Producer's Remarks

Welcome to the 25th Annual Edmonton International Street Performers Festival. The first of its kind in North America, StreetFest is thrilled to bring you the world’s best street performing artists in one really big ‘shoe’.

As we move into our third generation of audiences, StreetFest is thrilled to bring you a company of artists that glimpses back to our very beginnings…and brings you all the possibilities for the future, with acts never before seen in Edmonton. Each of the performers invited to StreetFest 2009 are proud to be here in this great city and are very much looking forward to seeing all your smiling faces in Sir Winston Churchill Square, July 3 – 12.

StreetFest is definitely for all walks of life. It may sound cliché, but there is something for everyone! It’s also the best bargain in town. There are no tickets required to access the Square and hundreds of performances to choose from. (Check the schedule at our Information Station.) Once the show is done, YOU decide the value and contribute to the artists’ hat. Edmonton audiences have a fantastic reputation…a reputation for generosity to the artists both with loonies and toonies, and with smiles and laughter.

This year, we will feature special 25th Anniversary guests nightly at our popular 10pm Troupe du Jour performances on the steps of Churchill Square. The Troupe du Jour cast, different each night, will bring you, your family and friends the best and freshest taste of StreetFest. Be sure to stop by the ATB Big Tent and take in the Be Your Own Busker workshops or bring the family to our Kids’ World area with even more fun, activities and performances this year. Enjoy getting your face painted while you snack on fabulous treats from our vendors. And remember to stop for a caricature or balloon sculpture as a souvenir of your visit. For our 25th Anniversary, we are proud to present two different Late Night Madness performances, July 10 and 11 at the Library Theatre at 11pm. Recommended for adults, these shows bring the street to the stage with hilarity and out-of-this world zaniness. (Tickets are available on site at our Information Station or call 780-425-5162.)

Special thanks go to the past and present Edmonton International Street Performers Festival board of directors, volunteers and fabulous staff for all they do to bring you such a world class event year after year.

We truly appreciate the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Edmonton Arts Council through the City of Edmonton and TransAlta. Together with many businesses - large and small - they help us continue to put a smile on the face of Edmonton for ten days every July.

Enjoy the greatest ‘shoe’ on earth…and here’s to many more!
Shelley Switzer, Artistic Producer