Deep Freeze 2012

Mack and I had great intentions to make it out to the Deep Freeze Festival on Saturday night (three words: Bailey’s Ice Bar!), but after a morning of running errands, we ended up taking it easy the rest of the day. This morning, however, we decided it was simply too beautiful outside not to take advantage of it, so off to Alberta Avenue we went.

Jousting

What a difference one year makes – our first time at the festival last year saw us trudging through several feet of snow, in temperatures of –20 with windchill. This year? Clean pavement, sunny skies, and temperatures warm enough to melt the snow and ice sculptures that were on display.

Wagon rides (look at that sky!)

Of course, we weren’t complaining, and neither were the hefty crowds! There were at least double the numbers on the grounds this year, all taking advantage of our unseasonably balmy winter. We saw several people flaunting shorts, and even one man brave enough to sport flip flops!

Mack behind the soon-to-be-liquid bar

Formerly frozen x’s and o’s

I’m not sure if the organizers knew how warm it would be, but their “Surf’s Up: a Snow to Sand Winter Adventure” theme ended up being rather fitting. At the rate some of the displays were melting, we were sure they wouldn’t last another day.

Still at it (Mack liked how patrons could text in votes for their favourite sculptures)

But they did their best to manage the thaw – the ice slide had been decorated with pine trees and dressed with slabs of snow to disguise its rapidly deteriorating structure. And really, the kids didn’t seem to mind – they were having a blast! The skating and curling surfaces also seemed to hold up well, though we didn’t partake in either.

Rinks

Hurry hard!

What I couldn’t resist was Vlad’s Village Pig ($7 for pork on a bun). Roasted on a spit on-site, we were lucky to end up with a fresh piece of pork, carved off the third (and final) pig. Our serving had some of the succulent meat, and quite a bit of the crispy, flavourful skin. Score!

Carving up a storm

A volunteer holds up one of the pig heads (we were told that the snout has qualities in it to prevent illness – haven’t heard that before)

My sandwich!

Based on how packed the Community Hall was, we think this festival might be outgrowing its space – which is a good thing, because Deep Freeze is a gem that we hope more people discover. See you next year!

2011 Festival of Trees

It’s been a few years since I last attended the Festival of Trees, but when May offered me an extra ticket she had been given by her office, it seemed like a good chance to get reacquainted with one of Edmonton’s Christmas traditions.

It would be difficult for most people not to be swayed by the spirit of the season after stepping inside the immaculately decorated halls of the Shaw Conference Centre. Between the music, the lights, and of course, the trees, the room was glowing with the joy of Christmas.

A recyclable tree

One sweet hearth

May and I agreed that attending the festival towards the end of its final day was actually not a bad idea; by that point, most of the crowds had dispersed. It meant we could take our sweet time admiring our favourite trees, revelling in their beauty and detail.

Dissipating crowds

Bringing the outside in

It’s hard to know how veteran contributors come up with new ideas year after year, but it was evident there were some wonderful creativity behind some of the tree themes. Most of my favourites were probably aimed more at children, but what can I say? I’m a kid at heart.

How can you not love Elmo?

Under the Sea

More toys (yep, that’s a Furby you see)

We also noted new-to-us displays of interesting wreaths, including a stunning wreath constructed out of steel ribbons.

May and I also made sure to tour the gingerbread creations (most definitely went above and beyond construction of a “house”). Being a Star Wars fan, I had a soft spot for the Ewok tree hut, but I also had to marvel at the detail in the very aptly named “Have You Any Wool?”, down to the texture of the knit stocking.

“Forest of Endor”

“Have You Any Wool?”

I also loved the comical scene in “A Merry Little Christmas Tree”, created by the Shaw Conference Centre pastry chefs. They definitely had a sense of humour when it came to this particular landing of Santa’s sleigh.

“A Merry Little Christmas Tree”

Thanks again to May for inviting me – it was a great reminder of what I’ve been missing these past few years!

2011 Holiday Light Up on Churchill Square

The annual Holiday Light Up on Churchill Square is something I don’t like to miss, even if the weather is less than conducive for an outdoor event! Mack and I braved the cold to partake in this annual tradition.

Cold!

Earlier in the afternoon though, I trekked down to the Square to pick up some groceries from the City Market. As with the previous two Saturdays, to help tie the Market into the day’s festivities, a third of the vendors were set-up in a tent on Churchill Square.

