What are the first things that come to mind when you think of KDays? If you’re anything like us, it’s probably midway rides, corndogs, and, of course, those mini doughnuts. All are valid answers (especially the mini doughnuts. Yum, right?) But Edmonton’s premiere fair didn’t start out that way.
Born in 1879, KDays, then the Edmonton Exhibition, began as a fair celebrating innovation, science, agriculture, technology and industry. In those early days, the Edmonton Exhibition was groundbreaking. The first festival of its size and scope in Western Canada, it drew thousands from across the west who came to marvel at its livestock competitions, voluptuous crops, artisanal goods and the latest in agricultural hi-tech.
Nearly a century-and-a-half later, KDays is once again embracing its roots of innovation and entertainment that have been at the core of the event for so long.
“We’ll always have a midway, corndogs and mini doughnuts,” says Jessie Radies, KDays’ director. “But our new mandate is to really celebrate Edmonton, Edmontonians and what’s remarkable about our city.”
But what does that look like? Well, it started with the introduction of an innovation zone in 2022 which showcased some 90 local businesses and organizations making big moves in the realms of technology, health care, business and sustainability. From there, KDays has steadily added to its repertoire, implementing Indigenous cultural programming, Pride events, local performers, artisanal goods and a swath of food and drink from Edmonton and Alberta.
And KDays keeps adding to its itinerary with a handful of new additions this year. That includes a brand-new partnership with Alberta’s very own Top Talent Wrestling to bring SLAMFEST — Edmonton’s premiere wrestling show — to KDays with 24 performances across six days of the event. Artist-in-Residence AJA Louden is also bringing art to KDays’ growing mural garden and the winners from last year’s industrial design competition will have their works brought out for display at this year’s midway.
Those new features are just the tip of the iceberg, however, with organizers saying that while they aren’t ready to announce everything they have planned, there’s much more up their sleeves in 2024.
“There’s a commitment here to reimagine and reinvigorate the fair and set that path for the next 150 years,” Radies says.
That commitment to the future means a lot of work is going to be done to bring new activities, attractions and ideas into the fold over the coming years, but Radies and her colleagues believe the hard work will pay off by securing fond memories and connections to KDays for future generations.
“We don’t always understand that KDays is the largest gathering that happens in the region and the fourth largest fair in Canada. I don’t know how well we’ve told that story until now,” Radies says. “We know that our population is growing and changing, and we want to make sure that new Edmontonians are experiencing KDays and that they see themselves in the event, so that they can have the gift of those memories too.”
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