Strong winds have forced an early shutdown for Day 2 of the Edmonton Heritage Festival.
City officials announced the closure and evacuation of Hawrelak Park shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday amid reports of damage to festival tents.
“Due to strong wind conditions, we are closing down Day 2 of the festival early,” wrote organizers on their social media feed. “The tents are not in good condition and have been blowing away. For those at the park, please evacuate immediately towards ETS park-and-ride.
“Thank you for understanding and please get home safely.”
Environment Canada issued a wind warning earlier in the morning, cautioning strong winds could gust up to 90 km/h. With the soil already oversaturated with water, the strong winds could potentially knock trees over.
It is not yet clear if the festival plans to reopen on Monday.
This is the second time in three years that the festival has had to shut down operations due to extreme weather. In 2024, while still at the exhibition lands, the event was forced to cancel its final day after a vicious Sunday evening storm caused extensive damage.
This story will be updated.
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