Heritage Fest is back at Hawrelak this weekend

Hi Edmonton,

Two storms in three days, and the river valley is still draining. Crews are out chasing downed trees, the Muttart is shut today, and the North Saskatchewan is officially off limits. The good news is buried at the bottom: Heritage Fest returns to Hawrelak on Saturday for the first time since the renos.

— The Edmonton Edit

⚡ Quick Hits

Two thunderstorms in three days flooded roads, knocked out power and brought down trees across the city. Crews were still working through it Monday.

Environment Canada has made it official: this is the rainiest summer Edmonton has ever recorded. June storms alone caused roughly $26 million in uninsurable loss and damage. This weekend, winds hit 94 km/h and about 37,700 Epcor customers lost power at the peak.

The City logged 341 reports of downed trees and branches between Saturday evening and Monday morning, and 2,256 storm-related issues since July 1. Edmonton Fire Rescue took 252 calls between 5 p.m. Saturday and 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

The Connors Road, Scona Road and 98 Avenue interchange closed, and flooding hit Belgravia, the U of A area and The Alces. Yellowhead Trail, Whitemud Drive and Groat Road were reported reopened Monday. A tree came down on the Valley Line southeast tracks in Strathearn, cutting service between Holyrood and Muttart, with buses running between Bonnie Doon and downtown instead.

The Muttart Conservatory is closed today because flooded roads cut off access, and the City hoped to reopen Wednesday with day camps back on. It's applying to the province's Hazard Assistance and Resilience Program for up to 90 per cent of eligible disaster costs, with more applications going in by the end of August.

Starting Friday, July 31, Albertans can refer themselves for diagnostic imaging and pay for it directly. That includes ultrasound, X-ray, MRI and CT. Premier Danielle Smith announced it at a Calgary news conference Monday.

The policy was first announced in October 2025 and made law this spring, reclassifying preventative testing as uninsured. It also covers private mammograms and cardiovascular tests. If a scan leads to a cancer diagnosis, reimbursement becomes possible starting Saturday.

Minister Justin Wright says participating clinics have to keep the same referral access they had before July 31. The ministry expects four times as many patients to choose the private route now that no requisition is needed. Alberta has more than 130 radiologist-operated imaging clinics, and private scans currently make up about 0.5 per cent of provincial diagnostic imaging.

Not everyone is on board. Friends of Medicare director Chris Gallaway says this paves the way for two-tier, American-style health care, and the Alberta Medical Association is opposed as well.

For anyone here, it means you can book imaging at a participating clinic without a doctor's requisition, as long as you're covering the bill. Friday is the day it kicks in.

102 Avenue is fully closed to vehicles between 107 Street and 102 Street for the entire 2026 construction season. Phase 2 started July 15 and runs to the end of the year. You can still cross north-south on 104 Street, except Saturdays, when it's handed over to the Downtown Farmers' Market. 101 Street and 109 Street stay open, and pedestrian routes are detoured but intact. If you drive downtown on weekends, build your route around 104 Street being unavailable.

The closure has been in effect since July 15.

→ Full details on edmonton.ca: https://www.edmonton.ca/projects_plans/transit/valley-line-west

A few transit changes worth knowing. Bus Stop #99013 at Heritage Valley Trail and Chappelle Road SW closed July 22 and stays closed until summer 2026. Route 501 has been on detour since June 24 because of road work on 94B Avenue between 61 Street and 68 Street. The big one is the Wellington Bridge replacement on 102 Avenue in Glenora, which starts the week of September 15 and runs about 16 months, fully closing that stretch. Route 2 will detour via 124 Street, 107 Avenue and 142 Street, so Glenora riders may as well start planning now.

→ Full details on edmonton.ca: https://www.edmonton.ca/ets/general-service-alerts

The City has a site-wide alert up saying water levels have made the North Saskatchewan unsafe. Residents are asked to stay off the river until further notice. That applies to the whole river valley stretch, city-wide. No date is attached to the banner, which means it's live right now. Paddleboards, rafts, all of it. Give it a week.

