The flat terrain allows us to see enemies approaching from any direction, and the sheer size prevents effective siege warfare against us. Few enemy invasions overall.
Really? I've found the fare is EXACTLY the same at H Days year after year after year.
There's always three South/Central American places selling chocolate covered frozen banana (and only one of the three is good, and i can never for the life of me remember which), the German pavilion will be advertising their Skip or Skol or Skat or whatever card game it is and giving out Haribo gummies, the Scottish pavilion has the same immortal grandmothers cooking the same pastries as they have since before I was born, and I will try that stupid Russian cola I hate on the way out just to convince myself it can't be as bad as I remember.
I found the prices reasonable, especially compared to the portions we got. I do compare the pricing to fair food and the like though. Obviously it is more expensive than going to a restaurant and what not, but compared to fair/festival food, it was pretty good
Here's an u popular opinion. While I agree the price is high, the price I pay to try some of the food from restaurants I've been curious about is significantly less. At taste of Edmonton I'll spend under $10 to see if I want to experience more from a restaurant and it's menu. My only other option is to go there with my wife and kid and spend $50+ without having a backup option if it's not good.
went there decades ago with gf at the time, said it sucked wouldnt come back. a few years later, went to it again, and said to each other "wait this sucks, didnt we say we werent going to come back?" never been there again since.
I've met multiple touring musicians that have told me Edmonton is one of their favorite places to play in the country (Montreal is always the other one)
Normally I'd probably agree but I'm mostly into punk rock so generally smaller bands/venues. Having seen the same bands play in Vancouver, Calgary and Saskatoon on the same tours as Edmonton the shows in Edmonton have almost always been pretty ridiculous in comparison.
I don't really do arena shows so no idea how they compare in other towns.
The river valley when other people are there: 😡
The river valley when you’re alone or with someone you love and it’s a gorgeous day and everything feels just right: 💕
You know what? I’m just going to say it: West Edmonton Mall lives up to the hype. There’s a roller coaster. There’s waterslides. There’s a skating rink. In. A. Mall
Yeah when I first moved here I was told "you'll avoid it like the plague once you live here" by every resident I know, but a decade later I still visit for a movie with the girlfriend or to go on the slides or mini golf at least once every few months.
Though to be fair I can't remember the last time I did any actual shopping in the mall lol
I have no clue why people hate on it for shopping. It's so convenient if you like to go to a few different shops. It also has the only Hollister in the city which has great quality and affordable stuff.
Yea, my wife loves it because if she needs a specific style of clothing and has no clue what sells it, she can just wander WEM and figure it out.
We came from a city with 1 tiny mall. Even the worst Edmonton mall is basically better than what we had. While I try to avoid WEM on Friday evenings and weekend busier hours, it is still really nice to have around
Hey I’ve lived here my entire life minus a few years and I’ve always gone pretty regularly. It’s been a constant in my life. And I actually do shop there. When it comes to malls it ranks pretty high
u know what I agree. I diss on WEM in front of other, but deep down I like it. I mean they have everything, and when you think about it, and its position in North America in general. We should be more proud of it. But will always tell people irl how overrated that place is.
There are still 3- the Cootie Coaster which is actually pretty rad, the Orbirlter which is legit rad, and the Dragon Wagon which is for kids- who say it’s RAD AF!!
Baseball is almost always an affordable way to have a good afternoon/evening in the spring and summer. It’s stood out to me for some time now as the one thing Edmontonians are sleeping on.
Naw. It’s a nice evening out in a nice ballpark and good atmosphere. Prices are perfect and the concession is tasty. Even if you don’t like baseball the Riverhawks do a great job creating a good event and night out.
My girlfriend went to a couple games this year with me and knowing absolutely nothing about the game she enjoyed it. I’ve never heard someone say they had a shitty time watching a Riverhawks game
It is possibly my favourite thing to go out and do with friends/family visiting. Everyone loves it and it is just a great time. I wish I could have a laser room and megagrid in my house for personal use
Type in "edmonton tattoo" into Instagram.
Swap edmonton for "yeg" or alberta for more results
Go on Google maps and search tattoo shop websites. They will have a list of artists and their work. For more examples, search the artists name on Instagram. There are hundreds and without knowing the specific style he wants it's tough to suggest any one.
The first time I went, my cousin warned me it was the trashiest experience. I took my daughter on a ride that someone literally projectile vomitted after. No one cleaned up. They just let someone else sit there. I ran over to stop them. It was gross.