City Market outdoors

Though I thought this location was a boon to the vendors last year, it was a much different picture then, as it was easily about twenty degrees warmer than it was today. One of the two heaters stopped working an hour in this morning, something that didn’t bode well for those positioned in that half of the tent. Over in City Hall, however, it was very pleasant, with musicians livening up the atmosphere. Many shoppers were asking about which vendors were in the Square, but didn’t seem willing to step outside to explore them firsthand. I wonder if some clear signage with a map of vendors would have been an incentive to do so? Or, because of the weather, simply have allowed all of the vendors to remain inside the Hall?

Later that evening, Mack met up with me and we sipped hot coffee in anticipation of the light-up and fireworks. Closer to 5pm, the crowd swelled to a few hundred – it’s always heartening to see Edmontonians embracing outdoor activities.

Stilt walkers wandered into the crowd

After a few Christmas songs to warm up the crowd, Eskimo cheerleaders and Councillor Jane Batty welcomed Santa Claus himself up on stage (it was pretty amusing when Councillor Batty expressed to Santa that “one or two Councillors” will be receiving coal this Christmas).

On a break from the North Pole

I was a bit disappointed that the organizers opted not to use the giant light switch that they have in the past, but counting down to the light-up itself was still a great time. The 71 foot white spruce, weighing 8000 pounds, had been donated by Millar Western. Decorations included 14,000 LED lights, sparklers and snowglobes, about 4,000 more than last year.

Tree

I look forward to the fireworks spectacle every year, primarily because it is the only show in our city that is timed to music. I wonder if it was the cold that impacted the execution of the fireworks this year, because something delayed them this time around, which meant that they didn’t end up accompanying the music. We still enjoyed them though – fireworks are always a great way to kick off the holiday season!

Fireworks

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The tree will be around to view until early January. Make sure to check it out when you have a chance!

2011 Olde Time Fair on the Square

It wasn’t an overly warm day, but in spite of the overcast conditions, the weather was conducive to the outdoor Olde Time Fair on the Square festivities.

Churchill Square

While it may not have been as bustling as last week’s River City Round Up Kick-Off, organizers made up for it with spirit (the DJ in particular was energetic), and fire.

Retro fire and police vehicles on display

Mack loves a good fire pit

There was a whole host of activities for children, including carnival games, arts and crafts, wagon rides and the always-coveted balloon animals.

Games

Similar to last week, food vendors were also on hand to feed the hungry hoards, most of which didn’t seem to mind the slight chill. Still, we had to wonder why the City didn’t bring out the heat lamps on this occasion to keep the seating area warm, especially given they already had staff manning the fire pits.

Vendors

For whatever reason, the City Market had been split up in half. Some vendors were inside the heated tent located right on Churchill Square, while others were located in their usual home. Again, signage wasn’t great in pointing shoppers to City Hall, but given how busy it was inside the City Room, perhaps word of the year-round market is picking up steam after all.

Inside the City Market tent

It’s hard not to be drawn to Doef’s display at City Hall

Doef’s has the right to these heart-shaped cucumber moulds in Canada – expect to see these special cucumbers everywhere leading up to Valentine’s Day

Before we left, we took a picture of the Christmas tree that will be lit up at next Saturday’s event – hope to see you there!

Christmas tree

2011 River City Round Up: Food, Festivities and the City Market

Though we were disappointed that there was no cattle drive at this year’s River City Round Up kick-off, it’s always a treat to watch horses walking through the streets of downtown Edmonton.

Last Saturday, Mack and I watched the parade on a crisp fall day. The crowds were modest, though I think most people were situated closer to Churchill Square.

The wee donkey near the start of the procession was hard to beat, but it was clear all of the participants were having a blast. I also loved hearing the sound of hoofs against the pavement, the clip-clop that echoed down the block.

The rear cavalry

Churchill Square was party central, with a stage set-up alongside vendors and food trucks.

Inflatable welcome

It’s only a bull

Drift had created a sandwich just for the event – Nature’s Green Acres braised beef with a house-made whisky BBQ sauce and crispy onions ($7.50). It was delicious, and if I had the opportunity to try it a few more times, might become my favourite Drift sandwich!

