20 Years | 700+ Artists | 90 Events | 11 Days of Emerging Art

Nextfest 2015 celebrates its 20th Anniversary with an electric lineup of emerging artistry

The Nextfest Arts Company invites you to experience a unique event 20 years in the making, offering original encounters in theatre, dance, music, visual art, film, poetry and multidisciplinary collaborations.

Nextfest is Edmonton’s emerging arts festival. It is the voice of the next generation. We develop, create and showcase the bold voices of more than 700 young artists. An exuberant festival curated on the principles of youth, creativity and newness, Nextfest 2015 celebrates an electric line up of 90 performances and installations taking place in 28 venues across the city.

Nextfest 2015
Edmonton’s Emerging Arts Festival
June 4 – 14, 2015
in Venues Across Edmonton
nextfest.ca | @Nextfest | #nxtfst
All Shows $10 | Day Passes: $18 | Festival Passes: $40 | Many FREE Events
Tickets available through Tix on the Square or Theatre Network
or by calling our box office at 780.453.2440

What’s new at Nextfest?

This year’s festival images by visual artist Justina Smith feature the late iconic Roxy Theatre. A nod to our past, and an ode to the true face of Nextfest, this series of images celebrates our home, our heart and the place we got our start.

While the loss of the Roxy was a devastating blow to both our parent company, Theatre Network, and the planning of our festival, in true Nextfest style, this year’s fest is taking the city by storm! We are spread out across 28 venues – from theatres to local businesses to LRTs – on both sides of the river in what will be the largest celebration of emerging art the city has ever seen!

Leading that celebration is more than 700 local artists – the most number of artists Nextfest has showcased in its 20 year history (we were 50 artists strong in the first year of the fest, and have been growing ever since!).

Our curatorial team has programmed an action-packed festival, including:

• An exciting program of dance and theatre based out of festival headquarters at Campus St. Jean. Be sure to stop by the official Nextfest watering hole, Café Bicyclette, for a nom and a sip! Festival pass and ticket holders will be treated to a 10% discount.
• Collaborations with local movers and shakers including the Mercer Summer Super Party, Knowledge is Pow Wow, Polyfonik and Mile Zero Dance’s Dirt Buffet Cabaret.
• Two site specific theatre happenings designed to challenge audience experience. CRIPSiE and mind hive collective present A Wedding Reception: Love in the Margins, an exploration of personal and social experiences of love, relationships, disability, and difference. The Orange Girls present Husk, a collective collaboration in a space you’ve never heard of before, Lumiere.
• Music here, there and everywhere! Our NuMusic program is on the move. From found object instrument making workshops to improvised music jams on the LRT to guided sound walks around the Stanley Milner Library, local emerging new musicians are creating a score for the city!
• Our infamous late night performance parties, the Nextfest Nite Clubs, take over Mercer Warehouse with three nights of collaborative performance, featuring Cypher Wild and Lyra Brown.
• In association with Breath in Poetry, the second annual Take Back the Mic Slam sees 12 of Edmonton’s hottest spoken word artists compete in a three round elimination slam for a top $500 prize.
• The return of the 124th Street Art Walk, happening Saturday, June 13 at 2pm starting at High Street. This guided tour will introduce you to the many incredible businesses along the 124 Street corridor, and our talented Nextfest Visual Artists. Want to experience the Nextfest Art Walk at your own pace? Download the #nxtfstArtWalk audio tour right to your phone and take a walk along 124 Street with the visual artists of Nextfest as your guide.
• Though the original installation was lost in the Roxy flames earlier this year, the Nextfest Mural Project returns featuring a new piece of outdoor art created by iHuman Youth Services artists Erik Smallboy and Kordell Joseph Cardinal, mentored by Trevor Peters. The mural will be installed on the fence of the Roxy site during demolition of the old theatre and construction of the new.
• Filmfest at Nextfest presents the modern day version of the drive in theatre. Stop by the Edmonton Public Library’s Makerspace and watch this series of shorts at your own pace. BYOH (bring your own headphones).
• NEXTNextfest, our high school festival within a festival, returns to its old stomping grounds, The Mercury Theatre (previously known as the Living Room Playhouse). This multi-medium showcase of 121 Edmonton and area high school artists provides a platform for teens under the age of 18.

It all kicks off Thursday, June 4 at 4pm at the Grand Market, featuring a surprising line up of pop up performances. Then at 8pm, wander down the block to The Westmount Community Hall for the Opening Night Nextfest Hall Party, featuring the Shumayela Youth Choir and local pop-rockers Cantoo.