Lindork’s Lists #181 – Fringe Fest, Farm Days, Outdoor Symphony, Egyptian Food & More!
Newsletter for Aug 16-22, 2023
Note: this is the public version of my weekly email newsletter that gets sent to subscriber inboxes first each Wednesday. If you’re looking at this public version, there’s a chance you miss out on events earlier in the week! Get the full newsletter first by becoming a free subscriber.
Things to Do This Week
Head out to Alberta Open Farm Days (various locations)
Alberta’s farms are opening their doors to the public this weekend Aug. 19 & 20 for the annual Alberta Open Farm Days! Take farm tours, meet your local producers, learn how food gets on your table, book a farm dinner, and more!
Celebrate the Art Gallery of Alberta’s 99th Birthday (2 Sir Winston Churchill Sq.)
The Art Gallery of Alberta turns 99 on Friday, August 18 and you’re invited to the party! Get discounted admission, a free cookie for the first 99 visitors, a $99 gift shop gift card for the 99th visitor, a beer party on the upstairs terrace and MORE activities from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Catch a Pay-What-You-Can Outdoor Symphony Show (various locations)
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s ESO Outdoors series runs this week Aug. 17-20 (and one more time on Aug. 27) in various parks around the city. Pay-what-you-can and enjoy these delightful pop-up concerts.
Get tickets to the Edmonton Reggae Festival (Louise McKinney Riverfront Park)
Enjoy a day of singing, dancing, and tasting authentic flavours at the annual Edmonton Reggae Festival on Saturday, Aug. 19 from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. (rain or shine!) This is a ticketed event (kids 12 and under are free).
Take in the Edmonton Fringe Festival (Old Strathcona)
North America’s longest-running fringe festival the Edmonton Fringe returns to Old Strathcona this Aug 18 until Aug 27! Browse the nearly 200 shows to attend or pop in for street performers, food vendors and vibes. Watch my Instagram this weekend for details on ways to win free prizes at the Fringe!
Experience the Edmonton Mural Festival (various locations)
The Edmonton Mural Festival kicked off this week and artists will be transforming buildings / walls / spaces across the city now til mid-Sept. Check their Instagram account for updates on weekly mural locations and events.
Check out #Chalk124Street (along 124 Street & Area)
Local chalk artists are creating chalk art along 124 Street & Area neighbourhood on Saturday, Aug. 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for #Chalk124Street. Visit the art and share about it for a chance to win prizes (and plan to eat + explore the area!)
Pull up to Family Movie Night (170 St. & Stony Plain Road – Mayfield Common)
The Stony Plain Road Business Association presents The Super Marios Bro. Movie happening Sunday, Aug. 20 from 3-7 p.m. in the Mayfield Common parking lot! The FREE show starts at 5:15. Seating at 4:45 (first come, first-serve). Arrive early for pre-movie activities and family fun. You’re encouraged to bring blankets and chairs, and there are some drive-in spots available too.
Head to the Chinatown Summer Festival (105-107A Ave. 98 Street)
The Chinatown Business Association presents Edmonton Chinatown’s Summer Festival this Sunday, Aug. 20 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.! There will be food trucks, lion and dragon dances, local vendors for shopping, local performers, hourly prizes/giveaways and games. FREE to attend.
- You can also look ahead at a list of big summer events over on my blog!
Don’t miss this FREE September long weekend event!! The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is bringing the magic of Disney to Churchill Square for FREE performances on Sept. 1 & 2.
Symphony in the Square presents Disney in Concert: A Dream is a Wish, where audiences will be transported into the musical world of classic and contemporary Disney animated feature films to discover that dreams really do come true. Stories are told through the talents of four Broadway-calibre singers, original Disney film footage on the big screen, and sweeping orchestral scores performed by your Edmonton Symphony Orchestra! The shows Sept. 1 & 2 start at 7 p.m. each night. Plan to arrive early, bring your own chairs, cushions, blankets to grab a good spot and enjoy the festivities. There will also be food trucks on site and a fireworks show to cap off the performance. It’s sure to be a magical experience!
Thanks to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra / Winspear Centre for supporting my small business with this partner message.
ALSO: Mark your calendar for Feed the Soul Dining Week’ x Cocktail and Jerk Festival’s Firelight Rooftop Fete on Sept. 3!
They’ve offered me discounts to share with subscribers.
Use LINDORK5 for $5 off a Sips N Eats Package or LINDORK10 for 10% off any ticket or package. Early bird tickets end Aug. 24 at 11:59 p.m.
Got an Edmonton area event, virtual event, or something coming up you think my readers would be interested in knowing about? Let me know!
Food to Try This Week
Try Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ’s Lunch Special (10416 Jasper Ave.)
