I've watched the Full Monty and most recently, Miss Saigon here. I totally enjoyed both shows. In the past I saw the Broadway version of Miss Saigon and I have to say, La Cite Francophone held their own! Because of the smaller stage, the performers had to be a little creative with the special effects but overall the story was well told! The singing was also pretty awesome as well. A perk is that there's free parking available in the uncovered parking next to the building. There aren't too many people to compete with for spots, not unlike a larger space such as the Jubilee Auditorium. When you walk towards the front of the building, you'll pass La Cafe Bicyclette - nice place to grab a quick bite since it's right in front. The grounds are open and actually quite pretty. My friend and I were talking about how it would be a great venue for outdoor performances or even a wedding! Inside there's generally a lot of opportunity for natural light, during the day, as there's so many windows. For the couple of times I've been here, there's been incredible artwork to oooh and ahhh about. Generally they're local artists that are featured so that's also a great thing in supporting a community feeling. When it comes to watching the shows, it's usually general seating. This may conjure up feelings of panic or anxiety, in anticipating getting a great view. The best part of this theatre is that there isn't a bad seat in the house! There's a first and second floor balconies that wrap around U-shaped in front of the stage. In addition the seating on the main level is at an incline. Honestly the place is so intimate that no matter where you sit, you're really not too far from the stage. If you have a chance to come here for a show, I'd definitely recommend it. It's a refreshing change compared to the hectic stress of the bigger productions at the larger venues. read more

La Cité Francophone is a hub of businesses and services for Edmonton's French community. It has a bookstore, post office, theatre, restaurant, and is home to the offices of the local French Canadian organization. The building is constructed in a round shape and when you walk in, there is a huge lobby area where events are sometimes held, along with benches and seats to just hang out. It is located near the French campus of the U of A, and in the Bonnie Doon area where the majority of French-speaking Edmontonians live. The theatre has a variety of cultural events such as concerts and plays (the community's own French language theatre group is also located here). The restaurant serves a variety of sandwiches, soups, salads, and main dishes - I had a really good butter chicken here. read more

I've only visited here sporadically, usually for special events. As much as I do speak/understand French, I don't have much of a purpose going here that often. That said, the catering provided by Cafe Bicyclette is well worth having if you ever do a special event here! Fringe shows are also occasionally at this venue as well. This place is a great place to have in a mostly Anglophone city, but which has a sizeable Francophone population. read more

I have been here numerous times for meetings and to present to a group of people in the foyer of the upstairs area. I like the layout as it's open but I also felt some privacy when talking to a group of people. It's often quiet when I go into the building on the lower level after walking down the steps from the sidewalk. There are table and chairs, but also more comfortable seating around and often they aren't occupied. There are stairs leading to the next level up but also an elevator to take up to the businesses. I find it easy to get around to get to where I need to be going. It's great they have services in the building to support the Francophone community including employment services. read more

I saw three Fringe Shows here and I had no idea that they had such a great theater in the building. It has a standard center rise with three levels of balconies. I will definitely becoming back for the French Quarter Farmers Market that takes place on Sundays. A friend also told me that they do private rentals as her friends got married there a few weeks prior. read more

La Cité Francophone - Performing Arts Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

We rented the lobby (downstairs and upstairs) for an artistic showcase. The venue is absolutely beautiful. It was perfect for our show. They gave us the best prices in terms of renting the space, catering and bar/stuff. They accommodated our needs with the budget we had. Our show was a community effort and they liked and support that. The booking person was very understanding. The staff the day of the event was helping. The appetizers were amazing, very tasty and very well displayed. Drinks were a bit pricey some people commented. Open venue, which allowed artists to be creative. Really good lighting for at visual art. Parking was a bit hard for people because of the contraction in front. They booked a few events in the same area which wasn't ideal because our show was loud and the other shows complaint we were too noisy. We managed to move acts around to have the laud ones at the end, which resulted in some of our guests leaving. Overall great venue. Will definitely book with this again. If you are planning a community event. I highly recommend. read more

I have been down to La Cite to help out with the farmers market as well as to see a friend appear in a production of The Full Monty and have always been impressed with the building. It features a theater,cafe,bookstore,post office,and some office space for a few different businesses in the francophone community I am not familiar with. It's an absolutely beautiful building inside and out that is very clean and easy to find ones way around. Those working in the building are very friendly and will gladly converse in either french or english. Whether you want to see a show,get a bite to eat, or check out the farmer's market I think La Cite Francophone is a beautiful place to spend some time and with the success of the farmers market this year believe that it has the potential to become even more popular than it already is. read more

