Edmonton Music & Speech Arts Festival

The first music festival held in North America was held in Edmonton in 1908. It was started by 3 men: Jackson Handby, Vernon Barford, and Howard Stutchbury.

The first music festival held in North America was held in Edmonton in 1908. It was started by 3 men: Jackson Handby, Vernon Barford and Howard Stutchbury.

The Edmonton Music Festival took place on May 5, 1908, with 100 entries, 11 classes and three trophies up for grabs.

The festival has been held every year since then. In 1963, the Edmonton Kiwanis took over sponsorship. It is now known as the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival.

In 2008, the festival went on for 18 days and took place in four city venues. There were15, 000 participants and 1, 000 competitive classes.