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Along with these cultural hubs, some
of the best festivals in the province, like Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose (short drive southeast of Edmonton) and North Country Fair in northern Alberta’s Driftpile Valley, happen away from the major cities. There, they have the space and freedom to be loud and rock out—no need to worry about waking the neighbours when they’re miles away.
While Edmonton has more festivals than there are weekends in a year, the Calgary Stampede drew over 1.3 million to the week- long event in 2023, and other festival towns make headlines too, like Medicine Hat’s Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival (you may have seen its famous photos) and Drumheller’s sci-fi-inspired Satellite Music and Art Festival, which utilizes the Eastern Alberta badlands’ martian aesthetics. Or, the Athabasca Tribal
Council Cultural Festival, which showcases the rich and diverse Indigenous arts and culture in northern Alberta. The culture and the landscape working in tandem with each other is why Alberta’s visitor economy is worth over $10 billion and employs over 220,000 people.
As the affordability and opportunity of the province bring people here, young people like Schultz know it’s all the things you can do in Alberta that keep them around.
“I definitely feel very grateful and lucky
to be able to live how I do and enjoy Canada and Alberta to the full extent; I don’t see it stopping anytime soon,” says Schultz. In the future, he plans to keep living the Rocky Mountain lifestyle and find a long-term career in the outdoors industry.
“It seems like a no-brainer.”
$1,266
Average rent, per month, in the province
>470
Number of provincial parks and protected areas in Alberta
105 BILLION
CUBIC METRES
Volume of annual water flow through the province
13,000
KILOMETRES
Distance of designated and managed trails in Alberta, plus hundreds of thousands of kilometres of unintended trails
ALBERTA HAS THE
HIGHEST NUMBER OF SUNNY DAYS
IN CANADA WITH OVER 312 ANNUALLY — A 6:1 RATIO.
AT A GLANCE
Bordering A New Centre
Lloydminster is affectionately known as a border town – straddling the provinces of Saskatchewan to the east and Alberta to the west.
It is equidistant between Edmonton, Alberta’s capital city, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan’s largest city. A growing city, with deep roots in agriculture and oil production, the City of LLoydminster hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking in August 2023 for the Cenovus Energy Hub. This $93-million event facility will feature an arena, walking trails, slo-pitch (a form of softball) diamonds, outdoor park, camping stalls and
more. Cenovus Energy, an oil and natural gas company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, has committed $5 million towards the facility, supporting construction costs and community programming.
“I am thrilled to witness the collaboration between the City of Lloydminster and Cenovus as they join forces to support recreation and cultural opportunities for our community,” said Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers.
This event facility will be a hub for the city’s event district, and is expected to open in 2025.
GET AWAY FROM IT ALL
Alberta has many great cities and towns full of interesting people, but sometimes you just want to get away from it all, and the LakeLand Canoe Circuit is as “away” as it gets.
Located near Lac La Biche County (about 2.5 hours northeast of Edmonton), the 42-killometre loop is great for camping, fishing, hiking
and likely seeing no one else but your paddling partner.
The full route takes three glorious days, during which you’ll
experience the serenity of untouched Alberta while breathing the freshest air and exploring places rarely touched by two-legged animals. As Alberta’s only backcountry paddling route, the only thing it’s bad for is people watching.
EMBRACE. ELEVATE. ENVISION. 2 0 2 4 XPERIENCE ALBERTA 23