety of food and culture from all over the world in this festival spanning over Hawrelak park. It's all weekend long! If you love a good curry I would suggest checking out the Thai tent and you also need to see the Irish dancers preform! Have a great long weekend everyone! read more

What a great way to spend the day. Lineups seem long but they move fast! Have fun and don't miss out. read more

Edmonton Heritage Festival - Mmmmmmmmm.....doughnut as the Croatian pavilion. - Festivals Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Heritage Festival is arguably the premier summer festival in Edmonton! For those of you that don't know what Heritage Festival is it is essentially a multi-cultural festival with food, art, dance, song, etc from many different cultures. And while many of the performances, etc are very good... Let's admit it, the big draw for many is the food. Tickets (in 2015) are 30 for $25. How much food that gets you depends on the country. Food items generally range from 2 tickets to 8 tickets. Portions are decent - my wife and I would usually be full on 30 tickets. Top tips for the festival - go earlier in the day. Shorter lines all around and the weather isn't as hot! And don't forget to buy your tickets in advance at either Servus Credit Union branches, Save On Foods or Tix On the Square! Either way this is a can't miss festival in the city! read more