Braised beef sandwich from Drift

The Lingnan Express was also on hand (if you’re curious about how the truck came to be, check out this episode of The Quon Dynasty online). We hung out with Miles and Ajit for a bit inside, and warmed up with a sample of their won ton soup. The broth in particular was great – Miles said thirty chicken carcasses went into the soup!

Miles loves kettle corn

Towards City Hall, there were pony and wagon rides, crafts and balloons for kids, and even square dancing!

Pony rides

The City Market was going on, as usual, inside City Hall. It seemed busier than usual, no doubt the beneficiary of all of the festivities outside. It was great to have Martin Kerr on hand to set the tone inside – his voice does wonders of bringing the street to the hall.

City Room

We were able to pick up some of what we needed, but what is still lacking is produce (Kuhlmann’s, Doef’s Greenhouses, Greens, Eggs and Ham, and Steve & Dan’s were on hand last week). I recognize that it is a chicken-egg argument, and that a consistent customer base is needed to support more vendors (and we reside in a northern climate where produce selection in general in the winter months will be limited), but the selection isn’t great. I will be patient, knowing it will take time to grow the year-round component of the City Market, and hopefully others will be as well.

This was the first of three Saturdays where Churchill Square will be the hub of activity – tomorrow will see the Olde Time Fair on the Square, and next week, possibly my favourite Christmas event in the city – the Holiday Light Up on the Square. See you there!

You can take a look at Mack’s photo set here.

2011 Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival: Ticket Giveaway!

The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is Edmonton’s largest wine and food event. In its tenth year, the event transforms a part of the Shaw Conference Centre into a Grand Tasting Hall, showcasing both wineries and restaurants from across the province. It runs October 21-22, 2011.

It was one of the first wine tasting events that I ever attended, back in 2007. Although there are similar events that have preceded it, and many that have sprung up in its wake, I appreciated the nature of this one. Unpretentious, it was a great way for someone like me who was just starting to explore the world of wine to try a good variety without feeling like I was being judged for my lack of knowledge. That said, I’m sure more experienced wine drinkers would enjoy the festival as well, sampling and talking to the wine reps in the laid-back atmosphere. The list of the 2011 wineries is here.

And the food – at this year’s festival, over three dozen restaurants will be on hand to sample their fare. Restaurants include Creations (featuring smoked corn and leek fondue in mini brioche cups), Guru (offering butter chicken samosas), Niche (serving venison meatballs topped with duck cracklings), Jacek (serving a variety of truffles, such as salted burnt caramel), and the Red Piano (offering red velvet whoopie pies). You can take a look at the full menu here,

Special to the 2011 edition are complimentary Cheese Seminars to be hosted by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Seminars will offer information, wine pairing suggestions and free Canadian cheese samples.

If you’re interested in attending the festival, make sure to pick up tickets online, which are $5 less than the fee at the door. Sampling coupons (for both liquor and food items) are available on-site at a price of 50 cents each.

I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to give away two tickets that can be used to gain admission to the festival on Friday, October 21, a value of $46. A note about the tickets: they are not transferable to Saturday’s session, and sampling coupons will need to be purchased separately. Also, all attendees must be 18 years or older (minors, including infants, are not permitted).

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment below with why you’d like to attend the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival. The contest closes at 5 p.m. on October 18, 2011. I will contact the winner by e-mail that evening and post the name of the winner here. Good luck!

EDIT: Congratulations, Kim O!

More Food, More Trucks: What the Truck?! 2

In the time since the last What the Truck?! in June, two more trucks joined Edmonton’s mobile food scene, and a third was serving up worldly flavours at farmers’ markets in Sherwood Park and St. Albert. The time was ripe for another food truck extravaganza.

Planning for the second WTT, Mack and I knew we wanted the event to be bigger and better. The addition of Drift, Nomad and Molly’s Eats (bringing the total number of trucks to nine) meant Beaver Hills House Park was no longer an option. So instead of fighting with a similarly challenging space that would require trucks to jump the curb, we approached the City about closing 102 Street, just south of Jasper. It is adjacent to Abbey Lane Park, a lovely, often-overlooked green space downtown.

Road closed

The fee for the street closure was not inexpensive, due in part to the need to re-route several buses. But thanks to Responsible Hospitality Edmonton, the fee was taken care of. Moving forward, it is likely the City won’t pick up such a large tab again; sponsors for future curbside events will be essential.

