Our annual tradition of attending the Heritage Festival at Hawrelak Park on the August long weekend was no wash-out in spite of the rain.
Selfies under the umbrella.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but going to the festival in the rain turned out to be way more fun than I would have thought. Note to self: In the future if it rains, go!
The crowds have been increasing over the years, making it difficult to walk through the area, let alone see the cultural tents you want to reach. Rainy day = no lineups + no waiting + good visibility.
It is also important to pack sunscreen, hats, and lots of water in a refillable bottle on typical years. I finally managed to get the perfect, wide-brimmed sunhat for this year. Instead, it rained two out of the three festival days.
On the Saturday of the Heritage Day Weekend, we had some pretty good storms (hail in my area and a funnel cloud spotted in Leduc, Alberta), but Monday, the day I went with my daughter and younger grandson (age two), was blessed with a gentle rain, at times misty, at times more steady, and sometimes even pausing. For Edmonton, it was a warm rain. The day’s temperature hovered around 16-17ºC (60.8-62.6ºF).
The five-year-old grandson, by the way, tried his hand at camping for the first time this weekend with the other grandparents.
In spite of all the rain, the annual outing was a huge success. Umbrella, hoodie, backpack, and running shoes are drying by the front door.
Around the pond at Hawrelak Park. Heritage Festival, day 3, Aug. 7, 2017.
About the Heritage Festival (Edmonton, Alberta)
Heritage Festival Images
Heritage Festival breaks attendance records after busy Sunday
Heritage Fest’s record-breaking attendance hampered by transit delays
Over 370,000 people flocked Sunday to Hawrelak Park, which almost doubled the previous single-day attendance record.
About 445,000 people attended in the first two days — breaking the all-time attendance record of 384,000 set in 2013, the festival said in a news release . . .
But the volume of people bound for the park Sunday caused long delays to get in. More than 348,000 visitors used the transit shuttle service and the influx of visitors caused backups on Groat Road to 87 Avenue.
Visiting the festival for the first time, Debbie Royer said she was standing on a hot, packed bus for 90 minutes.
“Sounds about right,” concurred my 18-year-old son, who took the bus with his friends in late afternoon on the sunny Sunday, the second day of the three-day festival.
We usually walk in from the University of Alberta.
Overlooking a section of the Heritage Festival from Groat Road.