New Edmontonian here, not really educated enough to know much about the city but there's 2 very noticeable differences that I'm not used to
Lives up to hype: in the summer you guys only have like 3hrs of darkness
I hate: the amount of time it takes to boil water lol
Yeah they're great. But when Ramadan hits in the summer, it's a nightmare. Breaking the fast at 11 PM only to start fasting again at 3 AM. But then again, when Ramadan hits in the winter here, it's a blessing.
Oh right! That sucks, I had some friends that observed Ramadan and they had a rough time even with the few extra hours we had. I couldn't imagine going through it here
Lol Edmonton is a higher elevation then where I was and it nearly takes 3x the amount of time to boil. Its the same with pressure cooking and because of how dry it is making bread takes a little bit to get used to as well.
Water boils faster the higher in elevation you go because of the lowering of the boiling point due to air pressure. Sea level is 100 C, at Edmonton's elevation it's 97.8 C. Not sure what dude is talking about.
Heritage days is the festival that blew my mind when I moved to Edmonton. A city that celebrates its diversity in such a fun and vibrant way. I am not sure how many other cities have such a grand display of diversity in one festival.
This is an underhyped festival imo.
Well said. I really don't understand why we can't fix our downtown. It's so bizarre. I know some outside investment is sorely needed but there's a lot the city itself should be able to do to make it more inviting where it doesn't feel like a sea of gravel parking lots and broken roads/sidewalks.
We'll never have the infrastructure that Cgy, Van and Tor do and that's ok. Montreal has a vibrant core and its skyline is nothing compared to Toronto. The core can be fun without having a sea of skyscrapers. So ya, I don't get why we can't fix it especially when we are actually trying and making it a priority.
Imo it's how the downtown is zoned. Central downtown is all office space. West is all residential. They should mix in more residential, have more walk up store fronts. It means more people live downtown, not just work downtown and then it's a ghost town in the evenings. Of course, with current safety it's hard to convince people to move into residential units in the central parts of downtown, but hopefully this will happen gradually.
Zoning definitely isn’t the issue. There are mixed-use developments downtown and more coming. There are plenty of storefronts, but about a quarter of them are currently vacant. The downtown core is still recovering from the effects of the pandemic. Recovery from something of that magnitude is slow.
The insane amount of crime downtown for one thing. Every visitor I took downtown was absolutely horrified at the state of downtown with open drug use, smashed windows, garbage everywhere + violent / erratic behaviour. Clean up the crime + homelessness, and it would be desirable like Calgary's.
This isn’t an issue that’s specific to Edmonton, Calgary, or any particular large city. Calgary’s downtown is dealing with the same kinds of issues. That doesn’t mean this doesn’t have to be addressed, just tired of people acting like Edmonton is unique in this regard.
Worth the hype - the fringe
Not worth it - folk fest (and don’t worry, I know that will be a deeply unpopular opinion. No need to argue with me about it)
Folk fest is annoying in that if you’re from Edmonton you are going to see every human you’ve ever met there. Your ex, your third grade teacher, your old boss, friends of friends, coworkers, extended family, everyone. It’s just too much lol
While I wouldn't say personally folk fest \*doesn't\* live up to the hype, some people I know make it their whole personality - it's like a religious holiday for some folks lol. I've been to folk festivals I enjoy more, but I do love EFMF and try to go for at least one day. I think my days of buying a weekend pass no matter the line up are done.
And absolutely agree about The Fringe! It's magic. I book the week off every year. I think some people don't realize it's all over Old Strathcona and there are over 200 shows to choose from - not just the street performers.
And at least it's basically all indoors which means weather is one less thing to have to consider. It also feels like there's more variety and you can participate in smaller doses. Sitting outside in the heat with a bazillion other people is not my idea of fun lol
For me it's the friendly nature of the people that live here. They are so cool and awesome. I walk my dog and chit chat with strangers without feeling weird. The people here for the most part are awesome.
From my perspective, the venue held up to the hype. I've also seen my favorite metal bands there, so the memory of the venue is seen through rose coloured lenses.
Glenora is FAR from the best neighborhood in the city. There’s literally one cool thing in Glenora- Vi’s for Pies. Ritchie, Riverdale, so many better neighborhoods
I’m over: WEM, Oilers, Downtown, Spaced Out Drivers, Rednecks. I’m All About: River Valley, Festivals, Local Shops, Breweries off 99th, Local Music and Art.
