30 Things To Do In Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. With a population of over 1 million in the metropolitan area, it is Alberta’s second largest city after Calgary. Edmonton has a vibrant arts and festival culture, professional sports teams, a rejuvenated downtown with trendy restaurants and nightlife, and beautiful river valley parks system perfect for walking, biking and relaxing.
If you’re visiting Edmonton or live in the area, there are many great things to experience. Here are 30 of the top activities and attractions to put on your Edmonton bucket list:
1. Explore West Edmonton Mall
As one of the largest shopping malls in North America, West Edmonton Mall should be high on your list. With over 800 stores and services, it’s a shopper’s paradise. But there’s more than retail therapy to enjoy – let kids run wild at Galaxyland Amusement Park, walk through Chinatown, relax in World Waterpark, learn some history at the Art Gallery of Alberta or take in a movie at the cinema.
2. Check Out Elk Island National Park
Just 45 minutes east of Edmonton lies Elk Island National Park, home to wild bison, elk, coyotes, beavers and more. Hike forests trails, canoe on Astotin Lake, camp overnight or go on a guided tour to get up close views of the park’s wildlife inhabitants.
3. Bike or Walk Along River Valley Trails
Edmonton has the largest urban parkland in Canada thanks to an expansive trails system that follows the winding North Saskatchewan River Valley. Lace up your walking shoes or hop on a bicycle to explore 150+ kilometers of paved and dirt trails that take you to parks, attractions and surprisingly beautiful nature scenery right in the city.
4. Experience UKRAINIAN Culture on Jasper Avenue
Downtown Edmonton has been home to thousands of Ukrainian immigrants over the past century, influencing the city’s arts, culture and cuisine. Take a walk down bustling Jasper Avenue to peruse shops filled with authentic handicrafts and artwork at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada. Then dine on hearty Eastern European fare at restaurants like The Blue Pear and Syphay Garden.
5. Catch a Show at the Citadel Theatre
Dating back to the 1960s, The Citadel Theatre is one of Edmonton’s premier venues for live theatre shows and productions. Catch crowd-pleasing musicals, side-splitting comedy shows, compelling dramas and more staged in the Maclab and Shoctor theatres year-round.
6. Fill Up at an Eclectic Farmers’ Market
On select days you’ll find farmers’ markets pop up across Edmonton offering farm-fresh produce, artisanal eats and handmade goods. The Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market runs every Saturday with over 170 vendors located in a historic building. 104 Street Promenade sets up downtown on Thursdays. Or stop by the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market in Jasper Avenue on Wednesday afternoons.
7. Dig into Delicious Food Trucks
Edmonton’s food truck scene brings portable global cuisine to parks and events between May to October each year. Downtown, Churchill Square transforms into a lively outdoor food court during the lunch hour. Or see what trucks roll up to What the Truck events scheduled Tuesday evenings in rotating neighborhoods. From tacos to lobster rolls to dessert waffles, there’s something for every palate.
8. Experience Oilers Hockey
As a northern city that freezes over in winter, Edmontonians are passionate about hockey – and playoffs with their beloved Edmonton Oilers NHL franchise are cause for widespread excitement and celebration. Watch Connor McDavid and the team play on home ice at the high-tech Rogers Place arena downtown. Can’t get tickets? Join raucous fans to watch games broadcast across sports bars and pubs everywhere.
9. Cheer on the Edmonton Elks
If the Oilers are out of town, you can still get your sports fix courtesy of the Edmonton Elks Canadian football team. Attend a spirited CFL game at Commonwealth Stadium to watch the Elks battle opponents while enjoying cheerleaders, a marching band and an excitable 50/50 jackpot that once reached a record $71 million.
10. Enjoy the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival
For 11 straight days starting in mid-August, Old Strathcona hosts the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival where artists take over the funky neighborhood. Anyone can sign up to perform a play, musical act or comedy sketch on impromptu stages set up on sidewalks and in parking lots. With no juries or curation, you never know what delightfully weird performance you might encounter walking down the street.
