Lindork’s Lists #206 – Togather Chinatown + Lunar New Year Activities & Food, Silver Skate Festival & MORE!
Newsletter for Feb 7-13, 2024
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Things to Do This Week
Attend opening weekend of Edmonton’s longest-running winter festival!
Silver Skate Festival, Edmonton’s longest-running and FREE winter festival, returns for its 34th year this Feb 9-19, 2024 at a NEW location Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park. Check out Snow Sculptures, Fire Sculpture Burns, Folk Trail art, Heritage Village cultural programming, family-friendly outdoor activities and winter sport plus skating and more!
Personally, the Fire Sculpture Burns are the best thing to take in—so plan to be there when they happen at 7:45 p.m. on both Saturday & Sundays of the festival (Feb 10 & 11, and 17 & 18). It’s truly mesmerizing!!
Catch a winter flick on the world’s only free outdoor winter film festival!
Happening alongside the Silver Skate Festival is the International Festival of Winter Cinema—the world’s only FREE outdoor winter film festival. This year winter, mountain, polar, Indigenous, and local films will play at this snow theatre from Feb 9-18 (Picnic Site #2 at Laurier Park).
Here’s a few more winter activities:
Attend Kids on Track’s annual Winter Carnival at the Belmead Community League (9109 182 St.) this Saturday, Feb 10 from 1-4 p.m., featuring sledding, snowshoeing, snow painting, hot chocolate and more!
It’s also the final weekend of the Rediscover the Magic of Winter programming at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden. ft. kick sledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, hot chocolate and hot apple cider.
Experience Indigenous Storytelling at Fort Edmonton Park (7000 143 St.)
Fort Edmonton Park has launched a new Indigenous Storytelling Series which will run Feb 10-March 23. “Stay cozy inside one of our Tipis while our storyteller shares captivating tales in the Indigenous storytelling tradition. You will also learn the importance of the relationship between culture, Indigenous storytelling, oral history, and modern forms of popular storytelling. Each program run will have curated stories for the season. The topic of this series is trickster stories, which can only be told in the winter months in many Indigenous cultures.”
Check out this weekend’s local Lunar New Year festivities:
Attend DRAGON FRIED RICE – an Asian Art Exhibition Reception on Friday, Feb. 9 at LAST Modern Event Venue (with performances, food for purchase and a panel talk). The exhibit is open Feb 7-15.
Double Dragon (from the folks at Fu’s Repair Shop) are throwing A Lunar New Year Kick-off Party (Year of the Double Dragon) on Friday, Feb. 9 with proceeds supporting the Togather Chinatown Art Fair. This is also the after-party for the DRAGON FRIED RICE event!
Also on Friday, Feb. 9 from 4 p.m. to midnight, the KGK: East Asian Studies Undergraduate Students’ Association at the University of Alberta is holding a Lunar New Year Festival. I’m told it will be a “carnival style vibe” with incredible performances and you’re encouraged to dress in traditional outfits.
The Edmonton Hung Mon Athletic Club is doing two Lunar New Year Lion Dance performances in the IKEA warehouse on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Edmonton Chinatown’s official Lunar New Year Event is taking place on Sunday, Feb. 11 from 11-4 p.m. at Pacific Rim Mall.
Celebrate Lunar New Year by supporting local artists and community spirit at the first-ever Togather Chinatown Art Fair on Feb. 10 & 11. You can also enter a giveaway I’m doing with Togather Chinatown for a prize pack valued at $250! it includes event tote bag + red envelopes plus market bucks to spend.
Don’t miss all the fun happening at the TELUS World of Science (11211 142 St.)
It’s the final few weeks of the Mazes & Brain Games at the TELUS World of Science! There’s also one more 18+ Adults Only Sip & Solve event happening on Feb. 15 (limited tickets – the first date already sold out!) And they just announced their new IMAX show Ancient Caves (narrated by Bryan Cranston!) Lots to check out!!
Don’t forget to mark Black History / Futures Month with various activities!
5 Artists 1 Love is a Black History Month celebration that honours the creative vibrancy within Edmonton’s Black communities. The exhibit featuring Black artists is at the Art Gallery exhibit until March 3.
MacEwan University has a lot of events lined up throughout February including a Ribbon Rogue Art Piece, Stories of Belonging, an anti-racism presentation on Unpacking the N-Word, and more.
The official screening of The Book of S.H.E. documentary in celebration of Black History Month takes place at the TELUS World of Science IMAX Theatre on Feb. 29.
HERE’S A FEW FUN VALENTINE’S DAY ACTIVITIES TO CONSIDER:
Book a Couples Valentine’s Yoga Class on Feb. 9 or a Couples Massage Valentine’s Workshop on Feb. 10 at Nest Integrative Wellness.
There’s a Singles Murder Mystery event happening at Transit Smokehouse & BBQ ahead of Valentine’s Day on Feb. 9!
Experience A Couple’s Brazilian Ju Jitsu and Kickboxing Experience at Bairro 124 on Feb. 10 or 11.
