The beloved food festival returns after a year lost with a new addition that honours the Heritage Amphitheatre built back in 1985. With over 40 pavilions this year, there’s lots to see, eat and enjoy.
“Multiculturalism and sharing of cultures is so important, and we’re glad we got the go ahead,” says Jim Gibbon, executive director of the Edmonton Heritage Festival.
Changes to this year’s festival include mandatory free timed-entry passes. Gibbon recommends securing your timed-entry pass in advance to avoid crowding at the gates. Once in the park, you can stay as long as you like and eat as much as you like. Food tickets have also been axed and are replaced by debit and credit machines at each pavilion.
Masks are mandatory when walking between pavilions and social distancing is encouraged. Feel free to take off your mask in one of the painted circles on the ground. They’re spaced three metres apart so you can enjoy your food in your own bubble. The festival will also be operating at 50 per cent capacity.
For the first time in 25 years, World Music Week is back on the Heritage Amphitheatre stage. The concerts begin July 29 and wrap up on July 31, overlapping with the opening day of the Heritage Festival.
“When we originally built the Heritage Amphitheatre in 1985, we built it for cultural shows, and then we sort of migrated away from that over the years,” says Gibbon. “When there was a thought that we might not be going ahead with the event here, we put together these shows that we would then film and send out to the world. Now, we’re going to be doing both [events], so it’s pretty exciting.”
The lineup includes the Trincan Steel Orchestra, DJ Game Girl, Hung Mon and a special Souljah Fyah reunion concert. Single day passes and three-day passes are available online, but will also be available at the Heritage Festival on July 31.
Edmonton Heritage Festival is on at Hawrelak Park from July 31 to August 2 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Timed-entry passes can be booked online.
