The City of Edmonton is extending the Heritage Festival by one hour on Monday to account for early closures on Sunday. The festivities will now run until 9 p.m. Heavy wind on Sunday shut the festival down in the early afternoon. Mayor Andrew Knack said the closures “immediately impacted organizations that rely on the festival as an important fundraising opportunity to support community programming through the year,” in a festival media release. The William Hawrelak Park event is considered the world’s largest three-day multicultural celebration and this year features 80 cultural groups’ food, music and dance. Edmonton Heritage Festival Association executive director Rob Rohatyn thanked Knack for his “decisive action” and commended city administration for ensuring cultural pavilions at the festival would be able to recoup their losses. The City of Edmonton has coordinated police, EMS and traffic management to keep the extended event running smoothly. Park and ride transit service will still operate from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., but at a “reduced capacity,” the media release notes. “We strongly encourage attendees staying through the evening to plan their trips ahead of time and allow for extra travel time when heading home.”
