Experience

The EXPO Experience

As you exit the LRT at the South Campus stop, you catch the sound of soaring Latin music and the smell of Asian spices. A solar-powered message board flashes the day's events and shows a running total of how much energy the EXPO site has contributed to Alberta's power grid since the event began. You enter the site. To your right, you see the flags of close to 100 nations stretching for blocks outside the international pavilions. The crowd is large, but it doesn't feel crowded as people flow with an unmistakable energy. Your eyes are drawn over to the left, where solar-powered robots entertain a cluster of children. You stroll towards the plaza where music is playing, and are joined by people emerging from a talk on sustainable gardening techniques. The walls of EXPO's buildings are alive with light patterns and visual stories. Enticing as the dancers on stage seem, you take a detour into one of the international pavilions. It's inspiring to hear how India is reshaping itself for the future while building on traditions that are thousands of years old. Outside the pavilion, you buy an ear of roasted Taber corn, and decide to take a walk. A short distance from the site, you turn onto a beautiful nature path that takes you to the Capital Region River Valley Park. You meet other visitors from all over the world - and with your new friends discover a perfect spot for conversation. With night now on the way, you make your way back to the EXPO grounds. People are gathering in the central square, where African drummers and streaming projections move gracefully through and above the crowds. The show builds to a tremendous climax of light, music, and cheering. You stroll with the other patrons towards the waiting trains, reflecting on the power of human ingenuity.

Edmonton: The Ideal Host City

Taking a day off from EXPO, you set off to explore the many other attractions of Edmonton. Of course, you've heard of the mall, and you can hardly skip a visit. After getting through the water park and watching the figure skaters at the ice rink, you realize that you've stopped thinking of it as a mall. You now see a small and wonderful city in itself. You linger for lunch on Bourbon Street, and then head back towards downtown. On the way you see signs for an exciting new exhibit at Edmonton's science centre, where you wander through a massive reproduction of the human bloodstream, blasting viruses - if only school had been like this! You get back downtown in time for dinner, and decide to check out a delightful Indian restaurant you stumble upon - although the steak house had been tempting. You've heard that there's a jazz festival going on. Although there are a lot of great events right downtown, what's caught your eye is a quartet over at the Yardbird Suite, in Old Strathcona. The ensemble is superb, and it's late when you step out into the warm night. Tomorrow's return to the EXPO site might not be quite so early a start.

Alberta: A Province That Has It All

A weekend away from the festivities at EXPO might be exactly the right way to wrap up your Alberta adventure. You drive east. Just outside Edmonton is Elk Island Park where you see herds of bison in their native habitat. Continuing south, you hike the "badlands" and take in one of the world's largest displays of dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum. From there, your road lies west. You drive through Calgary, home of the Stampede and a gleaming city of the prairies, and onwards into the mountains. You've been savouring a round at the renowned Banff Springs golf course. It's easy to see the hand of legendary designer Stanley Thompson in this spectacular course. You drive into Jasper, the nation's largest mountain park, and past the Athabasca glacier where the sun splashes dazzlingly down from five spectacular peaks. You pause to watch the sun set over the dancing waters of Sunwapta Falls before your classic Alberta steak dinner. You feel you've earned your rest as your head sinks into the pillow. The sun rises over Mount Tekarra, drawing you back to the road. The journey home to Edmonton winds through the spectacular Rockies, aspen parkland and prairie. You return in time for dinner and a show at EXPO.

Celebrate Canada's 150^th Year

You've been enjoying two days of a year-long celebration, as every corner of Edmonton opens up to visitors − with breakfasts, open-air concerts, and junior soccer tournaments. You've taken in a retrospective of Canadian movies, a Group of Seven exhibit at the Art Gallery of Alberta, and a gathering of Aboriginal peoples from across Canada in West Rossdale. Today is July 1st, Canada's 150th anniversary. The streets are packed with visitors from across Canada and the world. Alberta's Legislature Building is a centre of activity for the celebration. Dozens of red and white hot air balloons drift over the EXPO site as you arrive. Booths are serving signature dishes from every province and territory. Screens across the site offer glimpses of celebrations going on in cities across Canada, while patrons with wireless-enabled video cameras send their own coverage out to the world via the EXPO site. Costumed performers representing 100 top Canadians from history are circulating in the crowds. You have the unexpected pleasure of hearing Sir John A. MacDonald sing a duet with Céline Dion. At noon, a press conference announces the winner of the Canada Conservation Challenge - the city that, over the past 12 months, has decreased its energy consumption the most. A who's who of Canadian music and family entertainers rotate through EXPO's stages, culminating in a glorious multimedia celebration of Canada's past, present and future.

What Visitors Will Take Away from EXPO 2017

Edmonton will be in its best form. The river valley will be exploding with nature and colour. Downtown will be vibrant and Whyte Avenue will be packed with pedestrians heading to great restaurants. West Rossdale will enhance visitors' riverfront experience. Edmonton is a famously participatory city. Visitors will be amazed by how the entire city seems to have become an extended EXPO 2017 site. EXPO will be a cavalcade of knowledge and innovation, with the world's greatest minds predicting where the world is heading in terms of energy and sustainability. Every visitor to EXPO 2017 will leave transformed, exhilarated and replenished. Ready to move forward in the world. Quietly amazed by Edmonton's ability to so perfectly combine what is best about all of us: our imagination and the pleasure we derive from one another's company.