Arts Roundup
June 4, 2026
As Nextfest heads into another year of showcasing emerging artists, festival director Erin Chorley encourages you to consider adopting one of the stars before they go supernova. You can adopt an artist for $100 and receive a full festival pass to experience a variety of artistic expression between June 4 and 14. You would also get a T-shirt by Sammy-Jo Rodgers that's not available in stores, a tax receipt, and your name next to your adopted artist in exchange.
The adoption option offers validation to both the artist and the sponsor, Chorley told Taproot. "It's a really great way for us to individually highlight artists, and I think for artists to feel great pride in their work when we make sure that someone is cheering them on," she said. "Then people will be like, 'Oh, I adopted that artist two years ago, and now they're playing Yardbird Suite,' or 'Now they're doing a show at the Art Gallery of Alberta.'"
The multidisciplinary arts festival features theatre, music, visual arts, film, dance, and more. At Theatre Network's Roxy Theatre, Chorley highlighted FANTASIES IN TRASH: in eleven movements, a trans-centric "industrial puppet symphony," as well as Storybook Skin, which explores classic (and topical) literature such as Animal Farm and Frankenstein. The festival also brings live music to various venues for free. Esther Forseth performs at Delavoye Chocolate Maker on June 9; Holly Sangster plays at Three Vikings on June 10; and Shalyon Bourque and Addison Wall perform at Helen Nolan Park during the 124 Grand Market on June 11.
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Music
- The lineup for the 2026 Edmonton Folk Music Festival features headline acts Nathaniel Rateliff, Of Monsters and Men, and Cat Power. Other artists include Corb Lund, Arrested Development, and newcomers such as Dove Ellis and SYML. Tickets for the festival, which will take place from Aug. 6 to 9 at Gallagher Park, will be available online starting June 6. Single-day prices have not increased, but full adult passes cost $10 more than last year.
- Taste of Edmonton released the musical lineup for its festival, which runs from July 16 to 26 in Churchill Square. The majority of performers are drawn from Edmonton and surrounding areas.
- KDays announced the lineup for the CKUA Radio Stage, with headliners including Aysanabee and Bedouin Soundclash.
- Sahib Quraishi, co-founder of the Down by the River Festival, discussed the 2026 lineup with CKUA's Joe Hartfeil. The festival, which runs at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park from Sept. 18 to 20, will feature Rural Alberta Advantage, Vincent Neil Emerson, and Goldie Boutilier, among many others.
- Hip-hop trio Digable Planets is headed to Midway Music Hall on Oct. 27 to perform its 1994 album Blowout Comb in full.
- The Absurd Collective has opened a performance venue called Absurd at 8107 102 Street NW. Directors Devon Acuna and Ricky Holloway told CBC's Edmonton AM that they looked for a small space that could fit about 50 people.
- Jed and the Valentine's Maria Khaner and Jonah Morris discussed their music and performed on CKUA's Hidden Track podcast.
- On the Reluctantly podcast, singer-songwriter Bobby Cameron discussed his journey through the music industry, from childhood dreams in Cape Breton to international songwriting and performing.
- Edmonton solo artist Mike Catt discussed his project RIGORMORPHIS with Altyeg Music Magazine, describing it as synth-based, metal-influenced electronic music. After a 15-year break from making music — which included surviving a stroke — Catt recently released an EP and is working toward a full album.
- YONA-Sistema is collaborating with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for its year-end performance, pairing students with ESO musicians. The organization, led by the ESO's Shah Sadikov, provides free after-school music programming to students in need.
- Chorus Inspira, formerly the Richard Eaton Singers, is seeking a general manager as it enters its 75th anniversary season. The hybrid contract role offers $35 to $42 per hour, with applications being reviewed starting June 5.
Visual arts
- Edmonton luthier Dion James, whose shop Dion Guitars is tucked near Whyte Avenue, has a multi-year global waitlist for his handcrafted instruments. James makes six to 10 guitars per year entirely by hand and has been building in Edmonton for 21 years, Edify wrote.
- Carol Johnson of the Visual Arts Studio Association in St. Albert reflected on decades of painting. "I learned not to fight the painting," she told the St. Albert Gazette. "The painting has its own plans." Johnson is best known for a series of roughly 50 paintings inspired by Hubble Space Telescope images, which formed the basis of her first solo exhibition.
- Transcendence, an exhibit of work from Indigenous artist Speplól Tanya Zilinski, opens at the Art Gallery of St. Albert on June 4, with a reception and artist talk taking place on June 6.
Join Alberta's writers for craft and connection
The Writers' Guild of Alberta's annual conference comes to Edmonton on June 6 and 7, bringing writers together for two days of workshops, keynotes, guided networking, and practical advice on the craft and business of writing. With programming for emerging, established, and in-between writers, the conference is designed to help you sharpen your skills and connect with Alberta's literary community.
Theatre and dance
- Brian Paisley, founder of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival in 1982, is in critical condition in a Mexican hospital after a severe lung infection. Paisley, 79, holds the Order of Canada and helped establish fringe festivals in cities across Canada; his family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical costs, which reportedly reached $10,000 a day. Fringe Theatre shared a tribute on Instagram, recalling Paisley's words: "Be curious. Be tenacious. Be ready. Be kind — be as human as you can be."
- Edify profiled Megan Dart, executive director of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, who discussed the organization's recovery from a $3-million pandemic deficit and her approach to growing the festival sustainably. Monthly donors have grown from 34 in 2024 to more than 800.
