AmirAli SharifiEdmonton Craft Beer Festival
Expo Centre at Northlands (7515 118 Avenue)
Friday, June 5 at 2:30 p.m. – Saturday, June 6 at 9 p.m.
$30 for weekend pass (albertabeerfestivals.com)
Are you sick of the piss taste of Budweiser? Do you find that you’re no longer hipster enough to drink PBR? Have no fear, the Edmonton Craft Beer Festival is here to save you from the mass-produced, sad excuse for beer. Beer tickets cost a loonie a piece (sold in blocks of ten) and give you access to over 400 types of beer and food from 20 local restaurants and pubs. If you’re willing to spend a little extra, look into Beer Geek VIP admission to get access to beer seminars. There’s even two stages for live music, so it’s actually the equivalent of going to Disneyland for adults.
Lobsterfest
Shaw Conference Centre (9797 Jasper Avenue)
Sunday, May 24 at 4:00 p.m. – 8 p.m.
$55 (edmontonchefs.ca)
Edmonton is about as landlocked as capital cities get, but that can’t stop us from importing hundreds of seaworthy lobsters to satisfy the hungry crowds at the ninth annual Lobsterfest. It’s hosted by the Canadian Culinary Federation of Edmonton, so rest easy knowing that each lobster will be cooked to perfection by the city’s beloved chefs. There will even be live music in case you’re uncomfortable with the sound of lobsters’ exoskeletons cracking. As long as you aren’t allergic to crustaceans or a vegetarian, it’s a great night to pretend you live somewhere coastal.
Wet Secrets & Good For Grapes
Brixx (10030 102 Street)
Friday, June 5 at 8 p.m.
$10 at the door
Last year, Alberta and British Columbia sought out their respective province’s best band with the intensive marking criteria of the PEAK Performance Project. The victor bands from each province, Edmonton’s swanky Wet Secrets and Surrey’s folk favorites Good For Grapes, are ready to prove themselves in a victory tour spanning across B.C. and Alberta. Catch them at Brixx (the venue below Starlite Room) and feel like a winner by partying among champions.
Public Art Ride
Gazebo Park (8331 104 Street)
Sunday, May 24 at 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Free
There’s nothing that compares to the feeling of riding your bike on a gorgeous summer day in Edmonton. Ride your favorite self-propelled vessel to Gazebo Park in Old Strathcona and get ready to embark on a tour of the city’s public art installations. The route boasts a 30km leisurely ride past popular favorites and hidden gems, so you can find great new places to impress on a first date. The ride ends at Borden Park, where riders are encouraged to stay, socialize, and picnic. As long as the weather cooperates, it’s gearing up to be an ideal summer day.
Sea Perry
Wunderbar (8120 101 Street)
Monday, June 1 at 9 p.m.
$10 at the door
Excluding of the phenomenal Edmonton Folk Music Festival every August, it isn’t very often that reputable modern folk bands pass through the city. Ontario-based Sea Perry is stopping in Edmonton on their national tour, so get ready to foot-stomp until late into the night. Their debut album Do What You Do is already causing a stir across the nation, so catch them while they’re still playing for cheap. Wunderbar’s reputation is best known for local up-and-coming bands or garage-rock, so here’s your chance to see the venue’s red walls in a different setting than usual.
Gazebo Park “Chill In”
Gazebo Park (8331 104 Street)
Sunday, May 24 at 1 p.m.
Free
Have you ever actually spent time at Gazebo Park? Like most public spaces in Edmonton, it’s an underutilized park space. Local grassroots group Edmonton “Chill In” is seeking to change that by organizing drop-in festivities and encouraging people to bring picnic supplies, musical instruments, games, things to sell, whatever brings people together. For an afternoon of free fun, you also get to know your fellow Edmontonians better and create a better community for all. Keep an eye open for future “Chill In” events, which are likely to take place biweekly in various locations around the city.
Oliver Community Festival
102 Avenue and 122 Street
Saturday, May 30 at 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Free
Many people who grew up in the suburbs claim to have not experienced a true sense of community. Luckily, neighborhood festivals are becoming increasingly popular, so you can finally get a chance to know your neighbors. The Oliver festival is no different. With different events like live music, rummage sale, and street hockey game, you don’t have to feel like you’re being forced to socialize. All of the money raised from donation boxes and a barbeque toonie bar will be distributed between different outreach programs around Oliver, so you’ll be supporting a good cause.
