My brother recently relocated from a very small town to Edmonton. It’s been a long time since he’s lived in a bigger city, and I thought a fun Christmas present for him would be tickets or passes to some kind of ‘city’ thing to do. Problem is, I haven’t been to Edmonton since I was about 8, and while the wave pool at West Ed Mall was the height of sophistication then, I think he might not appreciate it so much.
He’s in his mid-30s, likes sports like tennis and cycling, but not so much typical ‘American’ sports like baseball, and if he was going to go to something artsy it would have to be pretty mainstream. He’ll be there for a while, so something like a festival or whatever in the summer would be cool too.
I’ve looked online and I know there is the symphony, a couple big theaters, and the Oilers (don’t really think he likes hockey that much), but I don’t really want to just pick something random from online because it’s hard to know if they are really good or not. So, any advice from those who live there or are just familiar with the place would be much appreciated. Thanks!
If he is into history there is also Fort Edmonton.
Also the Edmonton Grand prix this summer.
The Mall also has the amusement park, Minigolf and a place run can learn to drive a Segway.
Mosof these offer Season tickets as well. In fact there is a Multi pass that will get him into Fort Edmonton Park, Muttart Conservatory, Valley Zoo and the John Janzen Nature Centre
Yeah, the symphony was one of the first things I saw when I googled for things to do in Edmonton. I’m kind of embarassed to admit this, but I’ve never been to the symphony as an adult - my parents took me to some kind of ‘music for kids’ nights at our local symphony when I was growing up, but since then I’ve always thought of it as an activity for the high-end set. Is it something that average people generally enjoy? I mean, people who like to listen to CDs but aren’t the type who are experts in the music field and own extremely high end stereos?
This thread, from a year and a half ago or so, may have some ideas. And there may be something in this one also.
IIRC from my time in Edmonton, the Myer Horowitz theatre at the University of Alberta played host to a number of well-known musicians, and it may be worthwhile to take a look at its upcoming schedule. Same for the Jubilee Auditorium, a block or two away. Both are easily accessible on public transit too, if your brother is not that familiar with driving in Edmonton.
Also, there are a few comedy clubs in town. The one I remember was in the Bourbon Street area of West Edmonton Mall–I cannot remember its name, but the online WEM directory should be able to tell you. Again, some well-known comedians played there, but even amateur nights could be a lot of fun.
How come no one’s mentioned the Citadel Theatre? And I know you were questioning the high falutin’ness of the symphony, but I’m going to dare to mention Alberta Ballet and Edmonton Opera.
May not be to your brother’s taste, but you never know. The arts companies in a city like Edmonton spend a lot of time considering that for most of the residents of the city, the art form itself is something that needs to be sold. “Why should I go to a play when I can go to a movie for way cheaper? Why should I hear a live performance of the symphony when I can buy the CD? Why go to an opera or a ballet when I can see that on the TV?” Performances in Edmonton (and a few hundred other youngish cities in North America) are a response to these questions. They are consistently aware that a first time audience member could easily be a last time audience member if the performance is in any way substandard or too ‘adventurous’.
The Joni Mitchell program of the ballet is a prime example of a company trying to bridge that gap, and I remember talking to the artistic director while that program was in development. I cannot say if it actually happened, but he said that when he contacted Joni, she not only was enthusiastic about a dance interpretation of her existing work, but she offered some previously unrecorded material. I don’t know if it made it into the show or not.
I think the stigma that it’s a snob / uppity activity keeps people away. If you haven’t gone…you only live once! Give it a try, you might be surprised. Really it boils down to whether you like the music they play or not. Do some research and pick a goof concert with music you like.
I’ll second the jazz club again. It’s less snobby, and has a very relaxed cool vibe.
Alright, thanks all. I’m going to give those links all a good read tonight.
As for the symphony, Quasimodal, I know I probably should get out and see a show. Where I live we don’t have a very active symphony, but I should make the effort. I’ve been to a ballet and while it was kind of interesting, I don’t know that it was so interesting that I’d go again, honestly. I used to be heavily involved in the theatre, but somehow I’ve missed out on some of these things.
My friend runs a website dedicated to tracking all the music events in the city. Jam Union. Right now it only really lists Edmonton events, but he’s working on making it national.
As a Calgarian, my first recommendation for enjoying Edmonton is to not go there at all.
Since that’s not an option, my personal recommendation for anyone with even a mild interest in sports, would be going to an Edmonton Rush game. Seriously, I have never seen a better spectator sport than box lacrosse – it’s great entertainment for a reasonable price, IMO.
