Backpacker Buzz

The sun is high. The streets are bustling. Out on the sidewalk you see jugglers juggling and poets spitting rhymes. Just around the corner the scent of brautwerst mingle with the sound of easy blues. And out on the river, you cheer as colourful dragon boats race by.  

No, this isn’t a dream. It’s just a typical summer day in Edmonton, Canada’s own Festival City. Where every day is another celebration.

Suddenly real life isn’t so boring, hey?

Edmonton is host to over 30 annual festivals that run all year long. It’s part of what makes Alberta’s capital city so vibrant and eclectic (as if West Edmonton Mall wasn’t enough).

Late summer is the best time to celebrate at Edmonton’s many festive offerings. Here’s a look what’s happening this month in the city:

• Edmonton’s International Fringe Theatre Festival –August 12—22nd. The second largest theatre event of its kind in North America featuring 160 performances and over1,200 performers from around the world. If you like to break the fourth wall, then this festival is definitely for you.
•  Labatt Blues Festival –August 20th—22nd. Bass. Drums. Sax. One of the top five blues festivals in North America. Celebrate at Hawrelak Park at the Heritage Amphitheatre.
• Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival --August 20th—22nd. An annual race twenty centuries old. Cheer on your team at the North Saskatchewan River below Louise McKinney Riverfront Park (and there’s a beer garden, just saying).
• Sonic Boom --September 4th. Party off your long weekend with a day of guitars, sweat, and dehydration at Northland Park.

So get outside. Have a conversation with a mime. Honour Dionysus with the tepid wine you’ve stashed in your backpack. ‘Cause hey, summer wouldn’t be summer without celebration.

For a complete look at Edmonton’s yearly festival events, go to Festival City, or check out the HI-Edmonton activities guide.

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