Street Performers, The Works team up for double the festival fun in Edmonton’s Churchill Square

Two of Edmonton’s most artistic summer festivals kick off Friday in Churchill Square.

This year — for the first time — the Edmonton Street Performers Festival and The Works Art and Design Festival have teamed up for double the fun in the square.

“We thought it would be a lot of fun,” said Amber Rooke, executive director of The Works.

After years of cancellations due to COVID-19, Rooke said the performers all are very excited to be back on the stage, doing what they love.

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“That’s exactly what’s been missing, is getting in front of an audience. And same for visual artists — we don’t really think about how solo those pursuits are. So there’s been a lot of reflection, people making do where they can — sometimes over the last couple of years, people have really been focusing on their art, creating new performances.

“To get back in front of people and actually connect with the audience, feel that energy come back, it’s something that everybody is really looking forward to.”

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The Works festival will include human-scaled installations, meaningful interactions and fun ways to get involved with the art, Rooke explained.

“We have some challenging work. There’s a very important piece in the library called ‘Collateral Damage,’ which is a subset of the gun sculpture that some people may be familiar with. And also, opportunities for people to take home pieces of nature in exchange for a promise, and lots of ways to get involved with painting and drawing and just generally enjoy the creation.”

This year marks the first time both festivals will be back at Churchill Square since 2017, after years of construction followed by cancellations due to COVID-19.

“We’re so excited to be back in a really big way,” Rooke said. “We’ve got a wide range of performers. There’s the variety of street performers, there are multi musical performances and non-musical performances on The Works and Street Performers stage. And, of course, all the visual arts installations and performances and interactions and art-making activities from The Works.”

The free festivals both run July 8-17.