→ Full details on edmonton.ca: https://www.edmonton.ca/activities_parks_recreation/parks_rivervalley/river-safety

Today

🎉 Sherbrooke Presents: Mocktails & Masterminds with Kevin Jones
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 28
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Sherbrooke Liquor
Two hours of hands-on mocktail building with zero-proof spirits, with trivia rounds in between. Good option if you're not drinking but still want a Tuesday out.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/hh9uufr1m7s00zjjuki30wyplzyn3p

🎉 $5 Tuesday at Metro Cinema
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 28
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Metro Cinema at the Garneau, Garneau/Old Strathcona
Cost: $5 advance / $5 door
Five bucks gets you in, every Tuesday through the rest of the summer. Cheapest air conditioning in Old Strathcona.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/5-tuesday-at-metro-cinema-dawbb-fjncd-fww7s-yt4wn

Tomorrow

🎉 Woodshed Burgers gluten-free day
Source: Only Here For The Food
Date: July 29
Location: Woodshed Burgers, all three locations
One day, one gluten-free menu, running at every Woodshed. If you're usually the person asking about the bun, this is your Wednesday.
→ Tickets / Info: https://onlyhereforthefood.ca/2026/07/27/food-notes-for-july-27-2026/

🎉 Candles and Charcuterie Workshop
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 29
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: The Art of Cake, Queen Mary Park / Wîhkwêntôwin area
Candle-making paired with charcuterie and bubbly, run by The Art of Cake. Two hours, and you leave with something you made.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/candles-and-charcuterie-workshop-ww6jf

🎉 'Please Stay with Me' Book Launch Party (Rhonda Webster)
Source: Audreys Books
Date: July 29
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Audreys Books, Downtown
Rhonda Webster's debut memoir about bipolar disorder, illustrated by her daughter-in-law. There's a reading and signed copies, and launches at Audreys tend to fill the back room.
→ Tickets / Info: https://audreysbooks.com/events/5755720260727

🎉 On Stage: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 29
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Citadel Theatre, Downtown / Arts District
The musical comedy runs through August 2, with both matinees and evening shows. It's the one where audience members get pulled up to spell.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/on-stage-the-25th-annual-putnam-spelling-bee-nzbfz-gxlk2-39z8a

🎉 FREE Grindstone Comedy Open Mic Night
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 29
Time: 10:00 PM
Location: Grindstone Theatre, Old Strathcona
Cost: Free
Weekly stand-up open mic, no cover, and a start time that assumes you've already had dinner. Comics work new material, so the quality swings wildly. That's the fun.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/free-grindstone-comedy-open-mic-night-s6j26-wjgnt-aa6yy-bf2ah-zay4e-2bmgx-8esa2-lc75r-2ywjg-6k6yd-ypf49-anw4r-6hc6s-etgkf-7ph34

Thursday

🎉 Cooking Class: Roll with It Sushi Basics
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 30
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Get Cooking, Oliver / Wîhkwêntôwin
Three hours of hands-on rolling with Chef Kathryn Joel. Aimed squarely at people whose homemade maki falls apart on the cutting board.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/cooking-class-roll-with-it-sushi-basics-1-dyhy5

🎉 Smooth Sips: A Night of Jazz at Frank's Pub
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 30
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Frank's Pub, Ritchie / Strathcona
The Jacob Do Quartet and Friends take the room for a couple of hours. Low-key Thursday, no cover mentioned, walkable if you're anywhere near 99 Street.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/smooth-sips-a-night-of-jazz-at-franks-pub-xr8kn

🎉 Cecile Doo Kingue, Servus Patio Series Concert
Source: Explore Edmonton
Date: July 30
Location: La Cité Francophone / Café Bicyclette, Bonnie Doon
Part of the Servus Patio Series at Café Bicyclette. Patio shows in Bonnie Doon are one of the better summer habits in this city.
→ Tickets / Info: https://exploreedmonton.com/event-calendar/cecile-doo-kingue-patio-series-concert

Friday

🎉 Bistrot Burger Pop-Up (Vagabond Popups x Juice Imports)
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 31 to August 2
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: Wilfred's, Westmount / 124 Street
Chef Marcus is running burgers out of the Wilfred's space, 5 to 11 PM, three nights straight. It's Vagabond's last pop-up before chefs Christine Sandford and Roger Letourneau get married, so go say congratulations with your mouth full.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/bistrot-burger-pop-up

🎉 Bingo Loco Presents Name That Song
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 31
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Midway Music Hall, Pleasantview
Music bingo with DJs, throwback hits and prizes, 18+. Different energy entirely, loud and a bit chaotic. Bring a group or don't bother.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/bingo-loco-presents-name-that-song