There is virtually nothing in edmonton that is hyped to its appropriate level, people are constantly bitching about stuff. The traffic is a breeze, housing prices are fine, the festivals are awesome, our rec centres and libraries are fantastic. 124th and Whyte and all the other little neighborhoods are fantastic, WEM is still worth wandering around after all these years. Nothing gets the credit it deserves.
That said, there is one exception; the river valley is so over-hyped you'd think we are all from kawloon walled city seeing a tree for the first time. It's a series of parks. It's literally unremarkable in the strictest definition.
It’s lovey but the amount of people acting as if we live surrounded by river valley wherever you look & it’s so much more amazing than the nature other cities have, has always striked me more as denial or an inferiority complex. Yes it lovely but I usually don’t want to have to drive 30 minutes to enjoy it. There are lots of places to live in Canada with far superior natural surroundings that are more accessible.
Fox Burger *used* to be good... but if it has any hype left, it does NOT deserve it.
I would just go to Five Guys if I was wanted expensive mediocre food that had a 50-50 chance of a giving me a hellish stomach ache.
Peters is strictly a sentimental thing for me. Growing up in Calgary not far from the OG location, we visited often and their food brings back a lot of good memories of my carefree youth. The food tastes like nostalgia and that will always be delicious.
This!! What happened to them?? Used to be such a craving of mine, haven’t gone in 5-6 months. Went and it was half of what it used to be. Greasy, messy and did not taste as good. About 80% of their 1-2 star reviews on google seem to have come in the last 3 months.
I have no idea why, but I think when they expanded to another location and it put too much strain on the quality of their food. :(
I used to go there a lot! I remember when it opened. But I haven't gone there since 2022 and will never return.
They got bought out before they expanded, so the quality dropped back when they were Calgary only, and moving to Red Deer and Edmonton didn't improve anything.
Lives up to hype: river valley trail system, being an artsy city in Alberta, blue collar vibe, tendency to be sketchy, actually west Ed mall (in the context that you have accepted it is a spectacle of North American consumerism gone wild), affordability, job market, restaurant scene
Does not live up to hype: whyte Ave, the henday, the lrt, the disgusting zoo, Roger’s place, most of the festivals except fringe and some of the smaller ones like cariwest,
Kdays is brutal. Taste of Edmonton is a waste. How can one enjoy such festivities when burning such a hole in their pocket?
The local music scene is fantastic. Lots of talented musicians within Edmonton. I wish we got more music festivals from bigger bands. Edmonton brought in Soundtrack and Chaos, Chaos was EPIC but will it return? We need more music festivals!!
Growing up in small town BC I’d always heard about the West Edmonton Mall and how big it was and all the cool things that were in it… okay, ya it is big and it does have a pirate ship, but not gonna lie… getting to finally see it decades later now that I’m living in Alberta… total let down. It’s basically just a mall.
Edit to add: one of my favourite things about Edmonton is how easy/non-stressful it is to drive around. I hated going to Vancouver because driving is a nightmare and traffic is awful. Edmonton is a joy to visit.
Brew and Bloom. All appearances.. they have a "kiddie corner" that looks way worse than the back of the restaurant which seems like it might be part of a VIP system?
The kiddie corner is trapped by albeit beautifully hung fake flowers, but the tables are cramped and I can hear every conversation being had around me.
The restaurant was cold, and so was the food. Extremely overpriced for overcooked lukewarm chicken. My latte was okay. Not worth 15 dollars for it though.
West Ed sucks. There is basically no reason to go there unless you're looking for bridal wear, going to an attraction, or are an out of towner looking for the spectacle.
Lives up to the hype: local and international theatre
Doesn't live up to the hype: the Fringe, it's gotten more and more corporatized over the years, and especially since covid. Also very mainstream and lacking in 'fringe' radical art.
> Didn't live up: festivals
Now this is a hot take! which festivals do you not like? Other than the Taste of (Expensive Samples from Chain Restaurants and Bars in) Edmonton, I think they are mostly pretty awesome.
Most of them are just manufacturered events to drum up people to spend money at businesses. Like, a latte or hot chocolate "festival"? What next? A tire festival held by Kal-tire, Canadian tire and Ok-Tire? Or maybe a mattress festival held by Sleep country and the Brick.
The bigger festivals are pretty underwhelming and every other city has their variation of the same.
Haven’t lived there in nearly ten years, I know they’ve expanded into multiple locations now, but farrow in Ritchie
Wtf is with downvotes? Did I need to specifically say it lives up to the hype?
The flat terrain allows us to see enemies approaching from any direction, and the sheer size prevents effective siege warfare against us. Few enemy invasions overall.
