Edmonton's summer 2024 festival guide: explore dozens of fests in and around town! (2024)

There have never been this many festivals around Edmonton — it’s staggering, honestly, and competition is mighty fierce for our shrivelling dollars!

With new festival announcements weekly (plus the fact search engines are increasingly payola compromised), we thought it would be useful to compile this flyover festival guide to help you wade through it all — including handy site links online leading to tickets and passes.

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From the last day of Now Hear This Festival on Saturday through Purple City in September, here are a few dozen cultural gatherings to consider.

Many, like The Works, Street Performers, Taste of Edmonton and even much of the Jazz Fest are completely free. Others, well, you may need to hunker down and budget for them; hopefully this checklist helps you choose.

We’re leaning into the music side of things here, mostly around town — but some exceptions like Sled Island, Beaumont Music fest and North Country Fair are way worth their commutes.

Please don’t forget to check The List online every week as well, which has every gig in and around town announced, well into next year.

All aboard!

Now Hear ThisFestival

When June 15

Where Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 78 Ave.)

Headliners DJ Noodle Soup/Jia Jia Yong, Mustafa Rafiq, Jacob Audrey Taves, Shawn Pinchbeck

Tix $25

Contemporary music and sound, come here to witness new and exciting things. Saturday’s lineup — mwah (chef’s kiss)!

Sled Island Music & Arts Festival

When June 19-23

Where around Calgary

Headliners Mick Jenkins, Cherry Glazerr, Show Me the Body, W.I.T.C.H., Juana Molina

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Tix $64.22-$90.55 single day; $233.19 fest pass

Alberta’s coolest, choose-your-own-adventure music juggernaut; sxsw but with elbow room (river pun intended).

Summer Solstice Music Festival

When June 19-23

Where Yardbird, Trinity Lutheran

Headliners David Fung, Catherine Daniel, Kerson Leong, Peter Eom, Marina Thibeault

Tix $96.50

Edmonton Chamber Music Society brings out its classical heavy hitters, including a free piano masterclass by David Fung.

Alberta Circus Arts Festival

When June 20-23

Where La Cité Francophonie

Headliners Anouk Vallée-Charest, Ryunosuke Yamazumi, Agathe et Adrien

Tix $37.28-$52.87/show

Hosted by Firefly Theatre, four days of modern circus mayhem including professional development workshops for your inner clown.

Beaumont Music Festival

When June 21-23

Where Four Seasons Park

Headliners The Beaches, Headstones, Begonia, Dear Rouge, Shaguar

Tix $191.05 fest pass, $127.71/$138.26 single day pass

Sweet, sweet lineup includes just-Polaris-longlisted The Beaches and the mighty Headstones — your parents’ blues fest no more.

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North Country Fair

When June 21-23

Where Driftpile, AB

Headliners Scenic Route to Alaska, Major Love, Raygun Cowboys, Shane Ghostkeeper

Tix $220 weekend pass incl. camping!

If you’re into a completely magical, life-altering natural experience with music till dawn, nothing ever gets close to NCF.

BOMFEST

When June 22

Where Fan Park, Ice District

Headliners Armin Van Buuren, Jauz, Imanbek, Luttrell, David Stone

Tix $99.95, VIP $159.99

An all-day bumpin’ dance party with international DJ talent up front heading into the night, best do your stretches beforehand.

Edmonton International Jazz Festival

When June 25-30

Where Bellamy’s, La Cité, McDougall, Starlite, Triffo, Yardbird,

Headliners Cory Henry, Pasquale Grasso, Veronica Swift, Lakecia Benjamin

Tix many free/by donation – $51, by event

Wildly diverse in musical approach, venue size and even show price, take the time to scour the lineup; there’s likely something for you.

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The Works Art & Design Festival

When June 27 – July 1

Where Churchill Square, around downtown

Headliners Denim Daddies, The Provincial Archive, Terry Morrison + John Gorham, Mark Davis

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Tix free

Running as its own entity again, dozens of artworks around the core are backed up by all-day, local stage performances — and every night closes with the original composition Bellcurve on City Hall’s 23-bell carillon!

River Valley Songwriters Festival

When June 29-30

Where Little Brick Café yard, Shiddy’s Distilling

Headliners Kyle McKearney, Nuela Charles, John Wort Hannam, Arlo Maverick

Tix $27.96/day

This looks just delightful, the intimate yard full of Edmonton’s top talent, plus some special guests moseying in.

Grindstone Comedy Festival

When July 3-7

Where Grindstone Theatre

Headliners Bruce McCulloch, Debra DiGiovanni, Bonnie McFarlane, Dave Merheje

Tix starting at $19.62 up to $115.45 fundraiser meet + greet

A spectacular lineup with the Kathleen McGee fundraiser at its core, no summer festival will have more incumbent heart than this raucous doggie.

Edmonton International Street Performers Festival

When July 5-14

Where Churchill Square

Headliners Heromacro Show, Ron Pearson, The Amazing Martika, Pancho Libre

Tix by donation (so bring cash!)

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Also returning as its own separate thing (see The Works above), there’s almost no better place to bring the kids, the busker talent plucked from the world’s best.

Great Outdoor Comedy Festival

When July 12-14

Where Kinsmen Park

Headliners Shane Gillis, Kevin Hart, Whitney Cummings, Lisa Gilroy

Tix $99.50/day

Gillis is already sold out, but if you don’t know Edmonton ex-pat Lisa Gilroy, please correct this.

