Get your craft on: Edmonton arts and crafts sales
The Edmonton arts community is filled with artists, artisans and makers of every stripe creating homemade décor, crafts, artwork and textiles. In a digital age overrun by screens and flashy gadgets, handmade goods provide a much-needed return to something tactile and lovingly created by human hands. Support local artists and makers through these local arts and crafts shows.
Royal Bison Craft & Art Fair
8426 Gateway Blvd NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 4B4If you’re looking for something quirky and off the beaten path, Royal Bison serves up a smorgasbord of independent and local goods. Located in the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre, their twice-a-year shin-dig runs in May and December. You won’t find doilies or other typical craft fair goods here; expect to find modern jewellery, edgy art, handmade stationery and perhaps a puppet or two.
Edmonton Expo Centre
7300 116 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 2G8Founded by a local sister and brother duo who wanted to inject some fun into the traditional craft show, Make It! aims to create an upbeat vibe for shoppers to support Canadian artists and designers. Held twice a year in April and November at the Edmonton Expo Center, as well as in the Enjoy Center in St. Albert, Make It! has since expanded to Vancouver.
City Of Edmonton - Archives
10440 108 Ave, Edmonton, ABFor those who love all things from the past, Vixens of Vintage presents three shows a year at the Prince of Wales Armouries, with a Summer Bazaar in August. Find items that are vintage-inspired, upcycled or previously loved. Come here to spruce up your wardrobe with vintage apparel, accessories and refurbished furniture.
The Enjoy Centre
101 Riel Dr, St. Albert, AB T8N 3X4Located at the Enjoy Centre in St. Albert, this new show graces us with handmade Canadian goods in November, just in time for the holidays. Brought to you from the same organizers as the Butterdome shows, Indie Handmade bills itself as “a juried artisan marketplace” where you’ll find gourmet treats, paper goods, hand-screened apparel and more.
Edmonton Weavers' Guild
10139 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 2P3Once a year in November, Edmonton-area weavers unite to display and sell their finest knitting, felting and, of course, weaving. Come here to find cozy blankets, wraps, sweaters and wall-hangings. Some of the crafty folks here are behind some of the ‘yarn-bombings’ you may have seen around town, those lamp posts curiously covered in bright yarn.
Multicultural Heritage Centre
5411 51 Street, Stony Plain, AB T7Z 1X7The Multicultural Heritage Centre aims to preserve local history and Western pioneering life. In May, the Heritage Handmade Spring Show supports this theme by hosting a sale at the PERC Building with vendors hawking everything from window art, crocheted goods and prairie-inspired jewellery. Stop by the homesteader’s kitchen for freshly baked bread.
Edmonton Potters' Guild
8826 51 Ave Nw, Edmonton, AB T6E 5E8Held annually in November, the Potters’ Guild Show & Sale serves up gorgeous handmade mugs, dishes, vases and other household wares. This is a fundraising event in which the proceeds go to supporting the education, workshops and exhibitions of members of the guild.
Butterdome Craft Sales
114 Street and 87 Ave, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H9One of the oldest and largest craft shows in Edmonton, the Butterdome is home to bi-yearly shows in the spring (April-May) and winter (December). With more than 180 vendors from across Canada, you’ll find everything from glass sculptures and natural body products to pottery and more. Attending a Butterdome show typically means you can cross off a few people on your gift-giving list.
