Edmonton is hosting the 42nd annual Canadian Country Music Association Awards this Saturday at Rogers Place.
The awards will be hosted by Thomas Rhett and MacKenzie Porter, and will feature performances by Canadian country stars k.d. lang and the Reclines, Dallas Smith, Jade Eagleson, Brett Kissel, and The Reklaws.
To warm the city up for the award show, Country Music Week will start full tilt Wednesday afternoon.
Free country-themed events will be held in the downtown core at Sir Winston Churchill Square and City Hall Plaza each day culminating with the CCMA Awards this weekend.
Here are four events you can attend in the downtown core this week:
Country on the Square
What: Head to City Hall Plaza and Sir Winston Churchill Square for family-friendly, country-themed fun. The event features live country music performances, line dancing, food trucks, games, giveaways, roving performers and more. Enjoy a live performance by local musician Nathan Miller starting at 5 p.m., and kick up your heels with line dancing with the Boot Scootin’ Boogie Dance Club at 6:30 p.m.
When: Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
CCMA Country Crawl and Legends Car Show
What: Experience some of the best talent in Canadian country music for free when the CCMA Country Crawl comes to Sir Winston Churchill Square on Thursday. Stop by to enjoy special performances by Canadian musicians Colleen Rae and Bob Donaldson starting at 5 p.m. And for the hot rod enthusiasts, the Legends Car Show will also be at Churchill Square from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The CCMA Country Crawl will feature 90 performances in 22 shows at 19 venues leading up to and during Country Music Week 2024.
When: Thursday, Sept. 12, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Edmonton AM5:19CCMA Country Crawl
Country Crawl is a festival sponsored by the Canadian Country Music Association ahead of the big awards night at Rogers Place on Sept. 14. Jackie Rae Greening is the CCMA host committee chair.
Movies on the Square goes country
What: Check out the special country-themed edition of Movies on the Square, an event that features free outdoor movies in the heart of downtown Edmonton at Sir Winston Churchill Square. See a double feature of kid’s animated movies Spirit Untamed at 5 p.m. followed by a showing of Rango. Arrive early for pre-movie entertainment, including live country and rock music by Travis Dolter, craft making, games, face painting, and temporary tattoos. Food trucks will be on site for snacks, and a sensory tent will be available courtesy of Autism Edmonton.
When: Friday, Sept. 13, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Live at Lunch
What: Get your toes tapping for a special country and western-themed edition of Live at Lunch, which brings musicians to Sir Winston Churchill Square to brighten some downtown lunch breaks. Each day will feature a different country musician between Sept. 11 and 13, starting with Andrea Nixon, then D’orjay The Singing Shaman, and finishing on Friday with a performance by the band The Bobby Tenderloin Universe.
When: Sept. 11-13 from 12 p.m to 1 p.m.