11. Get Thrills at North America’s Largest Indoor Amusement Park
Located next to West Edmonton Mall, Galaxyland is a fully enclosed amusement park open year-round. Brave the world’s largest indoor triple loop rollercoaster, free fall from the 90-foot drop Mindbender ride and enjoy over 27 family-friendly rides and midway games spread across five themed areas.
12. Relax in Art Gallery of Alberta
This striking glass and steel architectural feat houses a vast Canadian art collection, from 19th century works to contemporary pieces. Wander vaulted galleries while admiring paintings Group of Seven members, Inuit sculptures made of whalebone and soapstone, ceramics works, modern abstract pieces and touring exhibits. The AGA also frequently hosts lecturers, music and dance performances.
13. Get Pampered at a Luxury Spa
Between the endless oil barons and harsh winter weather, Edmontonians like to indulge at upscale spas. Treat yourself to hot stone massages, body treatments with natural ingredients and relaxing soaks at spots like Dorinku Day Spa, The Spa at Edmonton Marriott River Cree and The Armitage Spa. Or spend a full day recharging at Thermëa spa village located in pine forests east of Edmonton.
14. Sample Local Craft Beer & Spirits
Alberta has experienced a craft brewery and distillery boom, with Edmonton at the epicenter of the artisanal action. Beer lovers can create their own tasting trail to sample locally made porters, saisons, sour ales and more at taprooms for Blindman Brewing, Sea Change Brewing Co., Polar Park Brewing and much more. Or visit Alberta spirits producers like Hansen Distillery, Rig Hand Distillery and Alberta Distillers Collective.
15. Enjoy Edmonton Pride Fest
Edmonton has one of the largest LGBTQ Pride festivals in Canada, drawing over 60,000 celebrants each June. Family-friendly Pride in the Park kicks off a full week of events like gala drag shows, dance parties, cultural walks, and the flashy Pride Parade showcasing community groups and glittering floats rolling down Jasper Avenue.
16. Experience DARK Sky Viewing
Despite light pollution blocking views in most cities, Edmonton’s most northerly location allows opportunities to witness the dazzling, unobstructed beauty of the night sky. Drive out to dark sky preserves like Pehonon Lake Park or Astotin Lake to see thousands of flickering stars, galaxies, planets and, if lucky, shimmering Northern Lights dancing overhead.
17. Take Selfies at the Full-Size Albertosaurus Statue
Contrary to popular belief, the Albertan capital is named after Prince Albert and not related to dinosaurs. But Edmonton still pays homage to its prehistoric past with giant scale models installed around town, most famously the menacing Albertosaurus sculpture by science museum TELUS World of Science.
18. Relax in the University of Alberta Botanic Garden
Covering 480 beautiful acres in parkland near the city’s university, these curated botanical gardens feature cultivated beds bursting with hardy plants like lilies, rhododendrons, roses and exotic tropical species within geodesic dome greenhouses. Explore fresh scents and colours along interpretive paths and trails while spotting birds, butterflies and gardening ideas.
19. Get Crafty at DIY Studios
Part of Edmonton embracing cooler weather is the proliferation of indoor creative spaces, from pottery painting joints to glass-blowing workshops. BYOBead Studio offers jewelry making parties while Clay Hand Studio holds group clay sculpting classes. Get messy at Color Me Mine painting pottery or build your own terrarium at Bottle and Bottega. No artistic talent required!
20. Take in Sweeping Views from High Level Bridge Streetcar
This historic bridge crossing the river valley looks pretty scenic from down below, but why not get sky-high views on board Edmonton’s streetcar? The vintage-style electric streetcar with wooden benches runs back and forth high above the valley, allowing panoramic vistas of the beautiful green expanse below and city skyline beyond.
21. Experience Aviation at Alberta Aviation Museum
Located on Edmonton’s former WWII-era air force base, this museum showcases 20 historic aircraft and artifacts emphasizing the province’s aviation heritage. See a replica of the Silver Dart, Canada’s first powered aircraft. Climb into the cockpit of an F-86 Sabre fighter jet. And chat with veteran pilots and mechanics who volunteer stories of bygone bush pilots along with restoring vintage planes.