I just learned about Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ‘s ‘Create your own Lunch Gyu-Combo’ special (available weekdays). Choose from 2 or 3 BBQ items per person for $16 or $20. Your meal includes soup, salad and rice too. They’ve also got a bunch of noodle bowl options! Must try (love their dinner BBQ!)
Check out Pharaoh’s—Edmonton’s first Egyptian restaurant (5524 Calgary Trail)
Ever try Egyptian cuisine? Then you may be interested in the Grand Opening of Pharaoh’s—Edmonton’s first Egyptian restaurant! Their Grand Opening event is this weekend Saturday, Aug. 19 featuring a special menu and belly dancing performances (in the evening).
Order what I ate at Dookbaeki Korean (various locations)
I just love Korean Bossam (pork belly lettuce wraps) and Kimchi stew and one of the best places to find a big selection of Korean soups in the city is Dookbaeki! They’ve got a south side and West Edmonton Mall location (the WEM one is bigger / more roomy!)
Try PrimeTime Donair & Poutine (various locations)
Thought I would shout out to PrimeTime Donair & Poutine this week as they just spent $16,000 bidding on a donair costume through the Government of Alberta’s auction site lol. This is an Alberta chain with 17 locations across Alberta (many in all corners of Edmonton).
Pick up some tarts at King of Tarts’ new storefront (10051 152 St.)
Have you tried the new King of Tarts storefront in west Edmonton yet? This local tart maker sold at farmers markets and some local cafes but have now opened their own shop. Find all sorts of tarts, pies, croissants, and more!
Check out Old Station Honey & Mead (4999 Center St New Sarepta, AB)
This week’s reader recommendation is from Natalia, who suggests you take a drive out to New Sarepta, AB (near Leduc) to visit Old Station Honey & Mead.
From Natalia: “I’ve just done a field trip to Old Station Honey & Mead in New Sarepta and was impressed by their offerings.” Check out the tasting room for a variety of sparkling fruit meads and non-alcoholic honey sodas. Natalia’s favourite was the “Tire & Girdle”—a not-so-sweet, more wine-like mead that she bought two bottles to take home with.
And here’s a few food events you may want to check out…
Check out the Perogy Palooza on Saturday, Aug. 19 featuring perogies, beer gardens, live music and a market.
Head to Augtoberfest—Stony Plain’s Beer Festival on Saturday, Aug. 19.
Don’t miss the special menus being offered from local restaurants as part of Alberta on the Plate Dine Around Festival. Last day is Sunday, Aug 20.
Plan to celebrate Sea Change Brewing’s OG location’s 5-year Anniversary on Wednesday, Aug. 23!
Ate something amazing recently? Want to show some love to a struggling restaurant? Have a take-out suggestion? Let me know to include in this newsletter.
This Week: Q&A with Dr. Shazma Mithani
Every other Sunday, I profile a new “interesting person” in a Q&A series just for paid newsletter subscribers. The next person I’ll be profiling this Sunday, Aug 20, 2023 is Edmonton Emergency Doctor Dr. Shazma Mithani.
Here’s an except from the Q&A:
“The true degree of burnout and injury that healthcare workers face isn’t talked about enough. No one else truly can grasp how much this work takes from us. Every single patient we see, we carry with us (for years, or even decades), and it’s not uncommon for us to prioritize the health of others over our own physical and mental health.”
– Dr. Shazma Mithani
You can browse past people profiled at this link, also email me to recommend any interesting people you think should be profiled, and if you’d like to support my work a bit more / while getting access to the Q&As first—become a paid subscriber!
From the Blog Vault
I recently had a meeting to work on an upcoming Travel Guide for an Edmonton-area municipality and it turned out one of the people on this team had previously worked with me when I did this Shopping Guide to Stony Plain and Eat, Shop and Arts & Culture Guide to Stony Plain! Still applicable. Go spend a day west of Edmonton!!
Save $$$ with my Discount Codes
I regularly partner with awesome companies to offer discounts that save you money! The codes vary throughout the year but here’s a few to take advantage of right now…
Get 10% off at Park Integrative Health with code LINDORK.
Valid for massage, acupuncture, energetic healing + medical aesthetics. Can’t be used on physiotherapy, occupational therapy or mental health services).
- Get 10% off at Majesty & Friends with code LINDORK.
Get 15% off a full day e-bike rental from Pedego Edmonton with code LINDORK.
Get 20% off regular price items from Bamboo Ballroom with code LINDORK20.
As a TELUS Ambassador, if you sign up for TELUS products or services using my referral link / code, I also get some revenue (unfortunately you don’t get a bonus lol).
Popular on my Blog Right Now
Here are the top four most popular posts on my blog this week:
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