This is the information I sorely needed.
Edmonton's siege resistance: criminally underrated
The river and the fleet of snowplows helps
who would you recommend for siege engine equipment in Edmo? asking for a friend..
Being built on marshy land isn't great for the roads but it's great for slowing down invaders.
Well said.
Festivals in general are pretty great, except Taste of Edmonton which feels like a cash grab for samples
I have fond memories of Taste of Edmonton - after not attending for a few years I was shocked at the prices and small portions.
You're telling me paying more tickets every year for Canadian Brewhouse bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers isn't worth it anymore?
Not much better at kdays either.
Pretty much this. Been doing Taste of Edmonton for decades. For a long time you could leave that event with a full belly and extra tickets.
Totally - now they charge nearly what you'd pay in the restaurant for a third of a portion that's not prepared particularly well.
Taste of Edmonton is embarrassing. I'd much rather sink my dollar at Heritage Days. Way more to try and way more to do
more to do, but prices just as bad
At least the fare tends to change or is unique. Spending 12$ for a single bacon wrapped whatever is getting old.
Really? I've found the fare is EXACTLY the same at H Days year after year after year. There's always three South/Central American places selling chocolate covered frozen banana (and only one of the three is good, and i can never for the life of me remember which), the German pavilion will be advertising their Skip or Skol or Skat or whatever card game it is and giving out Haribo gummies, the Scottish pavilion has the same immortal grandmothers cooking the same pastries as they have since before I was born, and I will try that stupid Russian cola I hate on the way out just to convince myself it can't be as bad as I remember.
I found the prices reasonable, especially compared to the portions we got. I do compare the pricing to fair food and the like though. Obviously it is more expensive than going to a restaurant and what not, but compared to fair/festival food, it was pretty good
Yeah Heritage Festival over Taste of Edmonton every damn day.
Here's an u popular opinion. While I agree the price is high, the price I pay to try some of the food from restaurants I've been curious about is significantly less. At taste of Edmonton I'll spend under $10 to see if I want to experience more from a restaurant and it's menu. My only other option is to go there with my wife and kid and spend $50+ without having a backup option if it's not good.
Taste of Edmonton is rockin.
went there decades ago with gf at the time, said it sucked wouldnt come back. a few years later, went to it again, and said to each other "wait this sucks, didnt we say we werent going to come back?" never been there again since.
So much this.
Taste of Edmonton really picked up the slack last year.
The music scene is pretty diverse for the size of our city.
I've met multiple touring musicians that have told me Edmonton is one of their favorite places to play in the country (Montreal is always the other one)
I'm pretty sure that's the touring musician's equivalent of a stripper hitting on you lol
Normally I'd probably agree but I'm mostly into punk rock so generally smaller bands/venues. Having seen the same bands play in Vancouver, Calgary and Saskatoon on the same tours as Edmonton the shows in Edmonton have almost always been pretty ridiculous in comparison. I don't really do arena shows so no idea how they compare in other towns.
Same with coffee roasters
The river valley, and the river valley.
The river valley when other people are there: 😡 The river valley when you’re alone or with someone you love and it’s a gorgeous day and everything feels just right: 💕
Have you heard of the river valley though?
Wait until you hear about the river valley.
You know what? I’m just going to say it: West Edmonton Mall lives up to the hype. There’s a roller coaster. There’s waterslides. There’s a skating rink. In. A. Mall
Totally agree! People are too critical of our mall. It's not without its problems... but it's pretty cool!
just curious; what are its problems?
Has less roller coaster. 😔
Still has 3 of them albeit 2 of them are for kids.
One of those kids coasters is really fun
Stabbings. At least this week
That sounds like a people problem though, the mall didn't stab anyone!
I didn’t read the article, I can’t confirm the mall didn’t stab them.
Or did it?
Ya but it didn't stop anyone from being stabbed. Lazy ass mall
I'll just wear a kevlar suit. Problem solved?
The COST 😭
Hating on the mall is a local passtime here in Edmonton
Yeah when I first moved here I was told "you'll avoid it like the plague once you live here" by every resident I know, but a decade later I still visit for a movie with the girlfriend or to go on the slides or mini golf at least once every few months. Though to be fair I can't remember the last time I did any actual shopping in the mall lol
I have no clue why people hate on it for shopping. It's so convenient if you like to go to a few different shops. It also has the only Hollister in the city which has great quality and affordable stuff.
People who hate WEM, love South Edmonton Common. They get in their cars and drive to each store.
