Long before hosting seasonal events, the University of Alberta Botanic Garden itself was built on the idea of bringing people together. From the Kurimoto Japanese Garden, created as a gesture of friendship, to the Indigenous Peoples Garden — the first of its kind in Canada when it opened in the 1990s — to the Aga Khan Garden, where Islamic design and landscape converge, each space offers a different way to come together, inviting visitors to move between them with curiosity.
This summer, that idea takes on new life.
The Garden’s Pathways series returns this summer, bringing together music, food, art, performance and opportunities for shared experiences. Each event highlights a specific culture — from Indigenous to Japanese to Latin American and beyond. The series kicked off this spring with vibrant celebrations of Arabic and Indigenous cultures, and there’s more to come throughout the season.
Panels, shared experiences and creative collaborations invite voices from multiple communities into the same space. The opening event explored how different cultures understand aging and the role of elders. Next, musicians from around the world will engage in a live, improvised dialogue through percussion — exploring the rhythms that shape celebration across cultures.
Even a traditional tea ceremony becomes something more: a shared stage where multiple cultural interpretations are presented side by side, each offering its own meaning while inviting guests to participate.
Every event is a gesture of connection. What better setting than the Garden?
Maybe it’s the way people slow down. Or how beauty opens the door to conversation. Across 240 acres of curated landscapes, visitors move from one “world” to another — from vibrant blooms and lush foliage to tranquil ponds and winding pathways, each offering something new to discover.
Between Pathways dates, the Garden offers something quieter but just as meaningful. Guided nature walks, forest therapy, yoga and horticultural workshops create opportunities to reconnect — with each other and the natural world.
Not every visit needs to be an event. Make it a place to wander. To picnic. To mark a moment. To just be.
Because while the experiences continue to grow, the heart of the Garden remains the same: a space to pause, reflect and feel grounded in something bigger.
That sentiment continues to shape what’s next.
A new Fragrant Garden experience will invite visitors to explore scent as a pathway to memory and place — blending botanical learning with hands-on perfume creation inspired by the plants themselves, deepening the sensory experience.
Recently named an “Attraction of the Year” finalist for the Edmonton Tourism Awards, the University of Alberta Botanic Garden continues to be recognized as one of the region’s most meaningful places to engage, reflect and connect.
In a world that often feels hurried, it offers something increasingly rare: a place where connection happens naturally.
All you have to do is walk in.
