With a new location, a roster of fresh new acts and a new food partnership with Taste of Red Deer, the 17th annual Centrefest Street Performer Festival gives you even more great reasons to come downtown July 26 to 28.
The Gary W. Harris Celebration Plaza will be hopping from Friday evening through Sunday, as a wide range of performers thrill onlookers with everything from acrobatics and juggling to musical and physical comedy.
And the entertainment is all free!
The regular Friday noon sneak peek performance takes on an even more fun and delicious element this year. Centrefest has partnered with the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation, which is hosting its Taste of Red Deer culinary sampler fundraiser on July 26 from 6 to 9 p.m.
“We wanted to expand on the kickoff, so we moved to Friday evening and are presenting feature-length performances by our Circle Show headliners during Taste of Red Deer,” says Centrefest organizer Janice Shimek. “It’s a way to connect with audience members who might not come down on the weekend and give them even more.”
Here’s some other reasons to stop by Centrefest over the weekend:
Practise your circus skills – Do your kids dream of being street performers? They can get a head start on some of the acrobatics and other physical activities these folks are famous for, at the festival’s Circus World in City Hall Park, courtesy of Axiom Architecture Inc. This free, hands-on activity area sees professional performers teach kids the basics of stiltwalking, plate spinning, juggling and more. It’s open noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Watch for pop-up performances – Roving artists will make their way around the festival site throughout the weekend, from The National Stiltwalkers of Canada and The Lineup Maintenance Crew to the Royal Gardening and Janitorial Service and Woody Woodman. You never know where and when they’ll set up shop for their acts, so keep your eyes open!
Bring your appetite – Not only can you enjoy Taste of Red Deer to start the festival – beer garden beverages will be provided that night by Troubled Monk Brewery – local food trucks will be on hand to give you various choices for lunch, snacks and dinner.
Donate to the cause – Want to help keep Centrefest a free event? You can make a donation of any amount online or on site. Your generous contributions help keep the smiles and laughter in the community. And while there’s no admission for the festival, you’ll probably want to keep some cash on hand to put in the performers’ hats!
Find more festival information at centrefest.ca or on Facebook.
