Safety 'top of mind' at Taste of Edmonton, K-Days: organizers

Two of Edmonton's largest summer festivals say they're ready to keep customers safe as the city continues to experience a rash of violence.

With Taste of Edmonton and K-Days getting ready to welcome Edmontonians later this week, organizers say safety is a priority — especially this year.

"Safety is always top of mind," Taste of Edmonton's general manager, Donovan Vienneau, told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.

"We did increase our security over the last year…because we want to make sure we're keeping Edmontonians safe."

Taste of Edmonton is held at Churchill Square downtown, an area badly hit by crime and disorder in recent months.

Just over 300,000 people attended the food festival last year, and up to 350,000 are expected to visit it over the next two weeks.

"Every year our festival gets a little bit bigger, our security needs get a little bit bigger," Vienneau said.

"It's about keeping everybody safe and well fed."

K-Days, held at the Edmonton Expo Centre, received more than 700,000 visitors last year.

A festival official responsible for safety told CTV News Edmonton security is being talked about more this year.

"Certainly, with some of the issues we’re experiencing, maybe it's a bit more to the forefront but it's something we take seriously every year," said Explore Edmonton's Arlindo Gomes.

More police officers and security guards will be at K-Days and around the Expo Centre grounds this year, Gomes added.

The metal detector system that K-Days introduced last year will return this summer.

Taste of Edmonton runs from July 20 to July 30 and K-Days starts on July 21 and ends on July 30.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach