Following the province’s “Open For Summer” announcement on Wednesday, K-Days announced Thursday planning is underway for its festival this year.
K-Days 2021 is set to run July 23 to Aug. 1 at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
On the official website, K-Days organizers explained: “With the health and safety of our community a top priority, we are planning and preparing to adapt to all public health orders.”
In a statement to Global News, a Northlands spokesperson would only say: “We are excited to see Alberta getting back to normal and we are working through what this week’s announcement means for K-Days and our partners and we will have more information by early next week.”
However, another popular summer festival has decided to postpone.
The Edmonton International Street Performers Festival board and staff decided to postpone the 2021 10-day festival in Churchill Square.
“Given timelines and the large-gathering attraction that is our festival, we feel it is the most prudent decision to make at this time, albeit a most difficult one,” the group said.
“The health and safety of our audiences, artists, volunteers and staff is our number one priority and at the forefront of our decision.”
Still, StreetFest has come up with another way to offer a taste of the festival experience in a less crowded way. It’s joining forces with the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues to have “Masked Parades” in various Edmonton neighbourhoods. The parades will be sponsored by the EPCOR Heart & Soul Fund and will align with the current AHS-EPH restrictions and weather conditions.
Under the Alberta government’s three-stage reopening plan, Stage 3 would be triggered two weeks after 70 per cent of eligible Albertans 12 and older have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Kenney said that’s expected to be in early July, as long as hospitalizations due to the virus don’t spike.
Stage 2 (which kicks in two weeks after 60 per cent of eligible Albertans have been vaccinated and there are fewer than 500 hospitalizations) allows distanced outdoor public gatherings up to 150 people.
Stage 3 has no public health restrictions, aside from the mandatory isolation period for people who test positive for COVID-19.
K-Days was cancelled last summer due to the pandemic and in order to prevent transmission.
K-Days conducted a Twitter poll in mid-March, asking people if events were allowed to happen, what kind would they be most willing to attend this summer.
More than 36 per cent of respondents said outdoor only, 44 per cent said indoor and outdoor, and 19 per cent said they wouldn’t attend any event.