From the midway to music: What's new at KDays

It's the middle of summer, and that means Edmonton's KDays festival is back from July 17-26.

It’s the middle of summer, and that means Edmonton’s KDays festival is back. From July 17-26, Edmontonians can enjoy one of the city’s oldest traditions, with the first KDays taking place in 1879. Fast forward to today and KDays is a massive event that Mayor Andrew Knack says is one of the biggest economic boosters the city has.

“KDays is a job creator,” says Knack. The mayor says that the festival will generate $25 million in economic impact. But KDays also has a big cultural impact for the city.

One of the festival’s biggest impacts is the new set of vendors, attractions, and foods that are introduced year after year. With all that being said, what can you look forward to at this year’s event? Local partnerships North Central Co-op is one of the main sponsors for this year’s KDays, and it is bringing some home-grown business to the festival.

The company has partnered with the local Sea Change Brewing Co. on a new beer specifically for KDays. Another one of their collaborations this year is with Lucky 13 Auto Body and Paint. It has restored a 1946 Ford truck, the same year as Co-op’s founding.

CEO Candace Kline talked about the spirit of collaboration between these organizations. “It is an example of what can happen when local organizations come together to share their ideas, talents, and expertise.” Events KDays is known for its food and rides, but this year also has 150,000 square feet of events inside the Edmonton Expo Centre.

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a youth-serving non-profit, will be hosting a Lego league, a tech challenge, and a robotics competition that will have teams from 12 different countries and 600 young competitors. Some other events include an ice cream eating competition, multiple pop-up markets, and a Canadian Elite Basketball League battle of Alberta game where the Stingers will take on the Calgary Surge. Food

As always, KDays will have some unique fairground foods to try out. Multiple types of corndogs will be sold, including sushi, butter chicken, Oreo, cinnamon and meatball corndogs. A couple of poutine-themed dishes will be making their debuts, such as maple bacon fried cheese curds and Korean barbecue poutine.

Sandwiches like the buldak stuffed grilled cheese and mango monsoon burger are some other new additions. The Foodie Fairway will have more than 70 vendors to choose from and will be your main destination for familiar favourites and newcomer dishes. Music Finally, one of the main draws of KDays is the music fest.

CKUA’s CEO Adam Mitchell talked about the CKUA stage, which will feature Alberta-based acts. “We’ll be here all 10 days helping to create an incredible shared experience,” said Mitchell. Away from the local stage, the main musical attractions for this year’s KDays include Ty Dolla $ign, Down With Webster, Mother Mother, and Peach Pit.

Tya Waterman, director of communications and connections with Explore Edmonton, said that beyond the headliners, there will be many more acts to come. “Every single night, there’s music at KDays.” From local beer to international artists, this year’s KDays is full of new events for Edmontonians to enjoy.