I tried to paste my email to the director explaining everything that went wrong with my wedding from this venue, but it was too long. So I tried to hit the main points. I have also let this sit for a month before writing the review to calm my nerves and keep to the facts. Here are the the highlights: During the first meeting they answered all of my questions and advised they were very flexible. They advised they had an excellent gluten free options and could accommodate allergies. the main reason we booked as the bride is gluten free We set our menu which was a simple breakfast, which worked out to be a little under $20 per head They advised they cannot set it in stone until 3 months prior to the wedding We had almost no contact from them until about three months prior to the wedding. After the three month mark, I started choosing after them and getting the taste testing set. This took multiple phone calls and emails before they would respond to me. We set the taste testing and everything went great, we had our menu all laid out and we're all set. They advised the prices may change at this point, but wouldn't give us anything specific They then ignored my multiple phone calls and emails for three weeks, until I showed up at their door and demanded answers. They had not looked at anything for the three weeks and went over it while I stood there, I was then told what was originally going to be $20 per head was now $32. I was also told at this point that much of the decorations they had available, such as an arbor for the ceremony, doesn't exist and we would have to supply our own. We were also advised my guests with a few severe allergies would have to bring their own food. They also flipped back and fourth several times from recommending a buffet or a family style meal, it seemed like every time we talked they wanted to change it. After I strongly requested they answer my emails or phone calls, our direct contact refused to speak to me and would only address things to my wife. About a week before the wedding, they demanded payment be made in full that day. We had to run all over moving money around to get it all in one account to pay it. At no point before this did they tell us the money was due a week prior to the event Three days before, during the rehearsal dinner, we were told they double booked us with the farmers market. This was discovered when we went for our rehearsal dinner. We worked it out but it took a few hours and lots of yelling and threatening to have them pay 100% for the cost of a new venue. They then agreed to move the farmers market to the parking lot. The Buffett is horrible, they gave small plates, took your plate away before you were don't and did not provide any more plates and start clearing the Buffett as soon as everyone has gone through once, so no one could get seconds They didn't put out all of the trays of food that were paid for. There was no labels on the Buffett, so no one knew what anything was. The set up was poor and there was only one line for the Buffett so it took forever for everyone to get food The gluten free options were all wrong, they were supposed to have turkey which was missed, so it was half the meal it was supposed to be, then the staff screwed up who was supposed to get the gluten free meals, so they threw them out. The guests that got their gluten free meal, including the bride, were still hungry after eating her half meal. The bar advised they would supply garnish like limes, salted rims etc. and didn't. There was more that went wrong, but my review is exceeding its limit. To summarize, they promise you the moon but cannot deliver, they change prices once it is too late to go anywhere else, their cook is moody and changes his mind on a whim, and they have no idea how to serve a large group of people. read more

Incredible to find a restaurant in Cité Franco where none of the servers apparently understand, let alone speak, French. The ambience is sterile and entirely lacks its former warmth & welcome (and I don't mean the man-in-charge visiting tables & chatting up customers...). read more

We have been looking for wedding venues and will NOT be booking here. After what seemed like great communication with the events coordinator we had a date and time picked to come check out the location. My fiancé and I do not know the building well and were not given any direction as to where we would be meeting. After phoning twice and receiving a general information line with no answer and no voicemail, walking around both levels in circles and asking anyone who was still in the building for help we were unable to locate the coordinator. She did NOT show up for our meeting, nobody even knew where or who to send us to and she did not contact us. After this I proceeded to send an email to her and I still have yet to hear a response. I am NOT impressed with the lack of communication and professionalism. We wasted almost three hours of our time with the driving to and from as well as the wild goose hunt we went on. We will not be booking with this venue and I would not recommend it to others. read more

Had a very BAD experience with my daughter's wedding here. We had a family style dinner which means we got a smaller salad plate for both the salad and the entree, a plate change would have been nice. We didn't get the food we ordered (Chicken supremes became drumsticks & thighs and one piece per person was what our table got) Cold vegetables and unhelpful staff. Forgot to put out coffee & tea. They have never had the courtesy to respond to any of these issues although I contacted them three times. If you want a nice meal for your special day, give this place a miss. read more

Very disappointed with the way I was treated here when attempting to book the venue for my wedding. The staff ignored me for two weeks and despite telling me they reserved the date for me all they responded was that it was no longer available. If you like being treated with respect and like your business is valued, you will NOT get that here. read more

I would have to say our experience for our son's wedding at La Cite Francophone would be similar to Laurie G. We had a buffet brunch which should of been very simple but alas it was not. Food was just OK. Eggs Benedict- they missed the meat in the preparations on some plates. They had raved about home made Ketchup for the specially prepared hash browns. It was missed as well in the set up. They suggested putting the dinner plates on the guest table which is a tad awkward for a buffet- I have not seen that before. Dirty dishes were promptly removed from the table eliminating those wanting seconds- and their were no fresh dishes put out on the buffet table for those wanting a little extra. There was lots of food - but one had to wait for a plate from the kitchen. The staff setting up in the morning were very accommodating- but they were on best behavior in that they had double booked the site for the day of our sons wedding and were trying to make amends. Definitely a more stressful site for a wedding than we had bargained for- The site is beautiful but they surely have some administrative issues that need to be addressed. It is our third wedding and was clearly the most difficult. They need an event planner with experience if they are going to offer weddings and they need to address the kitchen for the oversights in the food prep. read more