We’re a proud winter city, but there’s something about the first breezes of spring that signal an increased shift in activity. Whether you’re after an outdoor dance party, new symphony shows, the best gigs or other great things to do in Edmonton, our spring roundup will keep your social calendar as fresh as a daisy.
Get ready for an outdoor dance party
April 7 -8, 2023
Downtown Defrost is banking on the heat being raised by a slate of international, national, and local DJs to bring out the crowds April 7 and 8. Day programming takes place in a heated tent at Louise McKinney Park, where you’ll see such performers as Edmonton-born, Berlin-based DJ Dane, San Francisco House DJ Justin Martin, Nebraska’s Mary Droppinz, and Montreal’s Tiga. The after-party continues in the warmer confines of the Starlite Room, where you’ll dance the night away to acts like Cody Currie, Inner City, Machinedrum and Dunmore Park. Family-friendly outdoor activities in the park start at 2 pm, switching to the Starlite Room at 10 pm. A Weekend Pass costs $100, while individual day passes go for $55. After party tickets are $25+. Buy your passes online and keep on dancing.
Score tickets to a symphony movie night
April 15, 2023
South Allard Hall at MacEwan University is the location for the second instalment of the Alberta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Orchestra’s Ode to Humanity series on April 15. The thematic direction they’ll be exploring this time around is South, with pianist and conductor Emilio de Mercato leading the ensemble on classic film scores from movies such as Cinema Paradiso, The Legend of 1900, Pearl Harbor, and Han Zimmer’s Interstellar. Also on the musical agenda expect works by composers Ludovico Einaudi (Primavera, Divenire), Rachel Portman (We Had Today) Piazzolla (Libertango) John Williams (Theme from Schindler’s List) and a piano sextet performance of B rossette from the Korean drama Behind the White Tower. Tickets available online.
Party at a library all night long
April 15, 2023
If your taste is a little more on the raucous side of things the Edmonton Public Library is kicking off their Milner After Dark series on April 15 with a performance by Oakland’s indie-garage quartet Shannon & the Clams. Local rockers Faith Healer are also on the bill, which promises more than just musical fun. Look for aerial performances from Firefly Theatre, as well as some real-time painting from Indigenous artist Lance Cardinal. Need a break from the music? Wander off into the library itself to create in the Makerspace, sample small bites in the Kitchen (yup the library has a teaching kitchen), or find your favourite retro video game to play in the Gamerspace. It runs from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., tickets are $35 and up, available in advance from epl.ca
Say “Yas Queen”
April 25, 2023
You last saw them adding a touch of sass to the Grammys, and now Gottmik and Violet Chachki are extending the party to Edmonton. The superstar RuPaul Drag Race queens are bringing their No Gorge Lipsynch tour to the Winspear Centre, along with friends both old and new like Toronto’s The Virgo Queen and Edmonton favourites Gogo Fetch, Felicia Bonée (Call Me Mother) & Ruby Hymen. Doors are at 8 p.m., tickets are $49.99 and up, available in advance from winspearcentre.com. This event is recommended for those 18 and over, with a content warning for younger audiences.
Watch a gothic inspired musical
April 27 – 29, 2023
Catalyst Theatre is hosting a production of Nevermore in Concert at the Betty Andrews Recital Hall at MacEwan University. Billed as a “stripped down” version of playwright Jonathan Christenson’s acclaimed musical Nevermore – The Imaginary Life & Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe, this gothic production focuses more on the music than the play. It’s also exciting in that it brings back original cast members from the smash hit 2009 run, including Shannon Blanchet, Sheldon Elter, Beth Graham, Ryan Parker, Garett Ross, Vanessa Sabourin, and Scott Shpeley. Buy tickets online.