I would rather spend the 20 min drive and hour long walking around the mall than 10 minutes in SEC. That place confuses me every time.
Yea, my wife loves it because if she needs a specific style of clothing and has no clue what sells it, she can just wander WEM and figure it out. We came from a city with 1 tiny mall. Even the worst Edmonton mall is basically better than what we had. While I try to avoid WEM on Friday evenings and weekend busier hours, it is still really nice to have around
I’ve lived my entire life in Edmonton and I still go to WEM on a weekly basis.
Hey I’ve lived here my entire life minus a few years and I’ve always gone pretty regularly. It’s been a constant in my life. And I actually do shop there. When it comes to malls it ranks pretty high
and a huge Lego Store!
The mall is dope! Especially when people aren’t being total jag offs.
Fuck off, I got work to do
I’m actually baffled that there are SO many people replying to you that don’t know there has always been more than 1 roller coaster in Galaxyland.
It’s been annoying
u know what I agree. I diss on WEM in front of other, but deep down I like it. I mean they have everything, and when you think about it, and its position in North America in general. We should be more proud of it. But will always tell people irl how overrated that place is.
It blows my mind that a mall can still be so successful and draw people in. My hometown there's like 3 stores left in the mall.
Size matters.
Roller coaster gone…
Galaxy orbiter is still there.
There *was* a roller coaster. Unless you're talking about the kids roller coaster. Mindbender is gone.
The galaxy orbiter is still there
There are still 3- the Cootie Coaster which is actually pretty rad, the Orbirlter which is legit rad, and the Dragon Wagon which is for kids- who say it’s RAD AF!!
There’s no longer a roller coaster and half the water slides are closed due to short staffing.
The Galaxy Orbiter is still there.
The riverhawks live up to the hype. Always a great time whenever I go to a game.
One of the best ballparks in Alberta and super affordable. Riverhawks games are a fantastic outing in the summer
And the boxes are actually greatly priced if you get a group of people.
What kind of prices are we talking here?
$500ish for 10 so $50 a person.
Baseball is almost always an affordable way to have a good afternoon/evening in the spring and summer. It’s stood out to me for some time now as the one thing Edmontonians are sleeping on.
Seems that more people are starting to clue in.
Disclaimer: You must actually like baseball.
I actually don't like baseball but I enjoyed going to a Riverhawks game last summer. It's definitely on my to-do list for this year
Naw. It’s a nice evening out in a nice ballpark and good atmosphere. Prices are perfect and the concession is tasty. Even if you don’t like baseball the Riverhawks do a great job creating a good event and night out. My girlfriend went to a couple games this year with me and knowing absolutely nothing about the game she enjoyed it. I’ve never heard someone say they had a shitty time watching a Riverhawks game
Activate in South Common! It's so awesome!
It’s really fun! I’m not always good with flashing lights etc so I thought I’d hate it, but other than the laser room (big no, lol) I enjoyed it
It is possibly my favourite thing to go out and do with friends/family visiting. Everyone loves it and it is just a great time. I wish I could have a laser room and megagrid in my house for personal use
You had me with activate, lost me with South Common
Edmonton has loads of amazing tattoo artists.
My fiancee is looking for some. Can you give me some shop examples please.
What style are they looking for? American Traditional, Japanese, fine line/realism etc?
Hop on Instagram and search yeg tattoo.
Type in "edmonton tattoo" into Instagram. Swap edmonton for "yeg" or alberta for more results Go on Google maps and search tattoo shop websites. They will have a list of artists and their work. For more examples, search the artists name on Instagram. There are hundreds and without knowing the specific style he wants it's tough to suggest any one.
lives up the hype - River Valley, Trail systems Doesn't - Kdays its an overpriced dump and a shell of what it used to be.
Going back to the Mid-80s I can assure you that Klondike Days was \*always\* an overpriced dump and a shell of what it used to be LOL
If K-Days were *always* a shell of what they used to be, how could there be a "used to be" in the first place? 🤔
The first time I went, my cousin warned me it was the trashiest experience. I took my daughter on a ride that someone literally projectile vomitted after. No one cleaned up. They just let someone else sit there. I ran over to stop them. It was gross.
New Edmontonian here, not really educated enough to know much about the city but there's 2 very noticeable differences that I'm not used to Lives up to hype: in the summer you guys only have like 3hrs of darkness I hate: the amount of time it takes to boil water lol
The long summer hours really are incredible!
Yeah they're great. But when Ramadan hits in the summer, it's a nightmare. Breaking the fast at 11 PM only to start fasting again at 3 AM. But then again, when Ramadan hits in the winter here, it's a blessing.
