All Is Bright Begins Winter Festivals

All Is Bright winter festival is among the first to kick off the long list of winter festivals in Edmonton. It began with the WinterCities initiative and local businesses along 124 St and High Street and has been well received by the community. Being affected by delayed construction on the 102 Ave bridge, the festival has become a beacon of hope for many, drawing visitors from around the capital region.

At the most recent All Is Bright festival (video above), there was fire dancing, ice sculptures, family entertainment, winter street performers, and characters from different winter folktales. A first of its kind winter market was set up on High Street. An ETS shuttle and sleigh rides were also scheduled to bring people along 124 St. There was a scavenger hunt which was successful at bringing people to businesses and establishments they never would have visited driving through the area regularly. Local talents played the coffee shops while others filled up with the culinary delights.

On top of that, for the youth and connected crowd, there was a social media contest to tweet and post to Instagram of their experience. The winner of last year’s Instagram contest received a painting by Alain Bédard donated by The Daffodil Gallery worth almost $600.

To end the evening off in an otherwise long and dark winter evening, there were fireworks to launch the winter decorative lights for High Street.