Theatregoers, rejoice: Here’s what’s happening in Edmonton this weekend

Grindstone Comedy Theatre in Edmonton on July 18, 2025. (Amanda Anderson/CTV News Edmonton)

Here are some things going on in the city this weekend. Bundle up!

Ongoing events

As part of its winter city programming, The Edmonton Arts Council hosts free skating every Friday and Saturday night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. until the end of February. Every Sunday starting at 1 p.m., city hall will be playing live music to dance along to inside.

Ice Castles is also back, thanks to deep freeze temperatures this week, and open on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Edmonton Ski Club Tube Park is also running one-hour sessions on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until March 22. Tickets are $17.50 for ages five and up. This weekend still has slots available beginning at 5:15 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday and Sunday.

Festivals, theatre, music

The downtown core will be alive with the sound of Thumpasaurus – and other music, comedy and drag shows – all weekend with the return of Winterruption YEG, a winter festival. Concerts are held at varying times in varying venues across downtown Edmonton. Festival wristbands, which grant you access from Thursday through to Monday night, are $136. Each venue is adults-only.

Saturday marks the return of the fourth-annual Gin Festival, held at Halo Bar and Bistro. A ticket gets you a gin masterclass and access to a multitude of vendors selling unique gin-based cocktails and a selection of passed hors d’oeuvres. The festival begins at 7 p.m.

It’s also a weekend for avid patrons of arts. Varscona Theatre on 83 Avenue is putting on Shadow Theatre: An Iliad, a modern retelling of Homer’s epic adventure about the Trojan War, from now until Feb. 8. Tickets are $40 for adults and $25 for students. Friday’s performance begins at 7:30 p.m., Saturday will see both a matinee and evening show.

The Winspear Centre will be putting on Mozart, Mendelssohn and Morlock, Vancouver Symphony music director Otto Tausk’s Edmonton debut of some true classics. The concert features Edmonton Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Robert Uchida and principal viola Keith Hamm. Tickets to Saturday and Sunday’s 7:30 p.m. shows range from $57 to $109.

The Citadel Theatre hosts Death of a Salesman, the timeless classic that explores the American dream, from Saturday at 7:30 p.m. until Feb. 15. Tickets begin at $100.

One for the Magic: The Gathering fans: the Grindstone Theatre is hosting a competitive improv comedy show on Saturday at 7 p.m. Magic: The Improvising features two performers in a head-to-head improv battle of wits and mana. Tickets begin at $16.37.

Fans of the Western music scene can check out John Hewitt and The New Americans, appearing at the New Moon Folk Club on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Hailing from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and now based in Alberta, Hewitt draws much of his inspiration from The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

And Dean Lewis, an Australian pop singer-songwriter, performs at Midway Music Hall as part of his Epilogue World Tour on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets begin at $124.

For the kids

While not technically in Edmonton, kids ages six to 13 might like to check out the Kids Clay Club at the Leduc Arts Foundry on Saturday. This monthly event runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and offers a hands-on pottery workshop. This weekend, kids will get to create their own time capsule box. Tickets are $40.

The Winspear Centre will also host an interactive symphony for kids on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. called Kiwis Can’t Play the Violin. It’s a full-orchestral, interactive score by Emilie LeBel that follows Kiwi on a journey to, you guessed it, get a violin and play in the orchestra. The show is meant to create a family-friendly child-sized introduction to orchestral music. Tickets begin at $27.

Sports and Shoresy

The Edmonton Oilers host the Washington Capitals at Rogers Place on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets begin at $165.

The Edmonton Oil Kings will then host the Saskatoon Blades the next day at 4 p.m. Tickets begin at $24.

The cast of Shoresy will also lace up for a game against Oilers alumni at Rogers Place on Friday night.