Latest news with #KidsFringe
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Fringe Festival rolls out welcome mat for youngsters
Grey skies, wind and rain didn't stop kids from enjoying the activities offered by the Kid's Fringe on Friday. CTV News Edmonton's Nav Sangha was there. The Edmonton International Fringe Festival welcomed its youngest audience members on Friday morning and saw good numbers for its ribbon cutting despite gloomy weather. KidsFringe was created as a family-friendly co-event to the main fringe festival, which features 200 performances in a 10-day-long indoor and outdoor theatrical endeavour. Between arts and crafts, improv lessons, dance lessons, yoga, a ball pit, a circus, plate juggling and shows specifically catered for young kids, there isn't a lot of potential for boredom. 'We have things inside the stage. We have things out on the grass. Depending on what the weather's like, we'll just be flexible,' said director Alyson Dicey. Dicey noted that it's important to them that the entire KidsFringe zone is free. 'We want all families to come down from all over the city,' she said. The festivities run until Aug. 24 at Light Horse Park on 85 Avenue. More information can be found on their official website. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nav Sangha
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Gloomy days can't stop these Edmonton events this weekend
The final days of summer are upon us and chilly weather this week has made that clear, but that's not stopping Edmontonians from soaking up the fun on the weekends. The 44th-annual Edmonton International Fringe Festival began Thursday and runs until Aug. 24. It's North America's largest and longest-running fringe theatre festival that promises weird, wild, community-creating entertainment. KidsFringe also kicked off on Friday for the youngest audiences and their families. Children can help decorate a KidsFringe Gratitude Tree, do arts and crafts, learn improv, dance, circus or yoga, and take in shows from family-friendly performers. KidsFringe runs until Aug. 24 at Light Horse Park on 85 Avenue. Edmonton Mural Festival Friday also marks the beginning of the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival, Mural Festival and Afro Music Fest. Saturday and Sunday will see Dragon Boat Races at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park for the Edmonton Dragon Festival, with the cultural celebration continuing in Chinatown's Kinistinâw Park. Edmonton's Mural Festival explores murals throughout various locations in the city and runs until Sept. 15. Afro Music Fest takes over Ice District's Fan Park for two days and features headliner Davido in a celebration of Afro-Caribbean music, art and culture. Open Farm Days in Alberta Farming, running and fangirling Alberta Open Farm Days is open Saturday and Sunday to explore farmers and ranchers to stop in for a visit to share stories, learn about crop-growing and see demonstrations of rural life. More information about locations and tickets can be found on their website. Servus Edmonton Marathon The 2025 Servus Edmonton Marathon medal was unveiled at the community run on July 29, 2025. (Darcy Seaton/CTV News Edmonton) Thousands of runners will also take to the streets of Edmonton on Sunday for the 34th Servus Marathon. The race's start and finish line will be on Jasper Avenue outside of the Edmonton Convention Centre. Closures downtown will be in effect. And for the Swifties, Taylor Swift's latest album announcement ushers in the west's largest outdoor celebration for fans at the Remax field on Saturday. General admission tickets are still available for $50 and can be found online. A full list of events, tours and sport games can be found on the Explore Edmonton website.
Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
'A Fringe full of stars': Edmonton Fringe festival 2025 returns with a cosmic celebration
Article content The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival returns, celebrating the performers, attendees, and volunteers who make the festival possible. Article content The 44th edition of the Edmonton Fringe runs Aug. 14-24, featuring 221 indoor shows across more than 40 venues. The festival's opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday at ATB Park on the ATB stage, near 83 Avenue and 104 Street. The first Fringe performances begin at 8 p.m. the same evening. Article content Article content This year's theme is 'A Fringe full of stars,' a celestial theme that celebrates all the people who make Fringe such an enduring part of Edmonton's arts history. Article content 'When I tell you we got goosebumps when we decided on this theme, I'm not exaggerating,' said Megan Dart, executive director of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. 'Whether you are on stage, backstage, volunteering in support of the festival, or coming out to support artists, everyone in the fringe constellation is a star.' Article content Dart said the best implementation of the celestial theme can be found at KidsFringe, which offers 'a great amount of creativity that is put into interpreting the theme.' KidsFringe is free to attend at Light Horse Park, and features craft stations, an adventure forest, and daily activities for kids to enjoy. Article content Keeping Fringe Sustainable Article content In 2024, the festival kicked off the 'Sustain Fringe' fundraising campaign, asking Edmontonians to help the festival raise $300,000 to maintain its scope and scale as it recovered from COVID lockdowns. They also sought generous residents willing to pledge a monthly donation of $5. Article content Article content The fundraiser was a huge success, and Dart said in the past year, the festival jumped from 34 monthly donors to more than 500. Article content Article content 'Because of them, we were able to return this year and continue delivering the Fringe experience that everyone knows and loves,' Dart says. Article content Despite the increase in monthly donations, Dart said organizers are still struggling to produce the Fringe at the level that Edmonton has come to expect. This year's event is only moderately larger than 2024, which featured 218 shows across 38 stages. Article content In the past year, the cost of producing the festival has increased by 8.5 per cent, and some amenities had to be cut or reduced. Article content The free Fringe shuttle, which previously transported attendees between the main Fringe area and Edmonton's French Quarter, near 89 Street and Whyte Avenue, is one such service that will no longer be running due to budget cuts.
Calgary Herald
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Preview: From dance to death, Calgary Fringe offers something for everyone
Article content From Aug. 1-9, Inglewood hosts the Calgary Fringe Festival as it has done for the past 18 years. Article content This year, there are 20 shows, plus a Kids Fringe and Fringe After Dark, and there is still the option to screen most of the shows with Fringe on Demand. Article content 'On the opening weekend, we film many of the shows and then make them available to screen from Aug. 6 to 9. We started the option during the pandemic, and have found there are still people who prefer to screen the shows in the privacy of their homes. The number has decreased, but it's still large enough that we offer this option,' says Michele Gallant, the festival's producing director. Article content Article content Article content Article content The main venues this year are Festival Hall, the Lantern Church, and Woods Homes, plus two satellite venues. Article content 'There is a pop-rock musical called I'm Not Afraid to Die Anymore in the Arts Commons' Motel Theatre, and the musical SongStruck in the ATCO Performing Arts Centre (in the Alyth-Bonnybrook area).' Article content There are only three performances, Aug. 3, 7 and 8, of I'm Not Afraid, which is the stage version of Calgary-based Ado Nkemka's album, which she released last year. It is a highly personal account of how music transformed her life. SongStruck runs Aug. 1, 2, 8, and 9, and it is a concert by members of the Youth Singers of Calgary. Article content Article content Solo shows are the staple of fringe festivals, and they represent the bulk of this year's offerings. These include Victoria improviser and storyteller Dave Morris' 52 Stories as he tells tales of love, loss and friendship. In My Dad Died and All I Got Was This Show, British Columbia native Rachel Ruecker shares her coming-of-age story where she discovered that life is not as well written as the movies. Article content Article content With Tales of a Reluctant World Traveler, Randy Ross has come from Massachusetts to recall the 16 weeks he spent travelling the world, only to discover he much preferred Boston to the places he visited. In 100 Foreskins for My Hand in Marriage, Rainier Pearl-Styles of Edmonton dissects society's hangups about women, religion and relationships, while in The Cult of the Comfy Wizard, Calgarian Randolph West looks at how, and why, some people want to stand out from the crowd, and how this can be achieved.
