Here’s what I did on the first day of KDays in Edmonton

KDays is Edmonton’s annual summer festival, taking over the city with games, concerts, and fun all around. That time of year has come around once again, and the gates are finally opening to the public.

I’ve gone to this festival a couple of times myself. It’s almost a tradition to go at least once if you truly call yourself an Edmontonian. With an endless cascade of experiences, it’s so much fun with friends, family, or a date.

This year, I decided to head out on the first day with one of my besties and check out what they had in store. We decided we’d be there from open until we got sick of the blaring heat (because, wow, 29°C is too much). Here’s how it went.

What we did at KDays

We arrived right before opening and were pleasantly surprised to find out there was free admission! Despite this win, we still had to get some tickets for rides, but we waited alongside many other excited guests until the fairgrounds officially opened.

Pro tip: rides don’t open until 11:30 a.m., so if you decide to go early, keep that in mind.

When the rides did open, it was nothing short of spectacular. First, we headed onto the Cliff Hanger. On this ride, you soar through the air on your stomach and get the best breeze you can in the summer heat.

While we were on this ride, my friend and I kept singing songs from movies and musicals where people fly. I felt like Elphaba from Wicked — it was incredible.

After our first stop, we got to go on what is one of the most popular and famous rides at KDays.

The Polar Express has been at KDays for as long as I can remember, and it continuously has the biggest crowd compared to any other ride there. Without a doubt, this is the ride you have to go on if you have to choose one. Yes, there’s the Ferris Wheel or Niagara Falls, but Polar Express is actually unbeatable in its speed, sound, and energy.

Once we hit a few more rides, we headed inside to their market for more action.

KDays’ Market Hall and Foodie Fairway

Once we headed indoors, into the Edmonton Expo Centre, we discovered the festival’s market hall. With dozens of booths for clothing, jewelry, household goods, and food, you won’t get bored in here. Plus, the AC is a nice touch, especially in this heat.

Now, this is where things got a little crazy.

There’s a whole bunch of tattoo artists and piercing spots right when you enter the market. Both my friend and I were helpless against them. My friend ended up getting double eyebrow piercings, while I added to my ear piercing collection. The prices weren’t too bad either, as I ended up paying a little over $70, including jewelry.

Another spot that stood out to me inside was Escape City‘s 15-minute escape rooms. This is easily one of my favourite spots in Edmonton to complete a good challenge, and it was awesome to see them do a fun pop-up during the festival.

While I didn’t get to participate, they did give us a $5 coupon to use on our next escape room with them.

After all our fun, we finally made it over to the Foodie Fairway. Here, we grabbed some quick bites to eat to round off our adventure.

One of our highlight eats had to be Taco Nori’s Salmon Sushi Taco, which was incredibly fresh and delicious on such a hot day.

That’s where we decided to end things off. While we didn’t exactly stay until Ty Dolla $ign took the stage for the daily free concert, we’d definitely consider it a day well spent at KDays.

Don’t hesitate to head out this year, especially with the good weather in tow. You won’t regret it.

When: Friday, July 17, to Sunday, July 26, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: Edmonton Expo Centre and Exhibition Grounds — 515 118th Ave. NW, Edmonton, Alta.
Cost: $15.45+

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Alyssa Gallardo

Alyssa is a Staff Writer for Dished and Curiocity Edmonton. She’s a big fan of everything entertainment, and can always be seen running around the city going from concert to concert.

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