By Joel Dryden
We know – you entered the month of May with hockey on the brain as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks. Although the whole city will continue to cheer on the hometown playoff run, don’t miss out on a packed May calendar in Edmonton. Here’s the best of our city this month. [Photo credit: istockphoto.com/sveta_zarzamora]
If you’re looking for a different sort of snack to pair with playoff action, Zwick’s Pretzels serves up warm small-batch soft pretzels all day at its location on 107 Avenue NW. Since opening in February, Zwick’s buzz has slowly been growing due to its high quality salty snacks, delicious sandwiches and quaint location. They even do catering!
The poke craze will soon hit the streets of Edmonton as Ono Poke Co. nears the end of construction on 104 Street. If you’re not familiar, poke is a traditional Hawaiian dish that sees raw fish mixed with salad. Poke joints have been popping up all over the country over the past year and Edmontonians will soon get the chance to give the dish a try.
Another upcoming addition to 104 Street, Bottega 104 – the latest eatery from the family behind Black Pearl Seafood Bar and Café Amore – is set to open its doors any day now. Specializing in Italian cuisine and wine, Bottega’s opening follows a November expansion of Café Amore, dubbed Amore Pasta.
Though the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is still months away, May is a great month to be a music fan in Edmonton. No music festival can compete in terms of name quality when it comes to Shredmonton, the city’s annual metal festival. Running May 12 to 14, the lineup features metal acts sure to please genre aficionados.
Celebrate 10 years of Hip Hop in the Park from May 15 to 28 at Louise McKinney Park. Though festival organizers reveal the lineup closer to the date, previous years have featured local artists such as Jo Thrillz, Politic Live and The Liberators.
If metal and hip-hop aren’t your genres of choice, the 2017 NUOVA Opera and Music Theatre Festival might be more finely tuned to your interests. Running May 20 to June 30, more than 80 singers, pianists and stage directors will converge in Edmonton to present the best in opera and musical theatre.
For more detail on these and other spring music festivals in Edmonton, check out Gene Kosowan’s Smart Tip.
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Discover more fun things to do in Edmonton:
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Though we’ve all been cooped up waiting for pleasant spring weather, there are some great festivals that will keep us indoors just a bit longer. Northwestfest, scheduled to run May 5 to 14, showcases the best in local and international documentary filmmaking at the Metro Cinema. Some highlights include Victor Walk, which tells the story of NHL star Theo Fleury, and Chasing Evel: The Robbie Knievel Story.
The International Children’s Festival of the Arts features the best in children’s music and entertainment and runs May 30 to June 4 in St. Albert. Your kids will love versatile performer Jonathan Burns and Treehouse TV mainstays Splash ‘N Boots.
Between all of the excitement, don’t forget that Mother’s Day lands on May 14 this year. Get mom a unique gift or treat her to brunch – but make sure you book early, as Mother’s Day is among the busiest brunches of the year.
With the Oilers in the playoffs and spring weather finally here, May promises to be a welcome time of sunshine and excitement. Get out there and enjoy the best of our city this month.
