The organization has grown its monthly donor base from 34 to 840 since launching the Sustain Fringe campaign two years ago, but executive director Megan Dart said it is still facing the crunch of increasing costs. She said the festival's municipal funding through the Edmonton Arts Council has been stagnant for 10 years, and she echoed the EAC's call for increased municipal arts funding. "Now is an excellent time to please reach out to your councillors, to the city, to let them know that arts matter now, and investing in events like Fringe is crucial to supporting a vibrant Edmonton," Dart said.
The festival also announced that the free shuttle between the main grounds and the French Quarter will return this year. It was discontinued in 2025 due to budget constraints, but it is back through a partnership with the city and Edmonton Transit Service. Pêhonân is expanded with an installation of Mikiwaps, or tipis, south of the Strathcona Community League; it will be connected to the festival through the Buffalo Path, inviting visitors to slow down, gather, and connect. So far, the festival is expected to include 209 shows running at 37 venues, a little bit smaller than last year. Festival guides will go on sale on July 29, and tickets and passes will be available on Aug. 5.
Alberta's music community is mourning the death of bass player Jon Nordstrom, who died after battling cancer. Nordstrom joined the folk-rock band Captain Tractor in 1998. "He was an amazing musician, but it was his personality — we loved him right away," bandmate Scott Peters told Edmonton AM.
Winning a JUNO for the Axios Men's Ensemble's recording of Benedict Sheehan's Ukrainian War Requiem was particularly meaningful for member Lev-Ivan Bulyk, who was born in Ukraine. "I think the award recognizes something beyond the music itself," he told the Edmonton Arts Council. "The Ukrainian War Requiem is connected to one of the defining tragedies of our time — the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. When a project like this receives national recognition, it helps bring greater attention to the human stories, suffering, resilience, and hope that inspired it."
Mariel Buckley's Vending Machines and Cadence Weapon's Step Out (recorded with Junia-T and DijahSB) are the songs from Edmonton-connected artists on the 2026 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize long list. The shortlist arrives July 29, and the winner will be announced during a gala in Toronto on Sept. 22. The winner receives $10,000.
Pearly Moon and Big Evil Rat were among the Edmonton acts at Calgary's Sled Island Music and Arts Festival in June. Members praised the calibre of the headliners and the opportunities those bookings provide to artists on the come-up. "Sled gives you a great opportunity to network and expand your audience both in Alberta and beyond," Pearly Moon's Patrick Earles told CTV News. "Also, you end up playing these really stacked bills that probably wouldn't have come together otherwise."
Jazz vocalist Barbara Leah Meyer spoke to the St. Albert Gazette about hosting a concert called Jazz Meets Classics at Endeavour Brewing and Coffee Roasters in St. Albert on July 2. The event will pair jazz vocals with classical cello, piano, and violin in an extension of her Soul and Song series.
New murals were installed at Corona LRT Station, reflecting the rich history of the area, the City of Edmonton said in a release. The site was originally an apartment complex in 1908 before later becoming the Corona Hotel in 1912, which was notable for its significance to Edmonton's 2SLGBTQIA+ community. After a fire in 1932, the hotel was rebuilt, only to be demolished in 1981 for First Edmonton Place.
Beaumont has unveiled community murals at the Chantal Bérubé Community Youth Centre, completing a project shaped by input from youth and residents. Edmonton artist Josh Harnack led the work, which moved through engagement sessions and youth workshops before the murals were permanently installed.
Amplify's fourth annual Artist Alley takes place at St. Albert Place on July 4, featuring a youth night market with 25 vendors, an art battle, craft workshops, and a buskers' stage. The free event is open to young vendors from Grade 7 to age 25.
St. Albert artist Patricia Barrett has opened a Little Free Art Gallery named "Bella's Free Little Art Gallery" in memory of her late dog. Visitors are invited to take or leave artwork.
Edify profiled the late Margaret Chappelle, an artist and activist who helped stop a freeway from being built through MacKinnon Ravine. Chappelle later left her $3.7-million estate to what is now the Edmonton Humane Society, funding the building that houses the Chappelle Centre for Animal Care.
Wet weather hindered attendance at The Works Art & Design Festival, which usually sees 100,000 to 150,000 people come through, executive director Amber Rooke told CityNews. The show went on, however, notwithstanding the rain.
Edify profiled comedian Henry Sir, whose politically sharp Instagram series Current Events Chirped By A Canadian has built a growing fanbase. Sir has sold out shows at Edmonton's 350-seat Orange Hub Theatre and has appeared on Comedy Central and CBC. His July 7 show at the Grindstone Comedy Festival is sold out ahead of his trek to Just For Laughs in Montreal later this month.
Lucy Haines praised Hurry Hard at Mayfield Dinner Theatre as "a very sweet, very Canadian" comedy about friendship, teamwork, and curling. Liz Nicholls found it a "genial if predictable comedy" elevated by "five top-drawer actors with comic chops." Matt Busby, Kristi Hansen, Jamie Cavanagh, Jenny McKillop, and Paul-Ford Manguelle deliver the goods under the direction of Kate Ryan. The show runs through July 26.
Books and publishing
Finalists for the 2026 Alberta Book Publishing Awards include Cruising the Downtown: Celebrating Edmonton's Queer History for best regional book and best book design, and Graveyard Shift at the Lemonade Stand by Tim Bowling for trade fiction book of the year. The Book Publishers Association of Alberta will unveil the winners in 12 categories at a gala in Edmonton on Sept. 17.
Richard Van Camp talked about Indigenous literature and the writer's life on Part 1 of a series on Alberta Unbound, Sen. Paula Simons's podcast. She hosted the 20th anniversary edition of the Kreisel Lecture from the University of Alberta's Centre for Literatures in Canada, where Van Camp delivered his address. Future episodes will feature Shani Mootoo and Lise Gaboury-Diallo.
St. Albert writer Charles Schroder is urging aspiring authors to be cautious after he spent more than $40,000 on a Florida-based publishing service called Writers Clique that he says failed to deliver on its promises. His gardening book is no longer available on Amazon, and he has received only $550 in royalties. Writers Clique told CBC it fulfilled what it promised in the agreement.
Edmonton-raised Cree, Métis, and Salish author Chyana Marie Sage will compete on Season 12 of The Amazing Race Canada with her sister, Chayla Rain. Sage is the author of the memoir Soft As Bones, and the sisters are granddaughters of Thelma Chalifoux, the first Métis woman appointed to the Canadian Senate.
Luke Prokop discussed his documentary, The Hockey Player, ahead of its Edmonton premiere on June 26. The film, shot over more than three years, follows his journey as the first openly gay player under NHL contract. "It's not a hockey movie," Prokop told The Oil Rig. "It's a life movie."
Green Shacks are open for the season with free live entertainment. Performances range from Indigenous dance and drumming to steel pan music, magic, and interactive theatre. The events run through Aug. 21.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:
Until July 12: Something Rotten starting at 7:30pm at William Hawrelak Park
Uplifting the legacies and livelihoods of our clients and the communities where we serve and live, is what gets ATB's team members out of bed in the morning. And after 80-plus years worth of mornings, they're still pursuing that mission with a brand of enthusiasm and authenticity you can only experience with ATB.
