The Edmonton Heritage Festival is a three-day festival honouring Alberta's cultural heritage and cultural diversity, which is held annually over the

Civic Holiday Civic is something related to a city or municipality. It also can refer to multiple other things: General *Civics, the science of comparative government * Civic engagement, the connection one feels with their larger community *Civic center, a com ...

weekend in

William Hawrelak Park William Hawrelak Park (or simply Hawrelak Park) is a park in Edmonton, Alberta. Formerly known as Mayfair Park, it was initially going to be developed into a 500-lot subdivision; however, when the Strathcona Land Syndicate forfeited their taxes the ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The festival has been organized annually by the Edmonton Heritage Festival Association since 1976. At that time eleven communities united with the intent to display their cultures by offering traditional

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...

, entertainment, interpretive materials, and

crafts A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale prod ...

to visitors. In 2015, its 40th anniversary, the festival included more than 85 different cultures in over 60 pavilions, where people present their

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...

roots and local and national

communities A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place (geography), place, Norm (social), norms, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Identity (social science), identity. Communiti ...

. The tents feature food, entertainment, artwork and crafts, and clothing, and teach visitors about various cultures with displays including photos,

paraphernalia Paraphernalia most commonly refers to a group of apparatus, equipment, or furnishing used for a particular activity. For example, an avid sports fan may cover their walls with football and/or basketball paraphernalia. Historical legal term In l ...

, and stories."Facebook Page of the Edmonton Heritage Festival Association"
''Facebook'', 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-15.

Overview

The Edmonton Heritage Festival, held annually in Edmonton's Hawrelak Park, is the world's largest three day celebration of multiculturalism. During the August long weekend, tented pavilions representing up to 100 countries and cultures offer over showings of cultural dance and song at shared stages, folk arts and cultural displays in individual tents, home life vignettes, and cultural foods from up to 70 kitchens. The festival requires over 2,200 volunteers over the course of the three days and uses almost 300 tents spread over 60 hectares. Onsite attendance of the 2017 Heritage Festival was 480,000. The festival is a family-friendly, alcohol and tobacco free event. There is no admission charge to the site, nor is there admission to watch the up to 900 cultural folk music and dance shows on up to 50 shared stages. Admission to over 70 cultural displays is also free. Each county's set of display tents, known as Pavilions, offers a sampling of their unique cultural food and drinks. The organizers of the festival encourage visitors to donate to the local

food bank A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distribute food direc ...

offers no public parking (except

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

s) during the festival, but is connected well to the City of Edmonton Transit through exclusive Park'n'Ride services. The park is open throughout the day between 5am and 11pm. Visitors are asked to leave their

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

s at home. The attendance of the festival has increased from 20,000 people in 1976 to 85,000 in 1977, and reached 320,000 in 1982, a record that was matched or beaten by the approximately 320,000 to 340,000 attendees during the 2011 festival. The 2017 festival saw an estimated 498,000 visitors over the three days, with a record Sunday of an estimated 348,000. The 2023 event ran from August 5 to August 7.

Presentation of heritage and culture

Heritagefest provides opportunities for local communities and their organizations to present individual ethnic roots, culture, and heritage to a broader audience. In 2015, 85 different cultures were part of this display."Edmonton food bank tastes success at heritage festival"
''CBC News'', August 4, 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-15. During the 45 years of the festival, a number of forms of heritage presentation have commonly been used, with ethnic food preparation leading the way. Visitors also experience music and dance performances, and traditional clothes and costumes. Objects originating from different heritages or produced in traditional ways are also available. Other participants give visitors of the festival an insight into their origin places and historic development. Large printed photos and texts on display, and there are many points of interests such as video and multi-media presentations, re-enactments like the Welsh Revolt initiated by the St. David's Welsh (

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

) pavilion at Heritagefest 2015,"Food bank benefits from successful Heritage Festival"
''Rachel Ward, Edmonton Journal'', August 3, 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-15. and a special-edition magazine distributed by the Bangladesh Heritage and Ethnic Society of Alberta."Magazine 'Edmonton Bichitra, Bangladesh Heritage Special Edition'"
''Bangladesh Heritage and Ethnic Society of Alberta (BHESA)'', 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-15.

Assisting other Arts, Cultural and Charitable Groups

In 1986 The Edmonton Heritage Festival Association funded and built the Heritage Amphitheatre. The Amphitheatre has been used since for thousands of events and activities, annual and perennial. Such events include Freewill Shakespeare, Symphony under the Sky, Edmonton Rockfest, Edmonton Blues Fest, private corporate events, weddings and countless others. The Association also developed and upgraded Hawrelak Park and its infrastructure including the creation of permanent pavilions, equipment for water and electrical hook-ups, upgrades to the electrical systems and other improvements. This infrastructure is used by most of the festival and events that take part in the park including SilverSkate Festival, Paws in the Park, Edmonton Emergency Preparedness Days, Ice Castle and others. The Edmonton Heritage Festival Association is also a sponsor of other local cultural sites, events and groups like the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues 100th Anniversary Pavilion, CariWest, Say it Loud, event is a major fundraiser for the food bank in the city of Edmonton. Nonperishable food and cash donations from visitors are collected on site. Donations between 1984 and 2013 measured over 1.4 million kilograms, with currently a yearly contribution of about 50,000 kilograms. The festival organization also asks visitors to donate unused food tickets, which are then converted into money. In 2014 this raised more than $50,000 for the food bank. An additional $50,000 in monetary donations were raised. The Edmonton Heritage Festival Organization helps develop and upgrade Hawrelak Park and its infrastructure. The creation of pavilions, equipment of water and electrical hook-ups, upgrades to the electrical systems and other improvements are shared with other events featured in the park.

