Purple City Music Festival is a multi-day

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

and showcase for all ages, held in various live music venues and other locations in downtown

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 ...

, the

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...

of the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

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 ...

Festival History

The festival started out -- or grew out of -- the Up + Downtown Music Festival, which ran annually from 2013 to 2019. In 2020, Ryan Rathjen, a radio host on CJSR-FM, became executive director of the festival, and led its rebranding in an attempt to make the festival more inclusive and collaborative. Purple City 2021 was held outdoors 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 ...

. The following year, amid the easing of pandemic restrictions, the festival was held in various locations across the city, including Hawrelak Park and the

Garneau Theatre The Garneau Theatre is a historic movie theatre located on 109 Street in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The theatre originally operated independently until it joined with Famous Players in 1941. It closed in late 1990, and reopened in December 1991 u ...

. Its 2023 edition was held 25-27 August, featuring over 60 acts at eight stages within a two-block radius. The venues included The Starlite Room, the Freemasons Hall of Edmonton,

McDougall United Church The McDougall United Church is a church located in Downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, at 10086 MacDonald Drive NW. History McDougall United Church was founded as a Methodist church in Edmonton. Methodists started coming to Alberta in 1840, when R ...

, and Downtown Edmonton Community League, as well as the Purple City Block Party, an outdoor stage on 102 Street NW which was closed to car traffic for the day. The headliners included Los Angeles hardcore punk supergroup

Off! Off! (stylized as OFF!) is an American hardcore punk supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in late 2009 by Circle Jerks/ Black Flag singer Keith Morris, Burning Brides frontman Dimitri Coats, Redd Kross bassist Steven Shane McDonald, ...

fronted by

Keith Morris Keith Morris (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Off!. Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at the ...

of Black Flag/

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...

fame, LA garage rock band

Death Valley Girls Death Valley Girls is an American rock band formed in 2013 in Los Angeles, California. The band consists of vocalist and keyboardist Bonnie Bloomgarden, guitarist Heather Nation, bassist Sarah Linton, and drummer Rikki Styxx. History Death Vall ...

Hand Habits Meg Duffy is an American musician and guitarist who has played as a studio musician on records by The War on Drugs, Weyes Blood, Perfume Genius, Sasami, and William Tyler, among many others. Duffy was also a longtime member of Kevin Morby's li ...

, Frankie and the Witch Fingers,

Light Asylum Light Asylum is a Brooklyn-based electronic music duo consisting of Shannon Funchess and Bruno Coviello. The band released their first EP ''In Tension'' in 2010. The four track EP was re-released in 2011 through indie label Mexican Summer. Their ...

, and Austin shoegaze band Ringo Deathstarr. A highlight of the festival was BatScratch, fronted by a 7-year-old boy. Their presence on the lineup reportedly helped convince Off! to join the festival. The festival has been praised for taking place in one central area, as well as for allowing underage people to enter all the venues, plus the inclusion of a high number of female-fronted acts.

Meaning of Name

The name Purple City comes from a ritualistic tradition of the local youth culture. People visit the Alberta Legislature Building at night to stare into the floodlights. After about a minute of exposure, the light makes all the surroundings appear purple.

References

External links

Official website

Facebook page

Instagram account
{{Rock festival Music festivals established in 2013 Music festivals in Edmonton Annual events in Canada