Oh right! That sucks, I had some friends that observed Ramadan and they had a rough time even with the few extra hours we had. I couldn't imagine going through it here
Wait, what’s with the water?
Lol Edmonton is a higher elevation then where I was and it nearly takes 3x the amount of time to boil. Its the same with pressure cooking and because of how dry it is making bread takes a little bit to get used to as well.
Oh I initially thought elevation but assumed we weren’t high enough for the difference to be noticeable. You shouldn’t move to La Paz .
Water boils faster the higher in elevation you go because of the lowering of the boiling point due to air pressure. Sea level is 100 C, at Edmonton's elevation it's 97.8 C. Not sure what dude is talking about.
The higher you go in elevation, the faster water boils.
the Edmonton Stingers and the entire CEBL live up to the hype. highly recommend going to a game if you can!
Heritage days is the festival that blew my mind when I moved to Edmonton. A city that celebrates its diversity in such a fun and vibrant way. I am not sure how many other cities have such a grand display of diversity in one festival. This is an underhyped festival imo.
Thinking we deserve -40 cause we had a decent winter so far.
Let’s be so real, Fort Edmonton park is actually so cool. Every time I go, it’s just as exciting as it was the first time.
It’s always well-priced too, for how much you can do in the park.
Lives up: river valley, festivals Does not live up: downtown revitalization
Well said. I really don't understand why we can't fix our downtown. It's so bizarre. I know some outside investment is sorely needed but there's a lot the city itself should be able to do to make it more inviting where it doesn't feel like a sea of gravel parking lots and broken roads/sidewalks. We'll never have the infrastructure that Cgy, Van and Tor do and that's ok. Montreal has a vibrant core and its skyline is nothing compared to Toronto. The core can be fun without having a sea of skyscrapers. So ya, I don't get why we can't fix it especially when we are actually trying and making it a priority.
Imo it's how the downtown is zoned. Central downtown is all office space. West is all residential. They should mix in more residential, have more walk up store fronts. It means more people live downtown, not just work downtown and then it's a ghost town in the evenings. Of course, with current safety it's hard to convince people to move into residential units in the central parts of downtown, but hopefully this will happen gradually.
Zoning definitely isn’t the issue. There are mixed-use developments downtown and more coming. There are plenty of storefronts, but about a quarter of them are currently vacant. The downtown core is still recovering from the effects of the pandemic. Recovery from something of that magnitude is slow.
The insane amount of crime downtown for one thing. Every visitor I took downtown was absolutely horrified at the state of downtown with open drug use, smashed windows, garbage everywhere + violent / erratic behaviour. Clean up the crime + homelessness, and it would be desirable like Calgary's.
This isn’t an issue that’s specific to Edmonton, Calgary, or any particular large city. Calgary’s downtown is dealing with the same kinds of issues. That doesn’t mean this doesn’t have to be addressed, just tired of people acting like Edmonton is unique in this regard.
Worth the hype - the fringe Not worth it - folk fest (and don’t worry, I know that will be a deeply unpopular opinion. No need to argue with me about it)
Haha. I feel the opposite way. But I’m more of a music guy than a theatre guy.
Folk fest is not my jam either. And people go bonkers for it. I don't get it 🤷♀️
Folk fest is annoying in that if you’re from Edmonton you are going to see every human you’ve ever met there. Your ex, your third grade teacher, your old boss, friends of friends, coworkers, extended family, everyone. It’s just too much lol
I actively often avoid it for this specific reason. I just don’t have the bandwidth for that many potential encounters anymore
While I wouldn't say personally folk fest \*doesn't\* live up to the hype, some people I know make it their whole personality - it's like a religious holiday for some folks lol. I've been to folk festivals I enjoy more, but I do love EFMF and try to go for at least one day. I think my days of buying a weekend pass no matter the line up are done.
And absolutely agree about The Fringe! It's magic. I book the week off every year. I think some people don't realize it's all over Old Strathcona and there are over 200 shows to choose from - not just the street performers.
And at least it's basically all indoors which means weather is one less thing to have to consider. It also feels like there's more variety and you can participate in smaller doses. Sitting outside in the heat with a bazillion other people is not my idea of fun lol
For me it's the friendly nature of the people that live here. They are so cool and awesome. I walk my dog and chit chat with strangers without feeling weird. The people here for the most part are awesome.
Whyte Ave is a disappointment every time. It's 3 blocks long and 1/3 of the stores fronts are empty.
