Around the World in Three Days

The 42nd annual Edmonton Servus Heritage Festival promises something never before seen – a floating mini island pavilion.

Due to space restrictions at William Hawrelak Park, organizers came up with a creative solution to add Australia, in the island country's debut year at the festival.

They went to the Leduc Boat Club and brought back two gangways and tied them together.

"It's basically a giant dock fully surrounded by water. We have floating shark fins to make it more interesting," chuckles executive director Jim Gibbon.

The Servus Heritage Festival boasts a national reputation for celebrating Canadian's diverse cultural roots amid a rapidly changing world. This year it runs Saturday, Aug. 5 to Monday, Aug. 7.

It all began back in 1974 when 11 community ethnic groups mounted a one-day Heritage Day concert at Fort Edmonton Park.

By 1976 those eleven ethno-cultural organizations set up pavilions for a day at Mayfair Park, which was renamed William Hawrelak Park in 1982. It attracted 20,000 people.

Since then the family friendly, alcohol-free event has grown by leaps and bounds. It gradually expanded to three days and attracts close to 400,000 people who enjoy global cuisine, entertainment, crafts and interpretative material.

Dotted throughout William Hawrelak Park's slopes and man-made lake are 70 pavilions covering 100 countries.

Inside the red and white tents are 500 food choices of appetizing cuisine and drinks from Afghanistan to Wales waiting to be served.

In addition to Australia's debut, two new countries that suffer an exodus of refugees have set up pavilions. Liberia and Syria, thankful to be a part of Canada's mosaic, are giving visitors a rich taste of their food, crafts and culture.

Liberia brings to the table a smattering of mouth-watering jollof rice, roasted meats, potato greens and Liberian ginger beer whereas Syria offers its famous shawarma, barbecued meat skewers and yalangi (rice rolled inside grape leaves and cooked with tomato and onions.)

With a dearth of Liberian and Syrian restaurants in the region, executive director Jim Gibbon expects visitors will flock to the tents.

"One of the things I like about the festival is that people go see the new pavilions and are fully supportive of them," said Gibbon.

In addition to pavilions, another 30 stages furnish free cultural entertainment ranging from bootie shakin' salsa and dragon dancing to opera and folk music.

And as Canada's 150th anniversary peaks, our country's rhythms and beats will float through the air.

"This is a celebration of Canada and all people who come here – from people who lived here 15,000 years ago to people who came here a year ago. Canada is not a perfect place, but people can come to find peace and opportunities where they can't always in other countries," said Gibbon.

This festival ranks as one of the biggest and the best of its kind and Gibbon noted that there is a special reveal coming up. Not wanting to spoil the surprise, he refused to divulge information.

"There are things happening in the background and we would love for people to come down and give it a chance. We want to show the world how important the festival is."

There is no public parking on site. Visitors are encouraged to use Edmonton Transit park 'n' ride, bike, walk or taxi.

Non-perishable donations for the Edmonton Food Bank are gratefully accepted. For festival and transit information visit heritagefest.ca