It is always a pleasure to cross paths with past Rotarians from our club, like Bob Winfield, and Tuesday was no exception. Bob Winfield was gracious to join us, despite our jibs and friendly jabs, with Paul Lucas from Events Edmonton. There have been many great transitions over the last few years from the Taste of Edmonton to the New Year's Eve celebrations downtown.
Our Edmonton New Year’s Eve celebration was once called First Night, which unfortunately went bankrupt. A couple of years ago, CityTV committed to broadcasting one live New Year’s Eve event in Alberta, which meant either Calgary or Edmonton. Well, in Calgary their event drew about 12,000 people in downtown core; whereas, in Edmonton, we saw close to 60,000 in our downtown core to celebrate. So once again, we proved we are the City of Champions!
For many years, Events Edmonton has played an important role in enhancing the city of Edmonton’s culture. As producers of Taste of Edmonton and New Year’s Eve Downtown, Events Edmonton is proud to be a part of the city’s popular festival lineup. The non-profit, charitable organization strives to provide Edmontonians with festivities that demonstrate the spirit and energy of the city. Creating events that engage both volunteers and citizens, Events Edmonton provides the city with family-friendly entertainment that supports Edmonton’s growing community.
Taste of Edmonton has made some changes to become more fresh and exciting to continue to energize Edmonton's food scene over the last couple of years. Every effort to keep the same old experience that guests’ love, but made it easier to enjoy Edmonton's favorite food festival. Some of these additions include:
Sip 'n Savour: Offering a wide range of themes of workshops and competitions, Sip 'n Savour is ideal for those who are seeking new recipes, great food ideas, and a good time!
Cooking Competitions: Grab your best apron and come on down to the square where you will get to compete against amateur chefs in some fun and quirky competitions.
Better Sizes: Portion sizes have changed so that you get the chance to sample a wider range of Edmonton’s eats at more affordable prices. While some dishes may come in the standard size, we also offer smaller taste-size at a smaller price.
Local Focus: A show of what Edmonton really tastes like by featuring local restaurants, products, drinks, and more. This gives a better sense of the food-culture in and around the city.
History of the Organization
Events Edmonton has been producing events since it’s inception as Edmonton’s Klondike Days Association in 1965. The organization was founded by a small group of individuals keen on providing entertainment and events to the downtown core of Edmonton. As the Klondike Days theme had recently been accepted as the new theme of the city’s summer fair, the group felt this would be the best way to gain citywide acceptance of the event.
Over the years the organization would produce many exciting, themed events such as the Klondike Kate search, King of the Klondike, Sunday Promenade, Edmonton Bathtub Races and eventually Taste of Edmonton. Starting in 1985, Taste of Edmonton was a small, two-day event geared at exposing Edmontonians to the incredible depth of restaurants the city had to offer. As the years passed, the event has grown to 10 days and is practically bursting at the seams with approximately 500,000 guests visiting annually.
On April 24, 2006, with the end of the Klondike Days theme in Edmonton, Edmonton Klondike Days Association officially became Events Edmonton. It would usher in a new era at the Association and would see the organization produce new events such as the Canada Day Festival and Metropolis International Winter Festival. Today the organization continues to develop new concepts and ideas to add to the current list of events and continue to provide community events for all to enjoy.
Events Edmonton works closely with the community, supporting local non-profit groups through partnerships and donations. These partnerships saw Events Edmonton donate $80,000 to many groups such as Hope Mission and Youth Empowerment and Support Services.