Fort Edmonton Park will celebrate its grand reopening this week, after a nearly three-year closure.
New features following the $165-million upgrade project include an expanded 1920s-style midway, a new front entry plaza and a 30,000 square-foot exhibit that offers a look into First Nations and Métis cultures and history in the Edmonton area.
The new signature exhibit is called the Indigenous Peoples Experience. MOU Partners, the Métis Nation of Alberta and the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations were involved in the creation of the exhibit.
The exhibit is the first of its kind in Canada, according to officials with Fort Edmonton. Visitors will find themselves immersed in culture through interactive and hands-on exhibits, audio-visual components, as well as music, artwork and texts from local Indigenous contributors.
“The Indigenous Peoples Experience is truly an extraordinary facility, it symbolically captures the vibrant history and culture of our Treaty First Nations,” Treaty Six Grand Chief Vernon Watchmaker said in a news release Monday morning.
“We honour and appreciate the guidance of the Elders Advisory Council, some of whom are no longer with us. This is a true legacy project that was the first of its kind as everything began with ceremony. We are proud to have been a part of the creation of this facility, it is a wonderful model of what can be accomplished when we all work together. I can’t wait for the public to see it. They will certainly be amazed.”
“It is a great vessel, from which the stories will be told, the story of the Métis and the story of the First Nations people, who lived and worked in this area and helped create what Fort Edmonton Park is today,” added Métis Nation of Alberta president Audrey Poitras.
Other work done at the central Edmonton tourist attraction includes a new front entry plaza, which offers a cafe, gift shop, gender-neutral washrooms, as well as a wide-open ticketing and guest services area.
The new 1920s-midway includes a larger Ferris wheel, outdoor maze, the Cabinet of the Curios exhibit — a custom sideshow — and an expanded game selection.
A new structure to house and provide maintenance services on the 102-year-old Baldwin steam train was also built. Upgrades were also done to the power, gas, water and sewer systems.
“We are thrilled to be reopening Fort Edmonton Park and for Edmontonians to see what we’ve been working on over the past three years,” said Darren Dalgleish, president and CEO of Fort Edmonton Management Company.
“We are grateful to the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, the Métis Nation of Alberta, Elders, artisans and community members who helped us achieve this one-of-a-kind experience for visitors across the world.”
Funding for the project was contributed by the Government of Canada, Province of Alberta, the City of Edmonton and the Fort Edmonton Foundation.
“Eyes are going to pop, and jaws will drop,” Mayor Don Iveson said.
“Fort Edmonton Park has always brought Edmonton history to life through stories past and present but the new Indigenous Peoples Experience completes that job with conveying the rich history and legacy of this land’s original Indigenous peoples. Visitors will leave moved and inspired by their experiences at Fort Edmonton Park — and we can’t wait to welcome them.”
The park closed for renovations in 2019. The park had originally planned to open over the May long weekend, but the opening was pushed back due to the COVID-19 situation in the city.
The park will officially open to the public on July 1.
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