Neon Skies Festival wants to make its mark in Edmonton

Edmonton is no stranger to festivals. Known as “Canada’s festival city,” Edmonton bears witness to more than 60 festivals every year. So it was no surprise when a brand new music festival, Neon Skies, was announced earlier this year. In an unconventional move for Edmonton, the festival didn’t feature any Canadian artists on the main stage, but instead chose to bring in big American names such as Conan Gray and Kesha. Before the festival kicked off, I spoke to Adam Oppenheim about his vision and goals for the event.

Oppenheim started his music industry career “some time ago” when he lived in Lister Hall at the University of Alberta, “putting bands into the Windsor Bar and Grill across the street.” Now, he is the senior vice-president of live entertainment for the Oilers Entertainment Group. He was the “curator and organizer” of the Neon Skies Festival.

“Neon Skies is intended to bring … pop sensibility to the venues,” he said. One of Oppenheim’s main goals for Neon Skies was to bring people together from all over, and to give them a space to connect over pop music. “A third of our purchasers are coming from southern Alberta, from eastern Canada, and even a decent chunk out of the States,” he commented. “We’re excited to have welcomed … people from all over.”

He emphasized this goal of reaching a broader audience when addressing the choice to feature international artists. “Of course, [we] want to [bring in] the brightest lights and stars that there are in music,” said Oppenheim. But he pointed out that Neon Skies is a combination of international and local talent.

Between sets, a number of local DJs, such as Post Meridian and Maddy Nicks, were set up on the grounds. “We want to make sure that we’re always featuring and building up our local music community,” he emphasized, “making sure that we’re a stepping stone for their growth in their career, so they can … keep building and keep extracting a wider audience [is important].”

“I think music festivals are first and foremost about being together,” he says

Oppenheim also discussed why he believes music festivals are so important in our modern age. “I think people want a communal experience,” he said, “I think music festivals are first and foremost about being together … especially in a time where … we’re all on our devices and … don’t necessarily have the same sort of camaraderie that we would normally find in our day-to-day lives.”

He talked about the beauty of community, and the power music has to bring people together. He noted, “a music festival is really an opportunity to get together with your fellow music lovers, with your neighbours, and really build community.”

Despite not featuring as much Canadian talent as Edmonton Folk Fest or KDays, Neon Skies is still a testament to the strong musical community in Edmonton and Central Alberta. The festival was “born inside of” the Edmonton-based Oilers Entertainment Group with the goal of bringing Canadians together to enjoy a night of good music. Edmonton loves a good festival, and Neon Skies is no different.