Taste of Edmonton

When July 18-28

Where Churchill Square

Headliners Glass Tiger, Classified, Rellik, The Give ’Em Hell Boys

Tix no charge

The downtown juggernaut returns with some excellent free concerts while you take yourself to the stuff-your-gullet limit. Bibs recommended.

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KDays

When July 19-28

Where Edmonton Exhibition Grounds

Headliners Ludacris, DFA 1979, Metric, Theory of a Deadman

Tix $46.35-$196.95 (Front & Centre Fan Zone only; concert general admission area free with park admission)

Besides KDays Music Fest, so much going on, including artist in residence AJA Louden, Top Talent Wrestling, SuperDogs and La Cité’s jaunty musical programming in Klondike Park.

Jubefest

When July 19-20, 26

Where Jubilee Auditorium

Headliners Celeigh Cardinal, Martin Kerr, BrassTactics

Tix $26.84/show

A crisp, affordable lineup of locals in one of the city’s most comfortable venues. Nice job, Jube!

Edmonton Reggae Festival

When July 20-21

Where Victoria Park

Headliners Destra Garcia, Singing Melody, The Melisizwe Brothers, Kianna Faith

Tix $88.69 fest pass, $66.86 July 20 only

With one-love talent from Leduc to Jamaica and Uganda, joy is the main ingredient here — though prepare for amazing food, as well.

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Big Valley Jamboree

When Aug. 1-4

Where Camrose Exhibition Grounds

Headliners Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Keith Urban, Riley Green

Tix $347.16 3-day general admission, $617.54 3-day reserved seating, $76.79 Thursday kickoff party

Taking its “Big” seriously, what becomes one of Alberta’s largest towns is full of amazing extras like the songwriters showcase, late-night dance parties and featured livestock, putting the culture in agro!

Blues on Whyte’s 40^th Anniversary Bash

When Aug. 2-4

Where Commercial Hotel

Headliners TBA

Tix TBA

Happily shakin’ up the neighbours with its boom-boom outdoor stage, Blues on Whyte will definitely go to go heavy for its milestone birthday celebrations.

Edmonton Heritage Festival

When Aug. 3-5

Where Borden Park

Headliners musicians of Earth

Tix free

Ah, yes — and then there’s the music and dancing of, you know, the entire world to consider as you sample various planetary meats on sticks. Another brilliant one for the kids.

Edmonton Folk Music Festival

When Aug. 8-11

Where Gallagher Park

Headliners Robert Plant/Alison Krauss, Fantastic Negrito, Rhiannon Giddens, Blue Rodeo, The Heavy Heavy

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Tix single day Thurs./Fri. $123.75, otherwise sold out

A wicked, deep-cut lineup well worth caressing in advance, make time for the artists and storytellers in the Nikamowin area — and welcome back re-useable plates!

Cariwest

When Aug. 9-11

Where Churchill Square

Headliners TBA

Tix free

Also celebrating 40 juicy years, Cariwest’s stunning Saturday parade is merely the backbone of this swirl of irresistible dancing, music and food to go nuts for.

Punk in Drublic Craft Beer and Music Festival

When Aug. 10-11

Where Ice District

Headiners NOFX (final Edmonton performance), Interrupters, Descendents, Circle Jerks

Tix $128.94/day, $224.99 weekend pass, VIP sold out

Not precisely the final NOFX Canadian performance as advertised, this punk-ass lineup is still jaw-dropping — a perfect gape to pour all that beer into.

Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival

When Aug. 15-25

Where Old Strathcona

Tickets on sale Aug. 7

Find Your Fringe? OK! With 11 days of creative mayhem, no festival exchanges ideas on stage and in the beer gardens like The Fringe — 216 productions across 38 venues planned for the 43^rd annual. Look forward to our many saucy reviews!

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25^th annual Edmonton Blues Festival

When Aug. 16-18

Where Klondike Park

Headliners Matt Anderson, Paul Pigat and Cousin Harley, Kenny Blues Boss Wayne

Tix $163.12 fest pass, $86.64/day

Bringing back some of its top talent from a quarter century of focused local blues love, the fest’s switched to the very comfy Klondike Park this year. Cheers and congrats, Cam!

6^th Annual Noise Fest

When Aug. 17

Where The Aviary

Headliners TBA

Tix $18

A good 20 experimental and noise artists are currently being pared down, but here’s where to hear the beautifully weird.

Edmonton Pride Festival

When Aug. 17-24

Where Churchill Square

Headliners TBA

Tix TBA

It’s early, but word is the protest-paused parade might return, and Pride Fest’s concerts and dance parties are second to none when it comes to pure fun in the city. To joyful advocacy!

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Purple City Music Festival

When Sept. 6-8

Where various downtown venues

Headliners Gustaf, Urban Heat, Conan, Actors, Spoon Benders

Tix $138.50 fest pass, $219.50 VIP, individual shows TBA

All the best metal, punk, darkwave and indie bands you never heard of are here in the city’s super forward-looking music fest — plus: outdoor wrestling!

Dead Ends Live

When Sept. 13-14

Where Chateau Lacombe

Headliners Furthermore, John Kadlecik, Allmost Brothers, The McGowan Family Band

Tix $80.12

Inspired by The Grateful Dead and ’60s-’70s jam band vibe, this throwback lovefest will also dazzle with amazing psychedelic visuals by The Light Psychlone.

Please let us know if we missed anything, just fire an email with additional info to the address below!

fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com

@fisheyefoto

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