The 24th Annual International Street Performers Festival returns to the City of Grande Prairie on July 19th after a few preview shows in Wembley, Beaverlodge, and Sexsmith.
Downtown Association Executive Director and Festival Co-Chair Wendy Bosch says she is excited for the free festival to return once again, and adds that she sees the festival as a significant economic driver for the city’s downtown core.
“I’m really excited to see a free festival for the public, I think that is a fantastic way to get people out and engaging and enjoying the weather,” she says. “We love to see that people are coming to visit the core, our businesses are excited to be a part of this, it’s a great opportunity, whether it’s retail, a restaurant, cafes, or lounges, there are all kinds of businesses people can check out while they’re out visiting the city core, I think it’s important.”
This year boasts a variety of acts coming to the city for the first time, including some from Mexico, Ghana, Australia, the United States, Japan, and Canada featuring everything from circus acts, juggling, comedy, contortionists, and more.
The event calls itself the largest free outdoor festival in the region, touring nearby communities and giving smaller towns and municipalities a chance to experience top-quality outdoor entertainment without carrying the weight of the cost.
“The group that does it is out of Edmonton, so the ability to have them come here is pretty extraordinary,” Bosch says.
“We include regional municipalities so as far as I know, there’s no other festival that does that, so to bring in the street performers is a lofty planning goal for us, but we are including these smaller municipalities who could probably not bring in something this large,” she adds. “It allows these regional communities to bring in some high-end quality entertainment and not have to carry the entire cost of bringing something like that in.”
This year boasts a hefty 21-act lineup for attendees to enjoy for free from July 19th to the 21st.