Mack and I were perhaps too confident that the two of us alone could handle ushering in the trucks as well as setting up the park space that afternoon. Luckily, a last minute tweet for some help was answered by Sandra, Walter and Brittney, who graciously helped us move some tables in anticipation of the crowds.

Sandra, Walter and Brittney to the rescue!

Felicia and Jeff made use of the tables

Though the weather could have been much worse, we couldn’t believe that WTT happened to fall on a Friday that was bookended by two gloriously hot summer days. That said, thankfully, the overcast and windy conditions didn’t seem to deter hearty, hungry patrons at all.

The crowds

It’s difficult to know how many people attended WTT 2, but the number was at least double the first event. We did know, however, that the line-ups were rampant and long – up to an hour at some trucks. We thank everyone for their patience that day, and for demonstrating to us that Edmonton indeed has an appetite for food trucks!

There was lots of photo sharing that day – Jessica takes a picture of her prized Drift sandwiches

It was so gratifying for both of us to see the wide range of people at WTT – particularly the families that brought their children to the event. Given that Abbey Lane Park is typically empty in the evenings, it was fantastic to see children making use of the green space.

Linda made sure Zoe was well fed!

In an effort to try to improve the event, we did our best to incorporate the feedback we received after the first WTT. More recycle receptacles were made available, and we ensured that lines were distributed throughout the space instead of concentrating the crowds in one area. It seemed to work well overall, though I know the fence along the park did restrict a few of the lines.

Drift had one intense line

We know some people were frustrated with the length of the lines, or with some of the trucks running out of food, but we hope this might encourage you to give the truck a try the next time you see them.

We really appreciated that several of the trucks crafted dishes specifically for WTT. It definitely made it easier to market!

Bamir brought the bacon…literally

It was our own fault, but Mack and I actually didn’t end up eating much that day. We really should have made more of an effort to attack the trucks at the beginning! Anyway, I did get to sample one of the dishes I was looking forward to – the Hong Kong-style wonton noodle soup from The Lingnan. The soup did much to warm me up from the chilly breeze.

HK-style wonton noodle soup

Mack and I also couldn’t pass up Eva Sweet’s bacon waffle! Bamir definitely didn’t skimp on the crispy bacon, but call me old fashioned – I have to say I actually prefer the sweet waffle.

Mack and Sharon

Waffles! (photo courtesy of Brittney Le Blanc)

As a whole, we were also able to garner much more media attention this time around. The Journal, AOL and CBC previewed the event while Global, CTV and the Sun covered WTT on the day of. We’re hoping many more people in the city are aware of this phenomenon now!

Mack being interviewed by Global

In addition to raising awareness about food trucks, Mack and I were happy to learn that we also accomplished our second goal of encouraging a vibrant downtown. Two separate business owners reported that they benefited from the spillover of WTT patrons into their establishments: Tres Carnales had one of their best days that Friday; and Credo was packed that evening, contrary to typical Friday nights. It was great to hear concrete examples of the neighbourhood directly benefitting from increased foot traffic – what other things could we do to animate downtown after 5?

Hungry for food!

There is no doubt that What the Truck?! would not have happened without the support of many people. Thanks to our sponsors Responsible Hospitality Edmonton, the Downtown Edmonton Community League, Eat St., Edmonton Economic Development Corporation and Yelp. Thanks to all nine of our vendors, who worked tirelessly that night and continue to work every day to raise the bar of street food in Edmonton. And a special thanks to Thomas Scott and Marc Carnes (aka the Urban Monks DJs) for earning their badges in “extreme dj-ing” by battling the wind tunnel-like conditions to provide us with the perfect beats to dine by!

DJs Thomas and Marc

We don’t yet know when WTT may again rear its tasty head again, but if you’d like to see more of such events, let us know! Thanks to everyone for coming out!

You can read Mack’s post about WTT here, and see his photoset here.

Road Trip: Farmers’ Markets and Festivals

We always hit up at least one farmers’ market when we’re in Calgary – this time, we visited two.

The first stop was the Kingsland Farmers’ Market, which I wrote about back in April. Since our last visit, they’ve been setting up tents outside to take advantage of the warmer weather.

Gorgeous tomatoes

Spotted the new Field Stone Fruit Wine labels – snazzy!

