Good Morning, Edmonton! 🌤️

I’m not sure if it’s clouds, smoke, fog, or all of the above out there this morning…but whatever it is, we have a whole host of exciting things for you to read about this week!

Edmonton is home to the largest and longest-running Fringe festival in North America, and it starts today!

Any runners out there? We have the Edmonton Marathon taking place downtown this Sunday. I’ll be running the Marathon. It’s an amazing day to experience whether you’re running or not. Get out there and cheer! Good luck to all the participants in all the distances!

We are close to 12,200 readers. 🙌 So exciting to see the audience grow.

Have a wonderful week, everyone.

—Eric

City Centre Mall Set for Major Revamp 🏙️ Edmonton-based Westrich Pacific has acquired Edmonton City Centre, with plans for a major downtown redevelopment that could include 1,500 new residential units, street-front retail, a rooftop Nordic spa, and new entertainment spaces. Construction to begin early 2027.

Royal Alex Hernia Program Changes Lives 🏥 Royal Alexandra Hospital’s CHARGE program is helping patients with complex hernias through advanced abdominal wall reconstruction. The Edmonton-led team has become known nationwide for treating difficult cases, including patients who were previously told for years that surgery was not possible.

Volunteers Begin Assessing River Valley Trail Repairs 🚲 The Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance, which helps maintain our natural single-track trails, is asking people to avoid muddy routes for now so volunteers can repair damage without trails getting wider, deeper, or harder to restore after the city’s record-setting wettest year.

Air North Expands Edmonton–Yellowknife Service ✈️ Air North is adding year-round flights between Yellowknife and Edmonton starting in December 2026, giving northern travellers another route for sports trips, business travel, and winter tourism connections. The expansion also includes more service between Yellowknife, Whitehorse, Vancouver, and other Canadian destinations.

Jordan Martinook Brings Stanley Cup Home to Leduc 🏆 Leduc’s Jordan Martinook brought the Stanley Cup to the Leduc Recreation Centre this week, where more than 1,000 fans gathered to celebrate the hometown NHL champion. Martinook, who won the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes, called it a dream to share the moment in the building where he grew up playing, training, and chasing the game.

🆓 Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival (August 13–23) 🎭 Fringe returns to Old Strathcona with 209 theatre productions across 37 venues, plus comedy, magic, music, street performers, patios, and outdoor festival grounds. Easily one of the biggest things happening in Edmonton this month, and you don’t even need a show ticket to have a good time! Tickets here for you though!

🆓 Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival (August 14–16) 🐉 Head to Louise McKinney Riverfront Park for a weekend of high-energy dragon boat racing on the North Saskatchewan River. It’s free to watch, with dragon dancing, cultural performances, festival activities, and plenty of action along the waterfront!

🆓 Edmonton Love & Unity Reggae Festival (August 15) 🇯🇲 Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park hosts a full-day reggae and cultural festival with live local and international performers, food vendors, family activities, and Indigenous and Caribbean cultural showcases. It’s a lively Saturday pick for music, food, and community in the park.

🆓 Edmonton Mural Festival (August 15–September 15) 🎨 Edmonton Mural Festival kicks off August 15, turning walls around the city into canvases for local and international mural artists. The month-long festival also includes tours and chances to see artists working on new pieces as the city gets a little more colourful.

🆓 Edmonton Marathon 2026 (August 16) 🏃 Edmonton Marathon returns August 16, bringing runners through the city for one of Edmonton’s biggest annual race days. Whether you’re running, cheering, or just passing by the route. Plenty of race-day energy across the city. I’ll be running the marathon, hope to see you out there!

🎟️ Calvin Vollrath and Friends (August 13) 🎻 Catch renowned Alberta fiddler Calvin Vollrath and friends during the Servus Patio Series. Expect live music, a dance floor, and a lively summer evening celebrating one of Alberta’s best-known fiddle performers. Tickets!

🎟️ Horizon Drive-In Double Feature (August 14) 🎬 Pull up to the Edmonton Valley Zoo for an outdoor double feature of The Greatest Showman and IT. Tickets are $15 per person, per movie, for a unique summer movie night from the comfort of your car. Get them here.

🎟️ Props & Hops: Summer Camp (August 14) ✈️ The Alberta Aviation Museum turns into an adults-only summer camp from 7–11 p.m. with a live DJ, camp-themed games, food trucks, local drinks, and flight simulators. Tickets are $25–$35. 18+. You can get yours here.

🎟️ Shinedown: Dance, Kid, Dance Act II (August 17) 🎸 Shinedown brings its arena-rock tour to Rogers Place with Coheed and Cambria and From Ashes to New. The show starts at 7 p.m., with a stacked lineup for a big Monday night of rock. Tickets!

🎟️ CPKC Women’s Open (August 19–23) ⛳ One of Edmonton’s biggest sporting events of the year comes to Royal Mayfair Golf Club for the LPGA’s Canadian national championship. The field features stars like Brooke Henderson, Nelly Korda, and Lydia Ko, with public events beginning Wednesday. Get your tickets!

Edmonton’s Fringe Home Base: Old Strathcona 🎭

With the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival taking over Old Strathcona this week, it’s worth remembering why this neighbourhood is the perfect place to make it all happen.

The Fringe started in 1982, when Chinook Theatre’s Brian Paisley used $50,000 from Edmonton’s Summerfest to create “A Fringe Theatre Event” in Old Strathcona. More than four decades later, it has grown into the largest and longest-running Fringe festival in North America, while still keeping that slightly chaotic, walkable, street-level festival feeling.

Part of the magic is the neighbourhood itself. Old Strathcona’s mix of historic brick buildings, theatres, patios, buskers, shops, and side streets turns the area into more than a venue — it becomes part of the show! For a couple weeks every August, Edmonton gets to feel a little louder, weirder, more creative, and more alive. 💛

Kissa10 📍 1643 Towne Centre Blvd NW

Tucked into Terwillegar Towne, Kissa10 is a cozy Japanese-inspired café modeled after the intimate kissaten coffee shops found throughout Japan. 🍵 It’s a small, relaxed spot with a calm neighbourhood feel, making it a great place to slow down with a drink, catch up with a friend, or settle in for a quiet coffee break.

The menu puts a Japanese twist on the usual café lineup, with specialty drinks like hojicha lattes, kinako lattes, yuzu espresso tonics, and Tokyo Fogs alongside classic coffee options and a rotating selection of treats. If you’re looking to try something beyond your standard latte, this is an easy place to branch out.

You could easily miss it if you don’t live in the area, which is part of the appeal. With limited seating and a more intimate atmosphere than a typical chain coffee shop, Kissa10 makes for a unique little stop in southwest Edmonton.

📸 @kissa10.yeg
📍 1643 Towne Centre Blvd NW
🕒 Open 9 am–4 pm & closed on Tuesdays