🎉 ECAMP Curiosity Walking Tours: Strikes, Struggles and Success
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 31
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Downtown Edmonton
A working-class history walk from the Edmonton City as Museum Project, covering Indigenous labour and the pemmican trade, the women of the Great Western Garment factory, and the 1947 Chocolate Bar Strike. Two hours of history you didn't get in school here.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/ecamp-curiosity-walking-tours-strikes-struggles-and-success

🎉 OPENING PARTY: Under the Influence by Dunce
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: July 31
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: 10708 124 Street, 124 Street
Silkscreens and paintings built from screenshots of the artist's own social feeds. Openings on 124 Street are short and social, so show up near the start.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/opening-party-under-the-influence-by-dunce

Saturday

🎉 Edmonton Heritage Festival 2026
Source: Heritage Festival
Date: August 1 to 3
Time: 8:00 AM
Location: William Hawrelak Park, River Valley
Cost: Free
Year 53, and the first one back at Hawrelak since the renovations wrapped. Two changes to know about: no food tickets this year, so you pay each pavilion directly by debit or credit, and there's no public parking on site. Sixty to seventy-plus pavilions, with a donation to Edmonton's Food Bank encouraged at the gate.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.heritagefest.ca/2026festival

🎉 Summer Series Pop Up Market at Little Brick
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: August 1
Time: 8:00 AM
Location: Little Brick Cafe & General Store, Riverdale
Bakers, jewellers, ceramicists and small-batch snack makers set up in the backyard of a 1903 brick house. The lineup rotates weekly, so it's never quite the same market twice.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/summer-series-pop-up-market-at-little-brick-rysaw-96n2h-sh5pk-3nrpl-xhljk

🎉 Dragon Food Tour: Savoury Food Tour
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: August 1
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: CTC Storytelling Centre, Chinatown
A 90-minute guided tasting walk through Chinatown, starting at the Storytelling Centre. Dragon Tours won the culinary tourism award at the 2026 Edmonton Tourism Awards, which is a decent signal.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/dragon-food-tour-savoury-food-tour-s5wgy

🎉 Summer Block Party on Rice Howard Way
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: August 1
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Rice Howard Way, Downtown
Live music, open patios and local businesses spilling into the street until 7. There's also a People's Choice Food & Drink Competition running at six restaurants through August 31, so you can vote while you're there.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/summer-block-party-on-rice-howard-way-ka8tj-yzg44-kfpyg-dp33x-gzhcm-c6xzb

Sunday

🎉 Wake it Up! Summer Drag Brunch at MKT
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: August 2
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: MKT Edmonton, Old Strathcona
Emmonia headlines, 11 to 2. That's about the right length for a Sunday you still want to salvage afterward.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/wake-it-up-pride-drag-brunch-at-mkt-c5mat

🎉 Soul Garden Patio Party
Source: Edmonton Events
Date: August 2
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Red Star (Jasper Ave), Downtown
Gunk x Denise, Junior Brown and Mr. Kou on the patio until 11 PM. Red Star's patio is small, which is part of the appeal.
→ Tickets / Info: https://www.edmonton.events/calendar/soul-garden-patio-party-1

🎉 Edmonton Stingers vs Ottawa BlackJacks
Source: Explore Edmonton
Date: August 2
Location: Edmonton EXPO Centre, Northgate / Exhibition Lands
The last home game on the Stingers' announced 2026 regular-season schedule. CEBL tickets are cheap and the EXPO Centre is loud when it fills, so it's a fine cheap Sunday.
→ Tickets / Info: https://exploreedmonton.com/event-calendar/stingers-vs-blackjacks-august2

Opening · August 1

Cuisine: Smashburgers and milkshakes

Where: Brewery District / Wîhkwêntôwin, 11928 104 Avenue NW

The Toronto chain is opening its second Alberta location after Calgary. It was supposed to open earlier and got pushed to August 1. Smashburgers and milkshakes in the Brewery District, so it will not lack for foot traffic.

Now open · July 26

Cuisine: Indian sweets

Where: Northeast Edmonton, 16777 71 Street NW

A new Indian sweets shop opened quietly in the northeast on July 26, announced on its own Instagram. Northeast Edmonton could use more of this kind of thing.

If something in here made your week a little better, send it to a friend. Forward this email or subscribe here: https://theedmontonedit.com/subscribe

The more locals we have, the better every edition gets.

That's it for today. Take care of yourself out there, and take care of someone else while you're at it.

See you Friday!