Your Guide to Winter 2016/2017 Festivals & Events in Edmonton

By Mack D. Male ·

Here’s my listing of winter festivals & events for 2016/2017, powered by ShareEdmonton. Below you’ll find dozens of events with a website, dates, and links to social media and ShareEdmonton for each. I hope you find this listing as useful as I do.

Christmas Lights Amidst City Lights
Christmas Lights Amidst City Lights, photo by Dave Sutherland

Festivals & Events

For winter, I’m generally looking at events that take place from mid-November through March. Those with a winter or holiday theme are more likely to be included. Here’s the listing for 2016/2017:

Event Dates Links
Christmas on the Square Holiday Light Up November 12 SE 
Hazeldean Christmas Craft Sale November 12-13 SE  
Santa’s Little Helpers Shopping Extravaganza November 13 SE  
All is Bright on 124 Street November 19 SE    
Santa’s Parade of Lights November 19 SE    
Leduc Festival of Trees November 19-20 SE  
Royal Glenora Club Christmas Gift Show November 20 SE   
I Heart YEG Winter November 20 SE   
Indie Handmade November 24-27 SE    
Festival of Trees November 24-27 SE    
Make It Edmonton November 24-27 SE     
Hand2Hand Christmas Market November 26 SE  
Silver Bells Winter Market November 26 SE   
Shop the Hall November 26 SE   
The Great Sweater Run November 26 SE  
A Christmas Carol Nov 26 – Dec 23 SE     
So This Is Christmas Nov 30 – Dec 3 SE  
The Legislature Light-up December 1 SE    
Butterdome Craft Sale December 1-4 SE    
Winter Wine Festival December 2 SE   
Celebrate the Season December 2-23 SE    
Winter Patio Kick-off December 2-4 SE  
Winterfest at Snow Valley December 2-4 SE    
Luminaria December 2-4 SE   
Royal Bison Craft & Art Fair Dec 2-4 & Dec 9-11 SE    
Santa Shuffle Fun Run & Elf Walk December 3 SE   
A Festive Mosaic December 3 SE 
A Christmas Karol: The Karol Wojtyla Nativity Play December 3 SE 
Gold Bar Craft Sale December 3 SE   
Old Strathcona Horse-Drawn Sleigh Shuttle Dec 3, 10, 17 SE     
The Many Moods of Christmas December 5 SE 
Carrot Christmas Arts Bazaar December 9-10 SE    
Zoominescence: Festival of Light December 9-18 SE    
ETS Christmas Lights Tours December 9-18 SE   
Leefield Community’s Gift & Craft Sale December 10 SE  
Trains, Toys and Christmas Traditions December 11 SE  
Candy Cane Lane Dec 11 – Jan 3 SE    
Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree December 15-18 SE     
Christmas Reflections Dec 16-23 SE     
#YEGlongnight December 21 SE  
Shumka presents Clara’s Dream! December 29-30 SE   
New Year’s Eve Downtown December 31 SE    
Swing ‘n Skate Sundays Jan 1 – Feb 26 SE 
Southeast Winter Fun Festival January 14 SE   
Deep Freeze: Byzantine Winter Festival January 14-15 SE   
World Snow Day January 15 SE     
Edmonton Whisky Festival January 18 SE 
Ice on Whyte Jan 26-29 & Feb 2-5 SE    
Winter Walk Day February 1 SE   
The Flying Canoe Adventure February 3-4 SE   
Parka Patio February 4 SE   
Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival February 10-11 SE   
Silver Skate Festival February 10-20 SE   
Hypothermic Half Marathon Feb 12 & Feb 26 SE   
Valentine’s Day Disco Skate February 14 SE 
Winter Cities Shake-Up 2017 February 16-18 SE  
Family Day at the Alberta Legislature February 20 SE    
Coldest Night of the Year February 25 SE    
SkirtsAFire Festival March 9-12 SE    
Winter Warrior Challenge March 11 SE   
Western Canada Fashion Week Mar 23 – Apr 1 SE   

You can check out a calendar view of festivals here or you can download the iCal feed for your own apps.

I’ll do my best to keep this list updated as new events are announced. For instance, Ice Castles is expected to return in 2017, weather permitting!

Winter in Edmonton

Edmonton is a winter city, and we’re working hard to reclaim the joy of winter and embrace the season! You can learn all about the WinterCity strategy and associated events and ideas here. You can also download the Winter Excitement Guide in PDF.

Happy New Year 2015!

For some in our community, this time of year is anything but merry. Lots of organizations do great work on behalf of the less fortunate, and they’ll especially need your support this year given the poor economy. Consider supporting the Christmas Bureau, Santas Anonymous, The Salvation Army, Edmonton’s Food Bank, or one of the many other serving agencies in Edmonton.

There are of course many more events listed in the ShareEdmonton calendar, so check it out! Have I missed something that should be included? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add it.

Happy winter!