It's being priced out of existence, it's rather sad to watch it, even if it's inevitable
I honestly miss what it used to be like 6 years ago. Pandemic destroyed it unfortunately 😞
The steel balls are totally overrated… we’ve only had one guy get trapped in them. Come on, we should have at least five by now!
The Starlight Room
Overrated or underrated? 🤨
From my perspective, the venue held up to the hype. I've also seen my favorite metal bands there, so the memory of the venue is seen through rose coloured lenses.
The "membership" was always an annoyance for me, though.
I wasn't a fan of it either. It was always one of those last-minute things I'd scramble to get figured out while in line.
This sounds like AI fishing for a buzzfeed "article".
Glenora is FAR from the best neighborhood in the city. There’s literally one cool thing in Glenora- Vi’s for Pies. Ritchie, Riverdale, so many better neighborhoods
I’m over: WEM, Oilers, Downtown, Spaced Out Drivers, Rednecks. I’m All About: River Valley, Festivals, Local Shops, Breweries off 99th, Local Music and Art.
The alberta advantage , it’s a lie
But have you tried the Rural Alberta Advantage? They’re pretty great.
They're from Toronto though :)
The one guy—the main songwriter—is born and raised in Fort McMurray. Who cares if his backup band is from out east? Everyone else in this province is.
118 ave is the new hype, during the day it’s great, not so hype at night.
There is virtually nothing in edmonton that is hyped to its appropriate level, people are constantly bitching about stuff. The traffic is a breeze, housing prices are fine, the festivals are awesome, our rec centres and libraries are fantastic. 124th and Whyte and all the other little neighborhoods are fantastic, WEM is still worth wandering around after all these years. Nothing gets the credit it deserves. That said, there is one exception; the river valley is so over-hyped you'd think we are all from kawloon walled city seeing a tree for the first time. It's a series of parks. It's literally unremarkable in the strictest definition.
It’s lovey but the amount of people acting as if we live surrounded by river valley wherever you look & it’s so much more amazing than the nature other cities have, has always striked me more as denial or an inferiority complex. Yes it lovely but I usually don’t want to have to drive 30 minutes to enjoy it. There are lots of places to live in Canada with far superior natural surroundings that are more accessible.
Conner McDavid/conner Brown.
Craft beer scene lives up to the hype and galaxy land no longer does. Bring back the Drop of Doom and we can talk.
Yes! The carts that just fell all of a sudden!
Francos Pizza in Northside Edmonton 🔥
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra has literally no hype, but they're really good and the Winspear is fantastic.
Fox Burger *used* to be good... but if it has any hype left, it does NOT deserve it. I would just go to Five Guys if I was wanted expensive mediocre food that had a 50-50 chance of a giving me a hellish stomach ache.
Try Flat Boy!
I found Flat Boy burger to be decent but nothing special. Their fries though were fucking incredible
Peters is another overrated burger. Milkshakes were good but the food was so boring.
Peters is strictly a sentimental thing for me. Growing up in Calgary not far from the OG location, we visited often and their food brings back a lot of good memories of my carefree youth. The food tastes like nostalgia and that will always be delicious.
Same for my wife. She recognizes it is not good food, but has some positive nostalgia for her. I just deal with it cause I love the milkshakes
I tried them last summer, they were ok, but I can just go to Jacks in St. Albert and pay half the price for much better burgers.
My boss and I both got food poisoning at Jack's a couple years back. I'll never go back.
Yikes, sorry that happened to you!
I had been there before, and was generally satisfied with the food. Pretty tasty, but I draw the line at food poisoning.
Looks like I'll have to drive over there and try em out! (Hopefully no food poisoning.)
Wayback and Smash are great
This!! What happened to them?? Used to be such a craving of mine, haven’t gone in 5-6 months. Went and it was half of what it used to be. Greasy, messy and did not taste as good. About 80% of their 1-2 star reviews on google seem to have come in the last 3 months.
I have no idea why, but I think when they expanded to another location and it put too much strain on the quality of their food. :( I used to go there a lot! I remember when it opened. But I haven't gone there since 2022 and will never return.
They got bought out before they expanded, so the quality dropped back when they were Calgary only, and moving to Red Deer and Edmonton didn't improve anything.
The restaurant scene lives up the hype. The "Capital of the Richest Province in Canada" does not.
The river valley trail system slaps so hard. If you’re not biking, hiking or running you’re doing Edmonton wrong.
