Arts Roundup
July 16, 2026
Arts organizations are recovering and reorganizing after weekend storms pummelled the region. A violent thunderstorm damaged the works from some artists at the Whyte Avenue Art Walk. Social media posts show crumpled coverings, sodden prints, and artists desperately holding down tents. While Angela Stadlwieser's paintings and prints survived, her tent was destroyed on the first day of the festival, meaning she missed out on her "biggest art event of the year," she said. "Both my pocketbook and my artist's heart will feel the impact of this."
A squall of a storm rolled right through the Freewill Shakespeare Festival and sat on top of the Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park on July 10. The seating area flooded and a tent flew into the audience. The storm delayed the start of Something Rotten! before organizers decided to cancel the performance altogether, though the show did go on for the remaining two days of its run. Not even the indoor venues were safe — Walterdale Theatre was forced to cancel its Friday night show of ONCE due to the storm and a subsequent power outage in the Strathcona neighbourhood; Cocktails at Pam's at the Varscona Theatre was similarly affected. The city temporarily closed the Citadel Theatre and the Orange Hub, alongside other city-owned buildings, but they have since reopened.
TELUS World of Science - Edmonton is not so lucky, however. It remains closed due to significant flooding, and it's been advised to prepare for a reopening in November. And the storms aren't forecast to be done yet — a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for July 15, and hot temperatures and high humidity are a recipe for more storms later this week. KDays, set to kick off on July 17, said it will monitor weather and has signs on the grounds to notify guests of any significant weather changes.
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Music
- Purple City Music Festival has announced the full lineup for its Sept. 11 to 13 festival, adding roughly 125 acts. Former MuchMusic VJ and multimedia artist Sook-Yin Lee will be among the speakers at the accompanying Talk City Music Conference.
- Olivia Street has co-founded an independent record label called Ram On Records. She told CBC's Edmonton AM the label will aim to promote artists in Western Canada.
- The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is running a summer camp for musicians who haven't played in a while. Aidan Dugan, assistant principal oboe of the symphony, said his students have surprised themselves with how much they remember after not picking up the instrument for upwards of 16 years.
- The Strathearn Art Walk released the lineup for its art and music festival running Sept. 11 to 13. Performers include Jay Gilday, Jillian Treidler, Kaeley Jade, Laura Ulmer, and The Western Thistles, among others.
- Louisiana's Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. & The Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band, a Grammy-winning zydeco group carrying on the legacy of the late Buckwheat Zydeco Sr., will perform on the CKUA Radio Stage at KDays on July 18 as part of Bluesfest Weekend.
- Edmonton DJ Sean Lamb is doing a 24-hour DJ set at KDays to raise funds for Alberta Dreams, which fulfills wishes for children facing severe chronic or life-threatening illnesses.
- St. Albert's Plaza Series will offer free live music every Thursday in July and August. Organizer Ben Sures discussed the concerts with CKUA.
Visual arts
- The Edmonton Mural Festival has launched a project to transform the Club 82 building on Whyte Avenue into a 360-degree collaborative public art installation. Eight underrepresented and 2SLGBTQ+ artists are contributing to two themed murals — Emerging Voices and Established Voices — with funding from the City of Edmonton, the Old Strathcona Business Association, and the Whyte Avenue Art Walk.
- Suvi Sharma, founder of jewellery brand Silver's Wind, spoke with The Gateway about building a brand rooted in purpose and South Asian culture. She started selling homemade bracelets as a child to fund her brother's surgeries, and is now planning a fashion house inspired by her grandmother's embroidery work. "Entrepreneurship always needs to be rooted in a purpose," she said.
- Strathcona County is inviting Canadian artists to apply for multiple public art opportunities at the new Strathcona County Fieldhouse, including exterior and interior locations. Portfolio submissions are due Sept. 30.
It's time to take flight
Mile Zero Dance's annual festival returns from July 13 to 26 with exciting pieces from near and afar, a tri-city collaboration, dance intensives, opening and closing parties, a bike tour, and more. Festival passes and single tickets are on sale now.
Theatre and dance
- The Citadel Theatre's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has drawn warm reviews. Lucy Haines called it "J-O-Y-F-U-L" and Liz Nicholls lauded the ensemble's performances. Director Mieko Ouchi spoke with CKUA about the Tony Award-winning musical, which runs until Aug. 2.
- Teatro Live! is staging a revival of Cocktails at Pam's, playwright Stewart Lemoine's signature '60s cocktail party comedy, for the sixth time at the Varscona Theatre. Liz Nicholls traced the history of the production, which was traditionally revived every five years before the pandemic and, until this year, featured several returning cast members. "You'll have a lot of fun at Pam's party," she said in her review. Postmedia's Justin Bell loved it, too.
Books and publishing
- Exposure Therapy by Rayanne Haines made the shortlist for the Priscila Uppal Memorial Award from literary journal Canthius.
- Kiyâm by Naomi McIlwraith was the top-selling poetry book on the Edmonton bestseller list from the Book Publishers Association of Alberta.
More headlines
- The Edmonton Arts Council invested $185,000 into 37 individuals and collectives working on creation, experimentation, and research; $103,000 for 15 artists receiving mentorship or other professional development; and $1.1 million for 56 projects ready for production and presentation.
- The Kaleido Family Arts Festival announced its next iteration, under the theme "Hearts Full of Gusto," will take place Sept. 18 to 20. The festival is recruiting volunteers, with positions ranging from audio and tech crew to artisan market support.
- The federal government and the Manitou Asinîy-Iniskim-Tsa Xani Centre signed an agreement to move the Manitou Stone — a 145-kilogram iron meteorite sacred to many First Nations — from the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton to a new centre on a former golf course in Elk Island National Park. The First Nations-led, not-for-profit organization will independently fundraise for the building while seeking support from the federal and provincial governments.
- Kelsey Kendrick, president of the Edmonton and District Historical Society, spoke to CBC Edmonton's Radio Active about the organization's 30th anniversary and the Edmonton Historic Festival, which wrapped up on July 12.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:
- July 16: Heard starting at 6:45pm at Garneau Theatre
- July 17-18: Neon Skies Festival at Fan Park
- July 18: The Carrot's 19th Birthday Featuring Chalk It Up starting at 9am at The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse
- July 18: Leduc Arts Foundry Art Walk starting at 11am at Leduc Arts Foundry (Downtown)
- July 18: Tales & Taste 2.0: Tell It To Me Like I'm 5 Years Old starting at 12pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
- July 18: Fulton Place Summer Music Concert Series: Confusionaires starting at 8pm at Fulton Drive Bowl
- July 19: Grindstone Comedy Theatre Summer Fundy starting at 6pm at Grindstone Theatre
- July 20: Library Lunchtime Concerts starting at 12:15pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
- July 20: The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards starting at 6:30pm at Fringe Theatre Arts Barns
- July 22: Summer Reading Fest: Japanese Drumming with Kita no Taiko starting at 2pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
- July 22: Musicians for Canada: A Benefit Concert for Canadian Unity starting at 3pm at William Hawrelak Park
- July 22: Garden Concert: Jessica & Sam Heine starting at 7pm at Anglican Parish of Christ Church
And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:
- July 27: Book Launch with Rhonda Webster at Audreys Books
- Aug. 1: Pints & Pages: Sports Romance Edition at 1st RND
- Aug. 6-9: Edmonton Folk Music Festival at Gallagher Park
Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.
This roundup was sponsored by ATB.
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.