Embrace our Edmonton winter and get out to enjoy the great outdoor festivals and snow-fueled activities happening in the month of January! You can still catch the tail end of a few great holiday festivals at the beginning of the month, or plan to check out the Deep Freeze Festival or Flying Canoë Volant in the upcoming weeks. Our top picks for fun this month are below, with plenty more waiting to be discovered on our Events Calendar.
Where to Find Christmas Break Fun | Dec 31 – Jan 4
The kids are off school and it is time to relax and have some Christmas break fun! Since kids aren’t always the best at simply relaxing, we have come up with a list of great family activities to get out and enjoy when the kids (or you!) start to get a bit too stir-crazy over the Holiday break.
FEATURED Winter City Weekends at City Hall | All Month
City Hall Plaza ice rink is the coolest spot to hang out this winter with the return of Winter City Weekends! The Edmonton Arts Council will have FREE skate rentals available daily, followed by the return of Ice Grooves, Learn to Skate, and Swing’n’Skate on January 3! Visit Churchill Square every weekend in January & February to enjoy the free programming and live music.
FEATURED Edmonton Oil Kings Promo Nights | January 1, 4 & 11
Cheer on the Edmonton Oil Kings at your choice 3 fun themed promotional games this month!
- Wednesday, January 1 | New Years Day Fireworks Frenzy vs Calgary Hitmen
- Saturday, January 4 | Crocs Party vs Lethbridge Hurricanes
- Saturday, January 11 | A Night with Elvis vs Medicine Hat Tigers
Can’t make it to any of these games? The next best choice is Family Fun Sundays! Most start at an earlier hour (often 4 pm), and feature a Concourse Carnival with inflatables, face painting, and balloon twisting. Sunday games this month are January 5 & 26.
Alberta Legislature Building Guided Tours | Wednesday – Sunday
Did you know FREE Alberta Legislature tours are offered year round as a fun and informative experience for all ages? It is easy to book online or in-person to join a free 45 minute guided tour and discover the history, art and architecture of the iconic domed building. Add to the fun with a stop at the nearby Visitor Centre, home to Borealis Gallery, Capital Gifts, the Democracy Discovery Centre, and Pehonan Theatre. Our kids LOVED the 15 minute immersive 4D film Our People, Our Province being shown on the 360-degree screen in the Pehonan Theatre.
Freeze the Day at the Little White School | January 2 & 3
Arts & Heritage St. Albert invites you to drop into the Little White School for some holiday break fun! All ages are invited to come tour the historic 1948 two-room school and enjoy cookie decorating, crafts, outdoor games, and complimentary hot beverages.
Kidding Around with Rapid Fire Theatre | January 4, 11, 18 & 25
Kids can experience all the fun of Improv comedy with Rapid Fire Theatre’s show Kidding Around on Saturday afternoons. It is never the same show twice with the performers creating the entire show from their top of their heads, along with a few suggestions from the audience!
FREE Skating with Strathcona County | January 5, 12, 19 & 26
Get out and get active this January with FREE recreational skate times every SUNDAY courtesy of Strathcona County. There are several options this month to hit the ice with the family at absolutely no cost to you!
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert | January 10 & 11
Experience all the action and emotion of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back when the FILMharmonic Orchestra brings you a live-to-film performance at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. The audience will be transported to a galaxy far, far away as the symphony orchestra performs the entire film score live in perfect synchronicity with a screening of the George Lucas film.
Luke Jerram’s Mars at the Muttart Conservatory | Opens January 11
Escape the cold with a visit to see the newest Feature Pyramid at the Muttart Conservatory. Those who enjoyed the 2023 “Gaia” feature pyramid with a giant hovering planet Earth will be delighted to learn artist Luke Jerram is back this winter with his seven metre diameter detailed replica of Mars created from 120dpi NASA imagery.
Watch Frozen at the Capitol Theatre | January 17
Celebrate winter in Edmonton with a special showing of Frozen on the big screen at Fort Edmonton’s historic Capitol Theatre! These monthly movie events at Fort Edmonton Park also feature a fully licensed concession for your snacking needs.
Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Fête | January 18 & 19
Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Fête returns to the Alberta Avenue District celebrating Alberta’s agricultural roots with a “Barnyard Fun” theme! Enjoy the coming together of Ukrainian, Métis, French Canadian, Inuit, and Indigenous cultures with light installations, whimsical balloon and ice sculptures, cultural stories, bannock by the fire, artistic workshops, axe-throwing, street hockey, and the famous Deep Freezer races!
FEATURED Comedy in Motion with Bob Cates | January 19
See juggler extraordinaire Bob Cates perform live on stage this January in his thrilling Comedy in Motion show! Maclab Centre invites you to sit back and be entertained with the latest show in their Family Series. Your kids will love these spectacular Sunday morning events featuring child-friendly musicians and performers, and you’ll love the opportunity to get out and enjoy FREE fun together as a family!
Musical Mornings at the Winspear Centre | January 19
Little ones (1-5) and their caregivers are in for a musical treat during Musical Mornings! Cozy up on a pillow or your favourite blanket in the upstairs lobby of the Winspear Centre and join Ms. Kate and members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for a fun morning of singing, laughing, and exploring instruments. This month’s theme is Adventure in Outer Space!
Amazing Pollinators Feature Exhibition at TELUS World of Science – Edmonton | Opens January 25
TELUS World of Science – Edmonton invites you to step into the world of bees, bats, and butterflies with their latest feature exhibition: Amazing Pollinators! This colourful and interactive exhibition is by the same great minds behind Mazes & Brain Games, taking you into the natural world with a pollinator maze, interactive games, engaging survival missions, and more – all included as part of your regular Science Centre admission!
ESO Symphony for Kids: Presto, Mambo! with Platypus Theatre | January 26
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Symphony for Kids series is a fun-filled way to introduce the sights, sounds and excitement of fabulous live music to your children. Each one-hour concert features music chosen to appeal to young ears, and includes family-friendly activities and delicious popcorn available in the lobby before the show! This month you can celebrate the music of Americas with Max and his dog Mambo! in an interactive concert that will have everyone dancing to the Latin rhythms.
Feel the Joie de Vie at the Flying Canoë Volant | Jan 29 – Feb 1
Inspired from the legend of The Flying Canoe, the Flying Canoë Volant is a creative and interactive cultural event that celebrates French Canadian, First Nations and Métis traditions. Enjoy games, entertainment and activities in Edmonton’s French Quarter, walk the colorful illuminated trails in Millcreek Ravine, and check out the canoe races at the Edmonton Ski Club.
Try Snow Tubing at one of 3 Edmonton Ski Hills
| All Month
If your kids like tobogganing, they will love snow tubing down the ski hill! Visit our post to learn which of the three Edmonton ski hill locations will work best for your family. For more information, click here.
Enjoy Outdoor Skating in the Edmonton Area
| All Month
Our Winter City is full of great locations to skate from neighbourhood rinks to unique experiences like ice trails. Find several great options in our Guide to Outdoor Ice Skating! For more information, click here.
Make-and-Take Events | All Month
The best things in life are FREE! We are big fans of store make-and-take events that offer us the chance to get out of the house and enjoy a fun activity with the kids. Find all our favourite spots offering FREE (and almost free) events right here!
Love seeing the Family Fun Events in Edmonton in January, but want MORE? Sign up for the monthly Family Fun Edmonton enewsletter! Also, keep tabs on everything happening in #YEG with our calendar, and stay tuned to all the best local family events through our Facebook, and Instagram accounts.
