Heritage Festival wraps up ‘phenomenal’ weekend

Heritage Fest brought thousands of people for its final year in Borden Park. CTV Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti has that story.

The final attendance numbers aren’t in quite yet, but executive director Rob Rohatyn said this year’s Edmonton Heritage Festival has been going “really, really well.”

• Get the latest Edmonton updates right to your inbox

With three pavilions making a return from hiatus, reasonable weather and large crowds on a long weekend, Rohatyn said he’s been grateful to see “that community support for our festival.”

“It’s been really exciting to celebrate multiculturalism with Edmonton this weekend,” he said.

This was the last year the festival took place at Borden Park. It will return to its original home, Hawrelak Park, in 2026.

“It’s been a great three years in this temporary space, but we’re looking forward to returning,” Rohatyn said.

This year saw 67 pavilions, each representing a different country. Japan, Portugal and Liberia returned after a brief time away from the festivities. Newcomers included Senegal and Somalia.

On Sunday, officials went around handing awards to countries with the best food, drink and more. A full list of award winners can be found on their Instagram.

“What makes a good pavilion is multiple components,” Rohatyn said. “We really want to create an environment where our pavilions can engage with our attendees and educate about their culture.”

The main components to a country’s pavilion are food, entertainment, cultural display and art.

Alex Amaglo was with Togo’s pavilion, which won first place in “best main” for their plantain and beef skewer.

“Everybody was happy, it was really nice … it was so beautiful,” Amaglo said.

He added that he enjoys the Heritage Festival because, despite the rain, people still attend.

Gloria Caceres, from El Salvador, was touring all the food she could. She said she loves the festival because “it’s like travelling one day around the world.”

Carolina Ford-Conde visited the festival two days in a row with her kids.

“I think we’re very lucky to have so many cultures in Canada, and I want them to be exposed to different cultures,” she said.

Rohatyn said he feels that attendees all agree that the festival is important, based on the “strong crowds” on Sunday.

“We’re really excited about the cultural groups that support our festival and believe in our mission,” he said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti