September’s final summer push is here. Here are some ways to enjoy the weather in and around the city this weekend: Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo The Edmonton Expo Centre hosts the likes of John Cena, Erin Moriarty, Dean Norris and John Rhys-Davies (Gimli in the Lord of the Rings, thank you very much) from Friday to Sunday. Three-day passes are still available for $89. Kaleido Family Arts Festival The festival showcasing local and travelling music, theatre, dance, street performances, food, artisans, art galleries – “A little bit of everything,” as organizers like to say – is back on Alberta Avenue this weekend for its 21st year. Admission is free, but donations are more than welcome on site or online. Recovery Day Alberta This free, family-friendly event at Churchill Square celebrates mental health and addiction recovery with kids’ activities, food trucks and support resources. Bif Naked and Sloan will perform. Yes, really. Rocktoberfest For those of you who enjoy dry tool climbing – there’s another festival for that, running Friday through Monday. Music, food and beer await attendees who want to compete, try rock climbing for the first time or just enjoy music, food and beer. Down by the River The new-ish folk music festival returns to Louise McKinney Riverfront Park from Friday to Sunday. Headliners include The Rural Alberta Advantage, Vincent Neil Emerson and Goldie Boutilier. Day passes begin at $45. Fall Gallery Walk On Saturday and Sunday, Edmonton’s gallery district invites people to walk through six independent small businesses to enjoy specially curated exhibitions. Mosquers Film Festival Muslim excellence in film, arts and storytelling is on display at the Winspear Centre downtown all weekend. Organizers say the goal is to “educate, entertain and build bridges by showcasing talent and the diverse Muslim experience.” Tickets begin at $15. Provincial Archives of Alberta 38th annual film night The Provincial Archives of Alberta, which acquires, preserves and makes available records from the government, people and organizations for researchers, invites Edmontonians to an evening of short documentaries by Alberta-based filmmaker Tom Radford. His filmography, produced between 1970-2000, was preserved by the archives and will be shown at the Garneau Theatre on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. Edmonton Terry Fox Run Edmontonians honour B.C. icon Terry Fox’s run for cancer research with a cancer research fundraiser of their own on Sunday. DroneArt Show: Harry Potter The Exhibition Lands Racetrack is putting on a live orchestral version of the Harry Potter soundtrack featuring elaborate lights in the sky, courtesy of 1,200 drones. Grab a butterbeer and enjoy the show.
