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“Yes, I have tried everything, and it is all sinful, delicious, and absolutely phenomenal,” says Vienneau, general manager of Events Edmonton and producer of the long-running celebration of local cuisine, which takes place Thursday, July 18 to Sunday, July 28 at Churchill Square and along 100 St., between 102 and 102A Ave.
According to Vienneau, the now 40-year-old festival is the largest food and free concert series in Western Canada. If we’re reading the producer correctly, that’s because everyone involved is invested in making it as irresistible as possible.
“The restaurant partners put their heart and soul into their menu, and we’re just so fortunate that we have the ability to support 50-plus local Edmonton based restaurants,” he says. “They’re mostly Mom and Pop restaurants, though we also have The Canadian Brewhouse. That being said, think about the history of the Canadian Brewhouse, which started as one establishment in the west end of Edmonton and grew to become a national franchise. We’re so proud of them because they started in our backyard.”
New and returning restaurants
Aside from the Brewhouse, other returning restaurants for this year include Paraiso Tropical, Irie Foods, Native Delights, and Khazana. There are 11 new restaurants and two new food trucks taking part, including Dagu Rice Noodle, Choco N’ Dip, and Da Kao. The numbers are impressive, with 88 new and 178 total menu items, representing cuisines from Indian to Indigenous, Thai to Jamaican, all available in bite-sized portions for the price of a few tickets.
Tickets that, by the way, haven’t changed in price since 2018.
“We understand that inflation is a real thing,” Vienneau notes. “So our desire is to continue to not overcharge our amazing clientele. The more money that people spend at Taste of Edmonton, the more money stays in our local economy and helps local restaurants, local performers, local artisans.”
If you’re savvy about saving money, Taste is currently selling a sheet of 40 tickets for $59.50 until July 17. Restaurants offer their small plates for between 2 to 5 tickets, with most hovering around 3. If you’re late in snapping up this bargain, booths around the area will be selling tickets during the festival itself.
New additions
Speaking of the latter, The Market by Wholly Handmade is a brand new Taste of Edmonton area on the north side of the site along 100 Street that features offerings from over 90 local artists. Unlike the food vendors, tickets will not be accepted at the market, which will be selling a range of items. Artisans will only accept cash, debit or credit cards for their wares.
Also new is the KLM Sky Lounge overlooking Churchill Square, which can be booked for up to 12 people. Night of Artists is back to celebrate the work of local artists, and Magic Pixie Brush Entertainment returns with a kids area for face painting, balloon animals, and more. All three will be around for the full 11 days of the festival, providing extra activities while you nosh on your snacks.
Music
A small change will be taking place on the McLennan Ross stage, which hosts a variety of live performances. Aside from an opening show by Martin Kerr on Friday at 11:30 a.m., the stage will now begin at noon instead of the usual 11 a.m. start. Other local musical acts include The Give ‘em Hell Boys, Mallory Chipman and Rosina Cove, while non-musical performers include comedian Lars Callieou, the South Asian Dance Experience, and the Edmonton Elks Cheer Team. Headliners for the festival are East Coast rapper Classified on Friday, July 26 and ‘80s rockers Glass Tiger on Saturday July 27, both performing at 8:30 p.m.
“What we’re really proud of is that 85 percent of our lineup this year is from Edmonton and surrounding areas,” says Vienneau. “It’s so important to support emerging artists and emerging talents. We have such an incredible musical scene, and when I first started my performance manager at the time asked what we were looking for in terms of performers. I said ‘Here’s the thing; Taste of Edmonton is a very diverse and extremely inclusive festival, so we want that same respect shown toward musical performers. So that’s the mandate. We work with Resonate Music and Visionary School for Performing Arts, and these kids who have never played a stage like Taste of Edmonton. You see them backstage, they’re shaking, they’re nervous, and then they go out on stage and it’s like I wish I had just a pinch of that talent.”
Food, performances, art, kids activities, and marketplace. That’s an awful lot of items to be juggling on a plate, if we’re going to use a Taste of Edmonton-specific metaphor. Vienneau relates that he’s often asked what else it is that he does other than produce Taste of Edmonton, and every time he’s amused.
“We don’t do anything else,” he laughs. “It takes a year plus to produce this big, massive festival. But it’s so worth it because where else can you go with so many different restaurants in one place? And not only restaurants, you get free music, things for the kids to do, a market. There’s so much going on and it’s not like you have to pay to get on the grounds. You don’t have to buy anything, you can just come hang out and enjoy some sun and atmosphere.”