Arts Roundup
March 12, 2026

Music

• Sammy Volkov has released his third album, Songs From the Goodbye Garden. He told CBC's Edmonton AM that his lifelong love of vinyl records shaped the orchestral folk-pop record.
• Members of Secondhand Dreamcar spoke to CKUA about putting the finishing touches on their second album, Get Ready. The nine-member Edmonton blues and soul group holds a JUNO Award nomination and three Canadian Blues Music Award nominations for its debut record, Answer the Call.
• Singer-songwriter Aladean Kheroufi has taken over CKUA's late-night Residency slot with a new show called Fresh Flowers, featuring music spanning jazz, R&B, soul, Latin, and country. It airs Saturdays at midnight.
• Guitar virtuoso David Jay, known for his use of live looping pedals, spoke to CKUA about receiving a 2025 Edmonton Artists' Trust Fund award.
• The Down by the River Music Festival is returning for a second year, running at Louise McKinney Park from Sept. 18 to 20.
• The Aviary is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a three-night party from April 2 to 4, featuring headline performances by Major Love, Calgary's Sun Glaciers, Arlo Maverick, and other local artists.
• CBC is bringing its Provincial Playlist to a live setting on March 28 at Felice Cafe, featuring singer-songwriters Roya Camille, Jon Martin, and Curt Young in conversation with Edmonton AM host Tara McCarthy.
• Big Thief has added a North American leg to its 2026 tour, including a stop at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, in support of last year's Double Infinity album.
• Bahamas has added Canadian dates to his Industrial Sport & Sound Tour, including a stop at the Winspear Centre on Sept. 22.
• March 5 was the 35th anniversary of Nirvana's only show in Edmonton, which drew about 50 people to what is now the Starlite Room.

Visual arts

• This year's edition of the Arch Madness showdown for iconic Edmonton buildings will focus on properties at the highest risk of demolition, examining both what the city stands to lose and opportunities for renewal. "We are at a pretty critical junction here," said Dan Rose, creator of the annual bracket competition, which will run until March 31 through polls on his Instagram stories.
• The Edmonton Arts Council revealed 10 new public art installations planned for 2026, including works by Cheyenne Rain LeGrande ᑭᒥᐊᐧᐣ, AJA Louden, Michelle Campos Castillo, Alma Visscher, and Heraa Khan.
• The 20 Years of Fierce Art and Soul exhibition at the Art Gallery of Alberta, marking the 20th anniversary of the 5 Artists 1 Love celebration, is continuing beyond Black History Month and until April 19. Edmonton artist and designer Shoko César, whose work is included in the exhibit, spoke to CBC Edmonton's Radio Active about the show.
• Josh Harnack, an Edmonton artist known for acquiring a storage locker containing 6,000 paintings to use in his own work, spoke to the Colour Me Happy podcast about his early days as an artist trying to get established.
• Arts Habitat recapped the Tales of Orquevaux exhibition at the ArtsHub Creative Studios, which featured paintings by Josh Harnack and Calgary's Jean Parker that were inspired by their artist residency at the Château d'Orquevaux in France.

Theatre and dance

• Fringe Theatre is offering a workshop series to help artists succeed at its own festival. Launchpad consists of six workshops running from March 23 to 27. "I think there's value for whether you are walking into your first (production), to whether you're tuning up to hit the road, and even if you're a pro — you might be reinventing yourself," artistic director Murray Utas told Taproot.
• Liz Nicholls spoke to performer Shannon Calcutt ahead of the premiere of her solo show Things I Shouldn't Tell You, a personal exploration of motherhood and perimenopause. It runs at SkirtsAfire from March 12 to 15.
• Azimuth Theatre's Expanse Festival opens on March 20 with a "Living Room Party" showcasing works in progress and a performance of The F Word, described as an "exuberant blend of dance, lecture, fairytale, and song exploring friendship, self-acceptance, and fat liberation." The festival featuring body-based stories continues until March 28 with four other shows, as well as workshops and artist labs.
• Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre announced the lineup for its annual Springboards festival, which runs from March 24 to 29 and features readings of plays in development from local and national theatre artists.
• Kendra Connor, executive director of Varscona Theatre, spoke to CKUA about receiving a 2025 Edmonton Artists' Trust Fund award.
• Ballet Edmonton is presenting Soft Currents, an immersive contemporary performance at the Art Gallery of Alberta. The event, running from March 26 to 28, will see audiences move through the gallery alongside the dancers.
• Josh Thomas, the Australian comedian and creator of Please Like Me, is bringing his stand-up show to the Myer Horowitz Theatre in September.

