Festival City Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Festive Fun
Primetime for Edmonton Festivals as Summer Arrives

(firmenpresse) - EDMONTON, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/05/13 -- Find yourself in a land where reign and fabulous times are just the beginning, as Edmonton's kicks into high gear. Romance, comedy and more await as Edmonton's festival scene gives Shakespeare the royal treatment, Broadway music reaches new heights in an outdoor spectacular and excitement and adventure are in the air as 007 gets more than he bargained for as one of the city's signature festivals gets shaken, not stirred. Home to more than 30 major festivals year round, Edmonton is . Summer is primetime for Edmonton's festivals with the months of June, July and August packed with a multitude of options for festival lovers. Here are just a few examples of what you'll find:
- The is the biggest in North America. International performers and composers have ranked it as one of the top three in the world;
- The is North America's largest live theatre event, attracting 500,000 visitors to more than 1,000 live theatre experiences;
- The is Canada's longest-established multicultural celebration, and
- The is Canada's oldest celebration of street theatre.
Rated 'F' for Freewill, Folk & Fun
Contemporary, innovative productions of the works of William Shakespeare are what drives the . Celebrating its 25th anniversary with performances of King Lear and A Midsummer Night's Dream (June 25 to July 21), this festival takes place at the Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park - the largest outdoor venue of its kind in Western Canada. "Every July, the Freewill Players produce two Shakespeare plays in a repertory situation under the canopy of the Hawrelak Park Heritage Amphitheatre where Mother Nature is our principle ambiance director, providing stunning sunsets as a backdrop to our productions," says Marianne Copithorne, the Freewill Shakespeare Festival's artistic director. "In 1989, the festival was founded by a group of young University of Alberta Fine Arts graduates on a budget of about $1,000. Twenty-five years later, we're a professional not-for-profit theatre company and have drawn over 220,000 audience members."
Feist, Loreena McKennitt and The Avett Brothers, meanwhile, are just some of the big names who will headline what is expected to be another sell-out year for the . Held at Gallagher Park (August 8-11), overlooking downtown Edmonton in the city's renowned - the largest expanse of urban parkland in North America; 21.7 times larger than New York City's Central Park - this four-day extravaganza of folk music and workshops will also see Bruce Cockburn and Martin Sexton among the vast array of musicians to hit its stages. "The Folk Festival is like a fine instrument. You're just fine tuning it every year," says Edmonton Folk Music Festival Producer Terry Wickham. "We always put the music first and we spend a lot on that. Our main role is really to do what we do as best we can.
Bond, Blues & Broadway
The name is Fringe, as in the . Subtitled 'From Fringe With Love' for the 2013 edition (August 15-25), the festival will infiltrate venues throughout Edmonton's historic Old Strathcona, a district that does double duty as a not-to-be missed shopping, dining and entertainment destination. This signature Edmonton festival is an essential journey for the theatre lover, and for James Bond fans, it will be a unique way to celebrate 50 years of Bond on screen.
Then get ready for a full dose of the Blues, under blue skies, as the (August 16-18) unveils its 2013 edition at the Heritage Amphitheatre. Blues legend James Cotton and performers from Russia, the U.K., Holland, and North America will converge on this River Valley site as this festival pulls out all the stops for its 15th anniversary version. Later in August, it's all about Broadway, Motown and the classics, including the works of Mozart and Tchaikovsky, as they get the star treatment at , an outdoor musical performance of five varied concerts over the 2013 Labour Day weekend (August 30-September 2). Once again the Heritage Amphitheatre is the site, this time for music under the stars with the renowned .
More to Experience
Brimming and bursting with fun, sun and an unrivalled variety of entertainment, Edmonton has so much more to entice travelers seeking festive times and festive options. A sampling of other tempting offerings includes:
- : Canada's largest opera festival; ongoing through June 29;
- : A showcase of emerging artists; June 6-16;
- : North America's largest free outdoor art and design festival; June 20-July 2;
- : Ten days of international street artists; July 5-14.
- : A celebration of music, wine and food; July 26-28;
- : A multicultural showcase with pavilions representing cultures from all over the world. The single, largest celebration of cultural diversity in the world in one physical location; August 3-5
- : More than 60 Dragon Boat teams racing against each other; August 16-18.
, Canada's festival destination and you'll discover just how easy it is to say 'Yes to the Fest'.
Edmonton Tourism promotes Greater Edmonton as the destination of choice for tourism, conventions, major events and film production and is a division of Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC). Edmonton Tourism encourages socially and environmentally responsible tourism. For more information, visit Learn more about Edmonton through the stories of people who've experienced it at
Contacts:
Edmonton Economic Development Corporation
Renée Williams
Travel Media Relations Manager, Edmonton Tourism
780.932.4865
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Datum: 05.06.2013 - 20:42 Uhr
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