It’s always a treat to see Mary Ellen (of Greens, Eggs and Ham). Since they set up shop at Kingsland, we pretty much only see her when we’re down in Calgary! We also look forward to picking up Rustic Sourdough Bakery’s pretzels rolls – will someone in Edmonton make these, please?

I like the idea of a “specials” board, though this one is a little hard to read

We then drove down to the new location of the Calgary Farmers’ Market (CFM), which wasn’t quite ready when we were last down. Though I am frustrated sometimes with how Edmonton is such a car-centric city, in this instance, we do fare better – at least our two largest farmers’ markets (City Market and Old Strathcona) are situated centrally, easily accessible by LRT and/or main bus routes.

At the special City Market meeting called earlier this year to help determine the direction of the year-round venue, the consultant showed photographs of the CFM, using it as a prime example of what permanent stalls could look like. As a result, Mack and I were eager to see what it looked like in person.

Calgary Farmers’ Market

At first glance, the CFM is everything a market should be: bright, bustling, with wide aisles and clear signs. There was an expansive seating area as well, and high tables perfect for resting coffee upon while browsing. The “rustic” wood frame around each stall looked perhaps a little too polished, but I appreciated the aesthetic they were going for.

Busy place

There was also a great mix of vendors, as expected, from produce to meat and poultry, to dairy and even local grains and oils.

Great dairy case (it was a good excuse to finally try Vital Green Farms’ chocolate milk – it was delicious!)

Loved Highwood Crossing’s tagline: “Canada’s olive oil”

But walking around, it was clear the CFM didn’t have the same feel as the City Market, Old Strathcona, or even Kingsland for that matter. Between the large food court and play area, it resembled more of a shopping mall.

Food court

I’m definitely not against concessions and family-friendly spaces, but it was the first market I’ve ever come across that seemed to want to please everyone. One can only imagine such amenities would be factored into vendors’ rent and maintenance costs.

Play area

Mary Ellen explained to us in the past Calgary’s “one-stop shop” mentality, which results in farmers’ markets carrying everything from lemons to bananas beside the local produce. But at the CFM, there also seemed to be a number of resellers present. This is fine, except that it wasn’t easy to distinguish between producers and resellers – and really, isn’t the point of farmers’ markets for patrons to buy food directly from those who grew it? Sure, some consumers might ask the right questions, but ideally, it should be more intuitive than that.

Innisfail Growers – not a reseller!

In addition, we had to wonder about the viability of a four day market. There’s no question that it is convenient and more accessible, allowing consumers a place to shop for local wares Thursday to Sunday. But because we saw several examples of sad and wilted produce on tables, it seemed some vendors were having challenges ensuring product quality. Perhaps there isn’t adequate on-site cold storage for all who need it? Also, based on the discussion at the City Market meeting in April, we know some producers mentioned that staffing and refreshing a multi-day market would be difficult – for example, who would tend to the farm over that period?

Strawberries from The Jungle Farm

At the end of the day, our visit to CFM just made me think of all the facets of a “modern” year-round market. And with the City Market continuing to explore venues for their own year-round venture, it will be interesting to see what direction they decide to take.

We ended our tour of Calgary that weekend with a visit to 17^th Avenue. We ended up stumbling upon the Uptown 17 market and music festival.

Love the colourful chairs!

In the area of neighbourhood branding, we still think Calgary does a better job of that than we do in Edmonton. Let’s hope that the “I ❤ #yegdt” catches on enough for the Downtown Business Association to use it more widely!

Uptown 17 everywhere!

There is always something to do in Edmonton, but the same can be said about Calgary. We’ll be back soon!

City Market Report: Week 18 (plus Corn Fest!)

I suppose this really isn’t a City Market report so much as it is a recap about Corn Fest, Downtown Edmonton Community League’s annual fall event run in conjunction with Edmonton Federation of Community League’s city-wide Community League Day.

Corn Fest

Over 100 community leagues organized events for today, which ranged from barbecues, potlucks, carnivals, garage sales and pet pampering – I hope you had the chance to check out the activities in your neighbourhood!

DECL has offered Corn Fest for a number of years, but starting aligning the date with Community League Day last year. It serves up free corn with a side of salsa dancing.

Corn!

I had taken in Corn Fest last year, but this was my first time being on the other side. Set-up went pretty smoothly, and we had plenty of time to shuck the corn before our 11am start time.

Laurissa was a shucking machine!

