With new flexibility for liquor and beverage laws, new Taste of Edmonton site gets green light

Edmonton's popular gourmet festival, Taste of Edmonton, is solidly set in a new location on the grounds of the Alberta Legislature, vendors and guests announced Wednesday [19659002]. blocks from its usual location at Churchill Square. The move was necessary to accommodate construction crews working on the LRT Valley Line around City Hall.

At the sweet opening of the Wednesday 12-day festival, several people told CBC News that they preferred the new site.

Shannon Wrightson, Deputy Chief of the Fairmont Macdonald Hotel, said there is more room for her staff and more space for guests. The furniture, the fountains and the square add to the comfort and the atmosphere, he said.

"There is a lot more space for lounging, I think, and people can appreciate it," he said. "There is a lot more space for lounging, I think, and people can appreciate it," he said. comfortable with the chairs and a better experience. "

On Wednesday, the place was crowded with people, including Karen Fitzpatrick, who is a regular at the event.

"I think it's a lot better than Churchill," she said. "There is more room, there is more space, you are not all crushed in these small spaces and everyone is trying to find a place to sit." [19659002Thefestivalinits34thyearhas60vendorsoffoodanddessertsincludingahandfuloffoodtruckssetupalong99thAvenue

Volkhart Caro runs the Churros King truck and asks for permits to set up at several festivals during the summer. He acknowledged that Capital Plaza's location had more space and better view.

"This area is beautiful," he said. "Landscapes are nice."

Caro also notes that the festival is well organized with "very good food vendors".

Also new this year, the Government of Alberta allows sellers to sell alcohol at Capital Plaza, which means Sandra Jansen, Minister of Infrastructure, East Joined the organizers of the festival launch Wednesday to announce the province's new policy authorizing the responsible consumption of alcohol.

"I think it's really a reflection of the times," she said, "we know this policy is good for Edmonton and the province. "

food at the Taste of Edmonton deserves a libation of accompaniment.

"We also have big craft breweries and we have all kinds of interesting ways to marry good beer and good wine with good food, and I think it's a natural choice."

When the festival was held at Churchill Square in previous years, there was also a designated area for drinking beer, wine and spirits, but it was separate from the food stalls. Last year, the city authorized a larger licensed space where young people could also enter the interior.

Paul Lucas, General Manager of Events Edmonton, who organizes Taste of Edmonton, described the grounds as "a magnificent and iconic site, which, in my opinion, rivals Europe or the world"

. He and Jansen have not ruled out the possibility that the festival may be held on the grounds of the legislature in the coming years.

The festival began in 1984 at the Convention Center with eight restaurants. Lucas said that nearly 20% of the 350,000 visitors to the event came from tourists coming from outside, injecting about $ 10 million into the local economy.

@natashariebe