Edmonton, Alberta

:Edmonton redirects here. For other cities with the name Edmonton, see Edmonton (disambiguation)

City life

Nightlife

There are several key concentrations of nightlife in the city of Edmonton. The most popular is the Whyte Avenue (82nd Avenue) strip which today has the highest concentration of heritage buildings in Edmonton. Once the heart of the town of Strathcona (annexed by Edmonton on 1 February 1912), it fell into disrepair during the middle of the 20th century. A concentrated effort to revive the area beginning in the late 1970s through the establishment of a Business Revitalization Zone has produced an area rich with restored historical buildings and pleasant streetscapes. Its proximity to the University of Alberta has led to a high concentration of establishments ranging from restaurants and pubs to trendy clubs while hosting a wide variety of shops during the day. This area also contains two independent movie theatres: the Garneau and Princess theatres.

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Downtown Edmonton has undergone a continual process of renewal and unprecedented growth since the mid 1990s. Many buildings were demolished during the oil boom starting in the 1960s and continuing into the 80s to make way for office towers. As such, there have always been numerous pub-type establishments which cater primarily to the office crowd such as The Rose and Crown, Sherlock Holmes', and Elephant & Castle as well as many hotel lounges and restaurants. However, the past decade has seen a strong resurgance in more mainstream venues. Various clubs such as the New City Complex and Halo are also to be found along Edmonton's main street, Jasper Avenue. The Edmonton City Centre mall also houses a Cineplex Odeon movie theatre featuring 10 screens and the non-profit Metro Cinema shows a variety of underground or alternative films every week.

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West Edmonton Mall holds several after hour establishments in addition to its many stores and attractions. Bourbon Street has numerous eating establishments and clubs and casinos can also be found within the complex. Silver City, at the west end of the mall, features 13 screens and an IMAX theatre.

Related Topics:
West Edmonton Mall - IMAX

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Culture

Edmonton has always been a city proud of its cultural accomplishments. As the city has grown, so has the cultural scene. While still retaining a strong element of 'blue-collar culture,' Edmonton is a proud home to many other features which add to its cosmopolitan flair.

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Many events are anchored in the downtown Arts District, centred around the newly renovated Churchill Square (named in honour of Sir Winston Churchill).

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• The Francis Winspear Centre for Music was opened in 1997 after years of planning and fundraising http://www.edmontonsymphony.com/content.asp?catid=13&rootid=2. Called one of the most acoustically perfect concert halls in Canada, it is home to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and hosts a wide variety of shows every year. It houses the 3 million dollar Davis Concert Organ and seats 1916 patrons. An interesting aspect of its design is its separation into acoustically separate areas each of which are insulated from each other through acoustical barriers built into the structure. Patrons and artists can see these in the form of double-door 'sound locks.'
• Across 102nd street is the Citadel Theatre, so named after the Salvation Army Citadel in which Joe Shoctor first started the Citadel Theatre company in 1965. It is now one of the largest theatre complexes in Canada with five halls each specializing in different kinds of productions http://www.citadeltheatre.com/history.asp?fb=78. For instance, the Maclab theatre features a thrust stage surrounded by a U shapped seating arrangement while the Shoctor theatre is a traditional stage setup.
• One block north of the Citadel and Winspear is the Edmonton Art Gallery. Housed in an inconspicuous production of 1970s architecture, the EAG collection has over 5000 pieces of art. Fundraising is currently underway for a new building whose design will be decided via an international design competition between Alsop Partners and Quadrangle, Arthur Erickson/Nick Milkovich and Dub Architects, Zaha Hadid, and Randall Stout. Presentations by each of the four finalists were recently made at a presentation on October 5, 2005 and the outcome rests upon the decision of the design panel.
• On the University of Alberta grounds is the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, which recently reopened after being out of commission for a year during heavy renovations carried out as part of the province's Centennial celebrations. Both it and its southern twin in Calgary were constructed in 1955 for the Province's Silver Jubilee and have played host to many concerts, musicals, and ballets. Upon the completion of the renovations, it will seat 2534 people. The Edmonton Opera uses the Jubilee as their base of operations. On the front of the building is a quote from Suetonius: "He found a city built of brick - left it built of marble."

There are also over 70 museums in Edmonton of ranging sizes. The largest is the Royal Alberta Museum (formerly the Provincial Museum of Alberta, it was renamed by HM Queen Elizabeth II during her 2005 visit) which houses over 10 million objects in its collection. The main galleries are the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture, Wild Alberta, and the Natural History Gallery. The main building, located on the river valley west of downtown in Glenora, was opened in 1967 and is now in the early stages of large-scale redevelopment http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/renewal/index.htm. Located on the grounds is Government House, the former residence of the province's Lieutenant-Governor. The RAM is in the early stages of a large expansion, dubed "Project Rewnewal" http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/renewal/index.htm.

Related Topics:
Queen Elizabeth II - Syncrude

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Festivals

Edmonton plays host to several large festivals each year, hence its local nickname as 'the Festival City.'

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• The Edmonton International Film Festival http://www.edmontonfilmfest.com/, which runs from late September to early October, is now in its 19th year and is one of Canada's primary film festivals.
• The Edmonton International Fringe Festival http://www.fringetheatreadventures.ca/, which takes place in mid-August, is the largest Fringe Theatre Festival in North America, and second only to the Edinburgh Fringe festival in the world.
• The Heritage Days Festival is an ethnocultural food festival that takes place in Hawrelak Park on the Heritage Day long weekend (which includes the first Monday in August).
• The Edmonton International Street Performer's Festival http://www.edmontonstreetfest.com/, taking place in mid-July, showcases street performance artists from around the world.
• The River City Shakespeare Festival - Since 1989 the Free Will Players have staged the annual River City Shakespeare Festival, which takes place every summer from late June to mid-July. The Festival includes full-scale professional productions of two plays by William Shakespeare, as well as Camp Shakespeare - a summer drama camp for youth ages 8-16. All Festival activities take place in the 1,000 seat Heritage Amphitheater in Edmonton's beautiful Hawrelak Park.
• For two weeks in July, Klondike Days http://www.klondikedays.com/ provides rides, music and other entertainment. Originally, Klondike Days (or K-Days) was an annual fair and exhibition which eventually adopted a gold rush theme. Attendance can exceed 750,000 over the festival. Activities include chuckwagon races, carnival rides and fairways, music, trade shows and daily fireworks. Since 1960, the Sourdough Raft Races have also been a popular event.
• In August, Edmonton is also host to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, one of the most successful and popular folk music festivals in North America.
• Other festivals and events include the Jazz City International Music Festival and a Dragon Boat Festival.

Canada Day is celebrated with a pancake breakfast and other morning events at the Alberta Legislature grounds, the Silly Summer Parade in Old Strathcona, the Great Divide waterfall over the High Level Bridge, and evening fireworks.

Related Topics:
Canada Day - Pancake - Alberta Legislature - Waterfall - High Level Bridge - Fireworks

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Attractions

• Alberta Railway Museum
• City Centre Airport
• Commonwealth Stadium
• Edmonton City Hall
• Edmonton Space and Science Centre
• Fort Edmonton Historical Park
• Legislative Assembly of Alberta
• Muttart Conservatory
• Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
• Northlands Park
• Rexall Place
• Royal Alberta Museum
• University of Alberta
• West Edmonton Mall