Despite restrictions lifting, these summer festivals are still deploying COVID-19 safety measures
Two long-standing Edmonton festivals will go ahead this summer as restrictions in the province are set to lift on Canada Day.
Edmonton’s Heritage Festival will welcome back pavilions to Hawrelak Park. It will be a slightly modified event with half entry limitations, and two thirds of the normal pavilions allowed in the space.
Jim Gibbon, the executive director of the Edmonton Heritage Association, told CTV News Edmonton the festival will be much more spread out.
White circles will be painted onto the grass to ensure distance between cohorts. This will allow people to eat and drink safely in their own designated space.
Gibbon said being able to have the event come back this year provides a sense of normalcy.
“There was a lot of disbelief,” he noted.
“People were a little taken aback that we’re coming out of things.”
The Heritage Festival is a collection of Alberta-based cultural groups, that come together to share their history, song and dance, food, and so much more.
“To get a chance to get together, and share this beautiful message of multiculturalism, I think it’s incredibly important,” Gibbon added.
Entry is free, but people will need to get time-entry passes online as only a fixed number of people are allowed into the park per hour.
The festival will run July 31 to Aug. 2, and masks will be required.
TASTE OF EDMONTON
As for Taste of Edmonton, it’s also planning to make its return to an in-person event from July 22 to Aug. 1.
The festival will be returning to Sir Winston Churchill Square now that construction in the area is complete.
But, what’s top of mind for the organizers this year is ensuring health and safety for visitors.
“We’ve spread out our restaurant partners, usually they’re side by side. All the tents this year will have a six-foot gap,” Donovan Vienneau, the general manager of Taste of Edmonton, said.
Vienneau said in a normal year the event usually hosts 75 food and beverage partners, but this year it’s pared down to 53.
While there will be some new changes for the festival, Vienneau told CTV News Edmonton pricing will stay the same as it was in 2019.
“We’ve introduced a third menu item with a max two-ticket value,” he explained. “That way it’s going to give people coming to Taste of Edmonton more options.”
“We’re excited to showcase Edmonton restaurants that need the support.”
Tickets for the event can be purchased ahead of time online.
Both Heritage Festival and Taste of Edmonton will be using tap technology for purchases.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s David Ewasuk
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.