Origins

The festival's official mission is "to promote public awareness, understanding, and appreciation for cultural diversity through an annual summer festival, as well as to provide educational events, programs, and/or projects on a year-round basis." In 1974 the

Government of Alberta The government of Alberta (french: gouvernement de l'Alberta) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Alberta. As a constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor—i ...

, acting through the Minister of Culture, Dr.

Horst Schmid Horst Adolph Louis Charles Schmid (born April 29, 1933) is a former provincial level politician and international trade businessman from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta sitting with the governing P ...

, declared the first Monday in August to be an annual holiday in order to recognize and celebrate the varied cultural heritage of Albertans. On June 6, 1974, the first Monday in August became " Heritage Day", "a showcase for displaying Alberta’s cultural diversity." The first celebrations were held in

Fort Edmonton Park Fort Edmonton Park (sometimes referred to as "Fort Edmonton") is an attraction in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Named for the first enduring European post in the area of modern-day Edmonton, the park is the largest living history museum in Canada by ...

in 1974 and 1975, and included a multicultural concert with performers from several ethnic communities. In 1976 the Edmonton Heritage Festival took its current form. Eleven ethno-cultural communities displayed their cultures' traditional cuisine, entertainment, interpretive materials, and crafts in Mayfair Park (subsequently renamed William Hawrelak Park in 1982), where it has been held ever since. 20,000 people attended the festival in 1976. The festival has continued to expand and increase in popularity over the years. In 1976, Schmid encouraged Edmonton's Commissioner of Public Affairs to appoint several volunteers from the city administration to help transform Heritage Day into the Heritage Festival. This led to the creation of the Edmonton Heritage Festival Association in December 1976. Attendance has increased from 20,000 people in 1976 to 85,000 in 1977, and reached 320,000 in 1982, a record that was matched or beaten by the approximately 320,000 to 340,000 visitors in 2011. The 2017 festival saw an estimated 498,000 visitors over the three days, with a record Sunday of an estimated 348,000.

Festival themes

The festival selects a special theme phrase to lend a unique element each year. The theme serves to convey the festival's purpose and excitement as well as to encourage people to attend and join the festivities. Past themes have included the following: * 1981: The Total Ethnic Experience * 1985: A Kaleidoscope of Culture * 1986: Edmonton Heritage Festival 10th Anniversary * 1987: Come Along and Conga * 1988: Fiddle Around the World * 1989: Together We're Better * 1990: Our Family... The World * 1993: World Beat * 1994: World Colours * 1995: World Flavours * 1996: Send a Message to the World... We're Proud of Our Heritage 20 Years Proud * 1998: Tasteful - Our Heritage Your Festival * 1999: Spirited - Our Heritage Your Festival * 2000: A Canadian Tapestry of Culture * 2001: Stirring up Fun * 2002: Join the Celebration * 2003: Imagine All the People - Now Meet Them * 2004: Come Share Our Culture * 2005: Come Join Our Family * 2006: Come Be Part Of It! * 2007: Come Join Your Friends! * 2008: Come Join the Fun * 2009: Come for a Perfect Day * 2010: Come to our 35th Birthday! * 2011: Come for a Cultural Adventure * 2012: Come Party! * 2013: Come ENJOY * 2014: Come Savour * 2015: Come for the fun, we're 40! * 2016: Discover the world * 2017: The world in a weekend * 2018: Connect with Culture * 2019: Adventures Await * 2020: See the World in 2020 * 2020 Digital Festival: Multicultural Month * 2021 Celebration: Out of hibernation.

Festival Youth Ambassadors

In 2017, the Festival's Board of Directors initiated the Heritage Festival Youth Ambassadors program. Ambassadors are young adults, volunteering on behalf of their pavilions, who take part in a number of events as. Prior to 2016, the festival appointed a single "Prince" and "Princess", both chosen from the cultural associations that participated in the festival, to act as Honorary Ambassadors. The new Youth Ambassadors program allows for two or more youth from each pavilion, which allows all pavilions to take part.

Trivia

The "World's Longest Churro" was produced during the 2000 festival. It was 77 m long and weighed 30 kg. Since 1987 a Canadian Citizenship Ceremony has taken place at the amphitheatre of

, the Heritage Amphitheatre. During the ceremony, new Canadians are sworn in. On average, approximately 50,000 kilograms of food is collected at each festival.

Awards and recognition

In 1999, the Edmonton Heritage Festival was designated as one of the "Top 100 Events in North America" by the American Bus Association, the trade organization of the motor coach tour industry. The festival has also won several awards from the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) over the years. Awarded annually as part of the Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition, the IFEA's Pinnacle Awards "recognize outstanding accomplishments and high quality creative, promotional, operational, and community outreach programs and materials produced by festivals and events around the world."

References

External links

* {{Edmonton landmarks Festivals in Edmonton Cultural festivals in Canada August events Multiculturalism in Canada Summer festivals Recurring events established in 1974 Festivals of multiculturalism