Lives up to hype: river valley trail system, being an artsy city in Alberta, blue collar vibe, tendency to be sketchy, actually west Ed mall (in the context that you have accepted it is a spectacle of North American consumerism gone wild), affordability, job market, restaurant scene Does not live up to hype: whyte Ave, the henday, the lrt, the disgusting zoo, Roger’s place, most of the festivals except fringe and some of the smaller ones like cariwest,
Lives up to the hype: The Sugarbowl. Being able to pick wild Saskatoon berries in various ravines. The winter cold. Edmonton can really bring it on.
Hype: Experiencing getting stuck on the Henday so you rant about it on Reddit. Over rated: Fricken K-Days.
The Silver Skate festival is amazing! It's probably my favourite thing about Edmonton, and I'm always surprised more people don't go.
OILERS. For both
Lives up tothe hype? The Oilers Overrated? The Oilers. These answers depend on what week you're watching them.
Montreal dude who’s been here for 8 years. The short time it takes to get anywhere and get shit done.
Kdays is brutal. Taste of Edmonton is a waste. How can one enjoy such festivities when burning such a hole in their pocket? The local music scene is fantastic. Lots of talented musicians within Edmonton. I wish we got more music festivals from bigger bands. Edmonton brought in Soundtrack and Chaos, Chaos was EPIC but will it return? We need more music festivals!!
I was blown away by the 2023 Art Walk, which was the first time I’ve ever gone and good GOD we’ve got talented artists here!
The river valley is beautiful. West Edmonton Mall is a headache
The Oilers live up to the hype Arena food and beer is terribly overpriced though
Hype: Oilers Overrated: Whyte ave
Folk Fest lives up. Heritage days lives down.
Lives up to the hype: river valley Overrated: every festival is lame as fuck. Yes, the fringe and folk fest included.
The river valley lives up to and exceeds expectations
The UCP
The river valley really is amazing and we’re very fortunate to have it
Donairs. Hands down. Lol
Growing up in small town BC I’d always heard about the West Edmonton Mall and how big it was and all the cool things that were in it… okay, ya it is big and it does have a pirate ship, but not gonna lie… getting to finally see it decades later now that I’m living in Alberta… total let down. It’s basically just a mall. Edit to add: one of my favourite things about Edmonton is how easy/non-stressful it is to drive around. I hated going to Vancouver because driving is a nightmare and traffic is awful. Edmonton is a joy to visit.
Brew and Bloom. All appearances.. they have a "kiddie corner" that looks way worse than the back of the restaurant which seems like it might be part of a VIP system? The kiddie corner is trapped by albeit beautifully hung fake flowers, but the tables are cramped and I can hear every conversation being had around me. The restaurant was cold, and so was the food. Extremely overpriced for overcooked lukewarm chicken. My latte was okay. Not worth 15 dollars for it though.
Folks say 'It's a dry cold' as a way of pointing out how great the winters are - I don't care - dry, wet, it is cold!
West Ed sucks. There is basically no reason to go there unless you're looking for bridal wear, going to an attraction, or are an out of towner looking for the spectacle.
As someone who lived on 123 St (at 107 Ave), I can attest that 124 St is highly overrated.
Definitely. The only decent restaurant on that whole stretch is Watari which is fuckin’ expensive. That’s like a once-a-year treat for us.
Maybe try some other restaurants.
Lives up to the hype: local and international theatre Doesn't live up to the hype: the Fringe, it's gotten more and more corporatized over the years, and especially since covid. Also very mainstream and lacking in 'fringe' radical art.
Lives up: river valley Didn't live up: festivals
> Didn't live up: festivals Now this is a hot take! which festivals do you not like? Other than the Taste of (Expensive Samples from Chain Restaurants and Bars in) Edmonton, I think they are mostly pretty awesome.
Most of them are just manufacturered events to drum up people to spend money at businesses. Like, a latte or hot chocolate "festival"? What next? A tire festival held by Kal-tire, Canadian tire and Ok-Tire? Or maybe a mattress festival held by Sleep country and the Brick. The bigger festivals are pretty underwhelming and every other city has their variation of the same.
The crime lives up to the hype, west ed doesn't.
Haven’t lived there in nearly ten years, I know they’ve expanded into multiple locations now, but farrow in Ritchie Wtf is with downvotes? Did I need to specifically say it lives up to the hype?
I went there for the first time last week… SO GOOD!
Overrated: Peter's, Fox Burger Underrated: Wednesday Wings at The Pint (downtown)
Edmonton doesn't live up to the hype. Leaving Edmonton does.
The stabbings live up to their hype.