22. See Nature at Muttart Conservatory
Escape winter inside Edmonton’s chic pyramid-shaped plant conservatory displaying tropical, arid, temperate and show floral habitats. Wind along stone paths through the Victoria Promenade’s colorful seasonal garden displays. Visit exotic water plants in the aquatic pond house. And sniff exotic scents like cinnamon, vanilla and chocolate in the Orchid House.
23. Go for a Paddle on North Saskatchewan River
Running right through Edmonton’s heart, the scenic North Saskatchewan River also provides pleasant recreational paddling. Rent a canoe, kayak or stand up paddleboard to gently float under High Level Bridge by downtown to appreciate city views before heading upriver towards parks like Emily Murphy and Hawrelak where herons, kingfishers and beavers make appearances along the winding banks.
24. Learn History at Fort Edmonton
Time travel back to 1846 at the reconstructed Fort Edmonton, a former fur trading hub perfectly recreated by renovated original buildings plus rebuilt palisades, teepees, gardens and a bison pen. Attend blacksmithing or York boat building demonstrations while costumed historical interpreters share stories of the fur trade era and life as early settlers.
25. Catch Festival Spirit at Heritage Days
Edmonton proudly embraces its cultural diversity each August during the 3-day Heritage Festival when ethnic pavilions pop up representing countries around the world. Don ethnic attire to dance at lively cultural performances on stage, learn global arts and crafts, taste authentic cuisine for sale from Portuguese piri piri chicken to South Indian vada to Lebanese baklava to Filipino halo halo dessert.
26. Marvel at Royal Alberta Museum Collections
Reopened after six years and $375 million makeover, Edmonton’s provincial museum will wow you with stunning architecture housing incredible artifacts like dino skeletons, insects trapped in amber, fearsome Ice Age mammals, minerals from the Rockies and artifacts chronicling Alberta’s indigenous tribes and early European settlers.
27. Peruse 124 Street Art Galleries
Edmonton’s arts district north of downtown holds First Fridays when all the small galleries and studios stay open late hosting openings, wandering art lovers, pop up shops, street snacks and entertainment creating a lively scene as emerging creators showcase provocative contemporary works of sculpture, graffiti, photography and neon conceptual installations.
28. Shop the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market
Rain or shine, the open-air Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market draws crowds every Saturday morning year-round as a Edmonton foodie staple. Browse 100+ local vendor tents and stalls to find organic vegetables, just-baked sourdough bread, gourmet cheeses, elk smokies, small batch maple syrup, fruit wines, fresh pasta, natural pet food, handcrafted pottery mugs and unique gift items you won’t find anywhere else.
29. Snap Photos at Neon Sign Museum
This warehouse in downtown holds a dazzling collection of vintage neon signs preserved to highlight 20th century advertising plus Edmonton’s electrical history. Wander the dark space glowing under decades-old neon artwork once belonging to demolised local bars, bowling alleys, diners, motels and retail establishments as an atmospheric walk through nostalgia.
30. Walk Across High Level Bridge
While the streetcar ride high atop this bridge crossing Edmonton’s river valley may provide the best views, pedestrians can equally appreciate a free vista by simply walking north-south across Walterdale Bridge footnote or Louise McKinney Riverfront Park footnote. The lengthy elevated span allows marveling at lush parkland greenery, the winding waterway, skyline featuring unique pyramidal Muttart Conservatory pyramids in the distance with opportunities to photograph beloved Edmonton scenes.
So there’s my recommendations for 30 fantastic things to add to your Edmonton sightseeing list that showcase festivals, culture, cuisine, arts, nightlife attractions beyond big name sites revolving around natural scenery, sports fandom, shopping and family-friendly entertainment the capital city does so well. Have fun exploring everything vibrant Edmonton has to offer visitors!