Books and publishing

• Hungry Zine has issued a call for submissions of essays, poems, illustrations, photography, and recipes on the theme of food and politics. The deadline is April 30.
• The Edmonton Public Library will receive more than 5,000 new children's books thanks to funding from the Edmonton Community Foundation.
• Dallas Arcand, a four-time world champion hoop dancer, has released a book called The Grassroots of an Indigenous Entrepreneur about turning his passion for Indigenous arts and culture into a brick-and-mortar business.
• Beaver Hills Forever by Conor Kerr was the top-selling poetry book on the Edmonton bestseller list from the Book Publishers Association of Alberta.
• Alberta schools, including Edmonton Public Schools and Parkland School Division, have removed at least 166 titles, predominantly graphic novels, from library shelves, CBC reported. The move comes after a provincial order mandated the removal of any material containing explicit depictions of a sexual act. Among the removed works are graphic novel versions of The Handmaid's Tale and 1984.

Screen industries

• Caldera Interactive has published a trailer for The Rabbit Haul and plans to release the game on Steam on March 18.
• Artificial Agency has published an update on its Behavior Engine, detailing new features including character memory, multiplayer support, and Unity integration for game developers.
• The latest provincial budget reduces the anticipated financing for the film and television tax credit to $60 million, down by $35 million from the previous level. The Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration told the Hollywood Reporter this is an accounting adjustment reflecting unused funds, not a cut preventing foreign productions, and said the program remains "well funded." Edmonton-based producer Dylan Pearce, chair of the Alberta Media Production Industries Association, confirmed he doesn't see the change as a funding cut and said he did not expect it to affect local or foreign producers.

More headlines

• Terry Evans, who hosted the morning show at K97 for four decades, has hosted his last show. "Terry has been a part of Edmonton radio for four decades and left an indelible mark on the city, and I know he'll continue to be involved in projects – media and otherwise – that continue to do so," Steve Jones of Stingray Radio told Broadcast Dialogue. Evans continues to host the Reluctantly podcast.
• The Edmonton and District Historical Society is among the organizations affected by the elimination of $76,000 in funding to the Historical Society of Alberta in the latest provincial budget.
• YWCA Edmonton has named its 2026 Women of Distinction, recognizing six leaders for their contributions to the community, including Edmonton Public Library CEO Pilar Martinez and curator and philanthropist Maggie Mitchell. They will be recognized at the Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon on May 7 at the Royal Glenora Club.
• The City of Leduc published an update on its completed cultural development strategy and is working toward a new multi-year strategy to further strengthen the city's cultural life.
• The Musée Héritage Museum in St. Albert has announced its 2026 exhibition program, featuring historical explorations of the city's newspapers, uniforms, and coal mining.
• Arts Habitat Edmonton is seeking expressions of interest from professional artists to join its Community Advisory Committee.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:

• March 13: Fava Fest - Screen Day 2 starting at 6pm at The Orange Hub
• March 13: 2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts: Live Action starting at 6:30pm at Garneau Theatre
• March 13-14: 2026 SING! Edmonton A Cappella Festival at The Orange Hub
• March 13-15: Night of Artists Spring Art Walk at Bonnie Doon Centre
• March 14: Mobile Device Filmmaking Workshop starting at 10am at Concordia University of Edmonton
• March 14: Arts District Day starting at 11am at Art Gallery of Alberta
• March 15: The Upcycled Market starting at 10am at Earth's Refillery Coop
• March 15: Stroll of Poets: Notice of Annual General Meeting starting at 2pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• March 15: Baroque Chamber Music Treasures starting at 3pm at Robertson-Wesley United Church
• March 16: Haven Poetry Series starting at 7pm at Upper Crust Cafe
• March 17: Industry Insights: Community Networking Event starting at 11:30am at MacEwan University
• March 18: Book Launch with Daniel Fried starting at 7pm at Audreys Books

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 20-28: Expanse Festival at Westbury Theatre
• March 21: ArtBus 2026 at Allard Hall
• March 23-27: Launchpad: The Fringe Intensive Workshop Series at Fringe Theatre Arts Barns

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.