Lindsey and Ian

The weather was overcast for most of the day, cool but not cold, and all in all, a great day for a hot cob of corn. Crowds were steady, but a rush of people late in the afternoon meant we ended up running out of corn early – we ran through about 450 ears of corn!

We need more corn!

Mack and Jon enjoy their corn

It’s amazing how transformational music is – as soon as the salsa music came on, people started wandering into Beaver Hills House Park to check out what was happening. Even when no one was utilizing the square to dance, it created a festive, warm atmosphere. The couples that did eventually descend on the dance floor were a treat to watch!

Just dance

MLA Laurie Blakeman was also around today to hand out the Downtown in Bloom awards. Congrats to all of the winners!

MLA Laurie Blakeman and Scott

There was a lot going on in that area today: the folks behind the Alley of Light were doing chalk art in the alley with children, and there was a performance on the corner of 105 Street and Jasper.

Walk the chalk

Performance art

And of course, there was the market! Because I was busy volunteering, Mack was responsible for picking up the groceries this week, so just a few photos here and there today.

Beautiful garlic from Sundog Organic Farm

Beets from Sundog Organic Farm

Pumpkins from Sundog Organic Farm

Baby corn from Greens, Eggs and Ham

Hope you had a good Saturday as well!

A Summery Sunday in Edmonton: Viva Italia Viva Edmonton and the Alley of Light

Mack and I started off our Sunday at Urban China for dim sum with my family. It’s been much too long since we’ve done that on a weekend morning, because we clearly underestimated the crowds: it was a forty minute wait from the time my parents arrived around noon. We’ll get an earlier start next time; Urban China is still one of my favourite places for dim sum in Edmonton!

Crispy pork dumplings

We then headed off to Giovanni Caboto Park for the last day of the East Meets West Festival that celebrated all things Italian!

This was our first time at Viva Italia Viva Edmonton, though we’ve taken in the Chinese and African legs of the celebration in past years. It was easily the best part of the festival we’ve ever attended.

Chasing Jones

Part of that had to do with the amount of space afforded in Little Italy, especially when compared with Chinatown or the McCauley School grounds. With a playground, spray park, wide green spaces as well as the street, there were definitely a lot more possibilities because of the area.

Lots of families were out!

That said, the organizers still had to program the wide expanse, and they did that with panache. We arrived around 2pm, and found an abundance of things to peruse. Between browsing the shops and the car show, watching the soccer tournament, taking in the cooking demonstrations, or enjoying the on-stage entertainment, there really was something for everyone (Maki thought so too).

Zocalo tent

Mack’s dream car

Soccer tournament

I have to say I particularly enjoyed Chef Daniel Costa’s demonstration. He made something I’ll never be able to pronounce, let alone spell out. Needless to say, it was a bucatini pasta with cured pig jowl and a San Marzano tomato sauce. He was great handling audience questions, and clearly loved sharing his passion for Italian cuisine with the crowd. Perhaps most invaluable was learning about some of his favourite products available at the Italian Centre (such as the Rio brand of olive oil for cooking).

Chef Daniel Costa

Speaking of food, one of the most entertaining moments of the day for us was the pizza eating contest. Four women who work in local media were recruited for the spectacle, which required them to eat as much of a medium pizza as they could in five minutes. Brandy Taylor of Sonic and Kit Koon of OMNI tied, and ended up in a two minute eat-off. Brandy emerged as the champion.

Sizeable crowd on hand

Chow down!

There was also plenty of food options to keep festival-goers well fed. Fantasia Gelato easily had the longest line-ups that day, though Sorrentino’s and the Italian Centre were also serving up Italian fare.

Gelato line

Cooking up sausages

Wine and cheese tasting tent

Our only suggestion for next year is to have all of the information up on a website prior. The postcards with the festival week schedule were nice, but didn’t have the detailed information that would definitely help them attract an even bigger crowd.

We hopped on a bus, and on the walk home, came across the Alley of Light public art installation still in progress.

It’s a really neat project – three artists were commissioned by the Edmonton Arts Council to create a design that could be made into a stencil. The stencil would then be used to paint a portion of the alley.

Featuring bold, bright colours, it is a project that puts art in unexpected (but welcome!) places, and will definitely turn some heads. And hopefully, as forecasted by the speech bubble, invite dialogue about public art and the Alley of Light itself.

Alley of Light

Check it out the next time you’re downtown!

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