Free events taking place in Edmonton for Canadian Country Music Week
The Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMAs) will be presented in Edmonton on Saturday, so the city has declared this week Canadian Country Music Week in Edmonton.
"It's an exciting moment," Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said Tuesday.
"I'm looking forward to meeting k.d. lang, a phenomenal homegrown talent that has put our city and our province on the international stage."
The awards will take place at Rogers Place, bringing country fans to the city's core.
The last time the CCMAs were in Edmonton in 2014, the show was held at Rexall Place.
"Because of this district, what we built in the downtown core, from being able to do something before the show, after the award show, using the Winspear Centre, using the conference centre, there's so many activities in the downtown core for Country Music Week," Jackie Rae Greening of the CCMA host committee said.
"It's unbelievable just to have a look at the event schedule."
Explore Edmonton says the new location will bring economic benefits too.
"When we attract these big events, it's not just about that one night," Traci Bednard of Explore Edmonton said.
"Over the course of about 10 days, we will have 90 performers, 33 concerts at 19 different venues around Edmonton, celebrating country music and a lot of the roots that we have here and the venues."
Edmonton country fans can take part in dancing, songwriting sessions, and live performances at Churchill Square starting Wednesday.
Country on the Square
- Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m.
- The city says visitors can expect family friendly country music performances, line dancing, a bandanna craft, games, giveaways, and roving performers. The event is free to attend.
CCMA Country Crawl and Legends Car Show
- Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m.
- Car fans can get their fill at the Legends Car Club show all afternoon. Canadian country music artists Colleen Rae and Bob Donaldson will perform. Admission is free and no tickets are required.
Movies on the Square goes country
- Friday from 4 to 9 p.m.
- Two movies will be screened in Churchill Square: kids' classic Spirit Untamed will start at 5 p.m., followed by Rango at 6:45 p.m.
Live at lunch
- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 12 to 1 p.m.
- Each day, Churchill Square will host a live performance and food trucks for lunch until 2 p.m.:
- Wednesday — Andrea Nixon
- Thursday — D’Orjay The Singing Shaman
- Friday — The Bobby Tenderloin Universe (Duo)
All outdoor events are weather and air quality dependent.
This is the eighth time the CCMAs have been in Edmonton.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Byelection results: Justin Trudeau handed his second byelection upset in recent months
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been handed his second byelection upset in recent months, as the Bloc Quebecois won LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, Que., a longtime Liberal seat in Montreal.
Hundreds wounded after pagers detonate in Lebanon, media and security officials say
A Hezbollah official tells The Associated Press that "several hundred" people, including members of the group, were wounded in different parts of Lebanon when their handheld pagers exploded.
Canada's inflation cools to 2% in August, the smallest gain since early 2021
Canada's annual inflation rate reached the central bank's target in August at it cooled to 2 per cent, its lowest level since February 2021, data showed on Tuesday.
These people say they got listeria after drinking recalled plant-based milks
The Canadian Press spoke to 10 people, from the parents of a toddler to an 89-year-old senior, who say they became sick with listeria after drinking from cartons of plant-based milk stamped with the recalled product code. Here's a look at some of their experiences.
Ontario man who almost fell for text scam issues warning to others
An Ontario man thought he got some good news when he received a text message offering a $30 gift for being a loyal Giant Tiger customer. 'I do go to that store so I clicked on the link and it said it was a customer appreciation award they were going to give people,' Mark Martin, of Simcoe, Ont., told CTV News Toronto.
BREAKING Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been indicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges
Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.
A key employee who called the Titan unsafe testifies the company only wanted to make money
A key employee who labelled a doomed experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage testified Tuesday that he frequently clashed with the company's co-founder and felt the company was committed only to making money.
MK-ULTRA: Ottawa, McGill seek to dismiss Montreal brainwashing experiment lawsuit
Family members of patients allegedly brainwashed decades ago at a Montreal psychiatric hospital are afraid they're running out of time to get compensation because the federal government and McGill University have filed motions to dismiss their lawsuit.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.