Attractions and Entertainment

As Northlands Park has grown it has been able to secure live performers to entertain crowds seeking the popular, novel, or exciting. Summer fair shows on the Rossdale Flats Exhibition grounds included musical troupes and duets as well as thrill performers. All of this action was accompanied by lemonade stands and other small concessions offering refreshments on the grounds.

With the acquisition of a permanent exhibition site in northeast Edmonton, venues like the historic Livestock Pavilion had the capacity to host live performances throughout the year. Weather was no longer an impeding factor, nor was the accommodation of large numbers of people.

At the time, buildings capable of hosting concerts were scarce and soon, Northlands Park began to gain fame as a year-round entertainment destination. Popular performance artists of the time would arrive with their guitars, as would opera styled singers. In another of the historic structures, the Manufacturers Building, food stands could be found inside for people musing over commercial display booths.

Following the Second World War there was an increase in leisure time concurrent with Northlands Park’s modern period. Feature attractions enticed more people onto the grounds and it was necessary to build a number of new facilities. The creation of the Coliseum, now Rexall Place, provided a much larger space in which to book concerts.

Able to expand in the area of entertainment, Northlands Park did so. International superstars began making Edmonton a performance destination, providing the region with a choice cross-section of popular entertainment. Complementing this development, food services began to have a more prominent role.

As events such as trade shows, hockey games, and live shows brought in thousands of patrons at a time, concerted efforts to satisfy their nutritional needs were made. Restaurants cropped up on the exhibition grounds, along with concessions, temporary outdoor food stands, and catering services.

In the Spectrum building, which is wholly dedicated to entertainment, two restaurants offer horse racing and gaming fans all of the meals they might possibly need on site. The restaurants themselves have become destinations for many people.

Over the many decades of Northlands Park’s evolution, food service has become a prominent aspect of hosting activities. By complementing events with quality culinary choices, the organization offers its many guests an opportunity to take in attractions and entertainment comfortably.

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