While Edmonton has seen an unprecedented amount of rain and volatile storms, festival organizers are busy preparing for the worst. This weekend, the Edmonton Heritage Festival will return to Hawrelak Park after a three-year rehabilitation project moved the festival to Borden Park temporarily. “It’s a very exciting time for us,” said the festival’s executive director, Robert Rohatyn, at a press conference Thursday. But that excitement is met with some anxieties about inclement weather. “Being an outdoor festival, it’s always something that we’re prepared for, and certainly with the weather activity as of late, it’s very much on our mind,” said Rohatyn, adding that they’ve done extensive reviews to their emergency protocols in case of extreme weather. The City of Edmonton sent out a public service announcement earlier this week stating that festivalgoers should avoid sheltering under tents during a storm. “Our tents are installed … They are not meant to shelter in place,” said Rohatyn. “We want to ensure we are constantly monitoring weather activity throughout the festival weekend … That gives us time to prepare and determine when we need to enact.” Edmonton Transit Service buses will be available to evacuate people should extreme weather become imminent. Folk Fest setup underway Setup for the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is underway at Gallagher Park as they prepare to welcome more than 20,000 people to the hill next week. With the rainy summer Edmonton has seen, festival producer Terry Wickham says the ground is softer than they’d like. While they have reduced traffic on the grounds as much as possible in order to protect the ground, crew members have had to fill ruts with sand in order to keep the ground level. Wickham said the forecast for next weekend is looking relatively dry. “It’s a good forecast … So I think we’ll be in pretty good shape by the time next week rolls around,” he said. “Because it’s on a hill, this drains really well, I can take a lot of rain.” The festival does have an emergency evacuation plan in place in the event of extreme weather. ‘Be prepared for all sorts of weather’ Megan Benoit, digital manager for Big Valley Jamboree, says people should come to the festival ready for anything. “People who are from Alberta, they know how the weather can turn,” Benoit told CTV News Edmonton. “So pack your sunscreen, pack your bug spray, the rain boots – be prepared for all sorts of weather.” Much like the Edmonton Folk Fest, Big Valley Jamboree has its own on-site meteorologist to help forecast inclement weather. “We always want to be proactive so that we can clear for an evacuation before anything becomes detrimental,” said Benoit, adding that the venue does have permanent infrastructure available if a shelter-in-place is needed. Campers began setting up their tents Wednesday. Big Valley Jamboree runs Thursday to Sunday. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti and Sierra Dolson
