Caribbean festival takes over Whyte Ave as Edmonton enters heat wave

It’s going to be a hot weekend in Edmonton.

Temperatures are rising beyond what is typically seen this time of year. The first signs of a heat wave were felt at the Edmonton International Airport Friday. Experts with Environment and Climate Change Canada recorded a reading of 30.1 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous daytime high for September 6 of 28.5 degrees Celsius, set in 2017.

While some are watching for more potential record-breaking temperatures, others feel the conditions are ideal for the Cocktails and Jerk Festival, a Caribbean cultural celebration taking over Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park just off Whyte Avenue.

“It’s a tropical staycation in the heart of the prairies,” said DeWayne Taylor, President of the Cocktails and Jerk Festival. “It’s basically good vibes, good people.”

The event features a lineup of musical artists, Caribbean-themed cocktails and food trucks. As visitors take in the rays, rhythm and refreshments, sweltering temperatures will hover around 30 degrees Celsius. To help beat the heat, the City of Edmonton activated its extreme weather response, which opens up public facilities like libraries and recreation centres for people to cool off. Some fire hydrants across the city become temporary hydration stations.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada Scientist Christy Climenhaga, seeing a three-day stretch of temperatures in this range at this time of year has only happened once before, in 2022, and a record-breaking weekend could be in store.

“We saw the hottest July on record for Calgary, for Edmonton, as well as for parts of northern Alberta,” she said. “Seeing these daily records fall through the weekend may be a thing to watch for because we are looking at very warm temperatures in the 30s, close to the 30s for the next 3 days in central Alberta, and maybe even 4 days taking us into Monday for southern Alberta.”

Edmonton just closed out its eighth-hottest August on record. Daily historical records approaching mid-September sit in the high 20s and low 30s. Those just off Whyte Avenue aren’t sweating the numbers on the thermometer. They’re embracing it.

“It amplifies it,” Taylor said. “It’s payback for last year. Last year, we had some bad weather, so this year, we’re coming back strong.”

The Cocktails and Jerk Festival wraps up Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. Edmonton’s extreme weather response is likely to remain in place until Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 9 a.m.