- The Collider Festival returns to the Citadel Theatre from June 5 to 7 for its sixth annual edition, featuring readings of five new plays intended for large-capacity mainstage productions. Selections include a musical about the 2012 Quebec maple syrup heist and a new Citadel commission, Darcy & Wickham, based on a novel by Melanie Kerr.
- David Horak, artistic director of the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, discussed the festival's return to William Hawrelak Park with Edify, highlighting the collaboration with the Edmonton Pops Orchestra and Shelley's Dance Company for the musical Something Rotten! The festival is also introducing a squirrel sponsorship program inspired by the Fringe's Adopt a Port-a-Potty initiative.
- The Acro Crew from Supernova Acro Studio in Edmonton is competing on Season 21 of America's Got Talent. The newly formed group, with performers aged seven to 21, combines gymnastics and dance; it appeared before the judges in Los Angeles in March.
- Cripsie has announced Mallory Chipman as its new executive director. Chipman is a musician, songwriter, and music scholar whose most recent album, Songs to a Wild God, charted well in Canada and beyond.
Books and publishing
- Edmonton-born Jane Park was a guest on Bookends with Mattea Roach to discuss her novel Inheritance, which partially takes place in the author's hometown.
- Karaikhola Flows by Saraswoti Lamichhane topped the poetry list on the latest Edmonton bestsellers list from the Book Publishers Association of Alberta.
- Twenty-five young writers have been shortlisted for the First Page student writing challenge from CBC Books. It asked students in grades 7 to 12 to write the first page of a novel set 150 years in the future. Among the finalists is Edmonton's Hannah Wei, 14, whose story Artificial Harmony is in the junior high category.
Go beyond the page
From poetry to protest, memory to motivation — U of A alumni authors unpack the forces behind their writing in candid, thought-provoking conversations.
Learn more at uab.ca/reads
Screen industries
- Edmonton's vrCAVE is a finalist for Best Indie Creator at the 17th annual Auggie Awards. Winners will be announced at the Augmented World Expo on June 17.
- The Good Game YEG podcast discussed the North American Games Industry Summit, a new B2B event launching June 18 to 19 in Edmonton alongside Game Con Canada. Marc Belisle and Chris Meilleur of Meibel Consulting, Ronnie Villanueva of Edmonton Screen, and John Nguyen of Xsolla discussed what the event will mean for indie developers. Mobile Syrup also previewed NAGIS and Game Con Canada, and Edmonton Screen has published a feature on what the summit means for local studios, noting that Edmonton was chosen over larger markets like Vancouver for the five-year event.
More headlines
- The City of Edmonton launched the Turn Up Downtown campaign, featuring more than 1,000 events aimed at enhancing downtown's vibrancy from May to December. Highlights include block parties, fitness programs, and expanded LRT station activations. This initiative, part of the Downtown Action Plan, aims to foster community connections and economic growth by supporting local businesses and cultural activities, collaborating with the Edmonton Arts Council and other local groups.
- Labo Coffee has launched a quest board to help young people connect and help each other out. Co-founder Atty Vohra, a former game designer, created a system to allow participants to earn experience points for completing submitted side quests. "It's meant to be a very low-stakes way to get to know somebody, to get help for something that's been on your list for a while," he told Taproot.
- The Heart of the City Music and Arts Festival is returning to Giovanni Caboto Park on June 6, presenting music, art, and spoken word performances as well as free Caribbean cuisine and bannock.
- The Strathcona County Museum and Archives is hosting Pride Month programming, including a paint night on June 6 led by artist Andrea Krahn and a Pride after-party. The Strathcona County Library has a full month of programming planned, including drop-in crafts, journalling, fibre arts, and button-making workshops.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:
- June 5: Alberta Literary Awards Gala starting at 6pm at Wyndham Edmonton Hotel and Conference Centre
- June 5: Art on the Block Party starting at 7:30pm at Art Gallery of Alberta
- June 5-7: Final Symphony: Music from Final Fantasy at Winspear Centre
- June 5-13: Now Hear This! Festival of New Music at Mile Zero Dance and Holy Trinity Anglican Church
- June 6: Fruit Loop's Pride Block Party starting at 10am at Grindstone Theatre
- June 6: Jasper Place Arts Festival starting at 12pm at Butler Memorial Park
- June 6: Heart of the City Jam starting at 3pm at Giovanni Caboto Park
- June 6-7: Growing Craft & Community at Wyndham Edmonton Hotel and Conference Centre
- June 6-7: VanbLoc Party at 10648 98 Street NW
- June 8: The Stampeders starting at 7:30pm at Winspear Centre
- June 9: Oil City Opry starting at 7:30pm at Winspear Centre
- June 9: Book Launch with Nicolette Little starting at 7pm at Audreys Books
- June 10: Making the Most of Your Artwalk Experience starting at 7pm at The Bell in Scona
And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:
- June 16-28: Much Ado About Nothing at William Hawrelak Park
- June 17-22: Summer Solstice Music Festival
- June 18-21: Alberta Circus Arts Festival at La Cité Francophone
Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.
This roundup was sponsored by ATB.
Uplifting the legacies and livelihoods of our clients and the communities where we serve and live, is what gets ATB's team members out of bed in the morning. And after 80-plus years worth of mornings, they're still pursuing that mission with a brand of enthusiasm and authenticity you can only experience with ATB.