At both LEGO stores in Edmonton on Feb 10 and 11 between 12-2 p.m. you can also build a Valentine’s Day hear to take home (for free, while supplies last!)
I don’t know I kind of think the three-course IKEA Valentine’s Dinner is cute lol.
Get tickets to the Valentine’s Day Hops on the Hill (Snow Tubing) at Sunridge Ski Area on Feb. 14.
The Grindstone Theatre is doing special Valentine’s Day improv musical shows from Feb 14-17, where they’ll turn audience love stories into the next big musical number! How fun.
There’s a Secret Valentine’s Candlelit Popup Concert with food happening Fri, Feb. 16! Everything is a surprise (including location) until the day of the event.
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
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Don’t miss the last few days of Feed the Soul Dining Week!
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FEED THE SOUL Dining Week runs until Sunday, Feb. 11! Try bold, flavour-packed food from 13 participating Black-owned restaurants, food retailers and makers in Edmonton. Flava Cafe has a really awesome take-out deal (i love the jerk pork and their sorrel lemonade!) and make sure you take advantage of the festival’s Ten Dolla Deals they’re offering daily until Feb 11!
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Grab Chicken for Lunch one last time before they close (10060 Jasper Ave.)
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Amy Quon of the famous Chicken for Lunch in downtown Edmonton is retiring. So you have until Feb. 29 to grab a final meal from this popular take-out spot in Rice Howard Place. Chicken For Lunch has been around since 1992. You can still find Amy at her family restaurant The Lingnan.
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Celebrate Hawaiian Poke & More’s four-year anniversary (7256 101 Ave.)
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This might be too short notice but you can get 15% off at Hawaiian Poke and More TODAY (Wed Feb 7) to celebrate their 4-year anniversary. You’re encouraged to call ahead to place an order, but you could also just pop in throughout the week to support them as they mark four years in business! Their poke is delicious!
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Get Northern Fried Chicken one last time before they close (10184 104 St.)
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Sadly, Northern Fried Chicken is closing permanently after Feb. 15. They invite you to head down for some final fried chicken before they wrap up after 7.5 years in business.
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Try Meuwly’s take-home dinners (10706 124 St.)
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Meuwly’s Artisan Food Market is doing take-home multi-course dinners (just reheat!) on Fridays! This Friday, Feb. 9’s menu is an Iceberg Wedge Salad, Bison Meatloaf, and New York Style Cheesecake. Meals serve 4. I’ll be picking one up to try as a Meuwly’s Ambassador (#Meuwlys_Partner) and will report back on the deliciousness! (I know it’s going to be good because their stuff is always awesome).
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Also worth noting that On the Edge Coffee, who had been vending out of the Downtown Farmer’s Market that is now closed, is popping up on Saturdays at Meuwly’s! Love that community support.
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Support Pizza Garage’s downtown Edmonton location (10020 Jasper Ave.)
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The pizzas from Pizza Garage and the St. Albert eatery recently opened a new downtown Edmonton location that could use your support. The downtown shop is located inside Central LRT Station (10020 Jasper Ave.) and is struggling. They specialize in Detroit style, New York style, and bar pie style pizza and they are seriously one of the very best you can get in Edmonton. Consider a pizza lunch or order catering for your office! I have tried + love their Nice 2 Meat U, Porky’s Revenge, Via 313, and Lamborghini.
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They also saw my Facebook post promoting them and reached out to offer $5 off your order at either location if you mention LINDORK before the end of February!
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Pick up some Lunar New Year treats (various locations)
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For Vietnamese goodies – Mai Mai Vietnamese Street Kitchen and Co Chin Saigon are offering some traditional bites normally had during the new year.
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Yelo’d’s Lunar New Year box ordering is now closed but you should still be able to get some LNY treats ala carte in store.
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Chocorrant is offering a Lunar New Year menu from Feb 9-25 featuring various cream puff and croissant gift boxes!
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Here’s some food events and deals you might be interested in…
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Ernest’s at NAIT is hosting a Portugal Wine Dinner on Feb. 10.
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Otto Food + Drink is hosting a few event nights coming up including Trivia Night on Feb. 7 and a Comedy Show on Feb. 13.
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Yelo’d is doing a bunch of limited time Lunar New Year treats Feb 8-11.
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Rosewood Foods is doing its annual Lunar New Year Dinner on Feb. 18.
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Culina is doing an ‘Eat with your Hands’ Valentine’s Pop-up Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 17. 4 courses, communal tables, no cutlery!
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Pals and Garneau Block are having a Natural Wine Launch Party on Feb. 25! Your ticket includes a welcome glass of bubbles, mini crispy sammy and snacks. $1 of every pour will be donated to the Zebra Centre.
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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.
From the Blog Vault
This time of year is high for businesses trying to make a buck off of the Lunar New Year. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves (alongside calling it Chinese New Year instead of the more inclusive Lunar New Year) so from the blog vault this week, I’m sharing my blog post: ‘Should your business sell a Lunar New Year product?’
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Popular on my Blog Right Now
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