It seemed like a no-brainer. Edmonton is known as the “festival city” and is home to Canada’s largest Ukrainian-descent population — for UFest marketing and communications chair Stephan Bociurkiw, Edmonton seemed to be calling out for a Ukrainian festival.
“It just seems like an obvious thing we should have in Edmonton, so when UFest started I was like, I have to get involved,” he says.
UFest ushers in the festival season with two packed days at Borden Park. Now in its sixth year, it has become a standout among Edmonton’s many festivals. Tens of thousands of attendees come out every year to take in Ukrainian music, traditional craft workshops and all the classic Ukrainian foods that Edmontonians love.
Each year, the festival invites a “guest culture” to take part in the festivities, hosting workshops, performing on the festival stage and sharing in the mission of celebrating Canada’s diversity. This year, Italian culture is on display, with cooking demonstrations and musical performances.
“We want everyone to come in and celebrate with us,” Bociurkiw says. “The guest culture is another way to bring in more people and share cultures.”
Putting on a great festival, with beer gardens, kids activities, live music and food trucks, takes a massive effort. The organizing committee is 50 people strong, with many more volunteers during the festival.
“We have a lot of newcomers that are now volunteering and part of the organizing committee, and a lot of them just love attending. Obviously, they miss home and it can actually get quite emotional for some of them to be able to have that experience here in Canada,” Bociurkiw adds.
Bringing people of all backgrounds and cultures together, the festival is about more than Ukrainian culture — it’s an opportunity to celebrate the city’s diverse cultures and kick off the summer season.
“People just love the vibe,” Bociurkiw says. “From the time we start at 5:00 pm on Friday to when we end at 11 p.m. on Saturday, we have back-to-back performers. There’s no stopping.”
Join the fun at UFest, May 30 & 31, 2025.
