13 things to do in and around Edmonton this weekend

This weekend has gone to the dogs, cats, chameleons and you name it, at the Edmonton Pet Expo. Expect vendors, pet experts, and animal to show and tell. It is all about pets, though yours are not invited to this event in Hall E of the Edmonton Expo Centre.

The Battle of Alberta is on Saturday night at Rogers Place as the Edmonton Oilers take on the Calgary Flames. Puck drops at 8 p.m. Rogers Place is limited to half capacity.

What about taking a turn on one of more than a hundred community rinks in Edmonton? Go to this Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues map to find some ice near you. Perhaps a nighttime skate on the iceway at Victoria Park or Rundle Park is more your speed. Victoria's loop is connected to the oval.

At Rundle Park you can do a two-kilometre lap on the surface which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. There is also a shinny pond, a large ice-skating surface, and a smaller family rink nestled in the trees with nighttime lighting. You can check here for conditions.

More local events and winter happenings in this week's edition of Our Edmonton from Rundle Park Iceway on Saturday at 10 a.m., Sunday at noon and 11 a.m. on Monday on CBC TV and CBC Gem.

Lots of other winter suggestions to be found on this map of 50 sizzlin' sites to skate, ski, stargaze in and around Edmonton.

A couple of shows this weekend on the stage of Festival Place in Sherwood Park. Singer-songwriter and guitar master Jack Semple has a concert on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, the Gadjo Collective celebrates the life and influence of Django Reinhardt in a performance called Road to Django.

Two shows at the Yardbird Suite this weekend. On Friday, Don, Doug and the band as The Berner Brothers play the music of the Marsalis Brothers. On Saturday it's the Cam Neufeld Swing Band. The concerts start at 8 p.m. and have the option of attending in person or virtually.

This is also your last weekend for Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Fête which includes a stroll along the promenade in Borden Park featuring lights, culture and art. The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse and Pipon Village also will feature storytellers, games, bannock and live music.

With the weather taking a positive turn this weekend, it might also be time to hit the slopes. I would check conditions and COVID-19 protocols at Rabbit Hill Snow Resort, Edmonton Ski Club, Sunridge Ski Area and Snow Valley Ski Club before loading up the rack but know at Snow Valley on Friday between 3-9 p.m. lift tickets are $12, with $2 from every ticket sold going to Edmonton's Food Bank.

If skiing, snowboarding or tubing isn't your thing how about a stroll? You could finally get that walk in on the grounds of the Alberta Legislature you've been talking about since, well, the holidays. The twinkling lights are on until the end of January.

Edmonton Chinatown Dining Week runs until Jan. 23 with about 20 restaurants taking part with deals on dine-in and pick-up options.

The Mountaintop is a theatrical offering by Katori Hall and is directed by Patricia Darbasie starring Patricia Cerra and Ray Strachan. This Shadow Theatre production is a re-imagination of events the night before the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and is on until Feb 7.

If you haven't been to the Art Gallery of Alberta for a while, know exhibits are changing all the time and it's not just visual art. The Heart of the City Music Program will be performing a series of concerts in the AGA's atrium in January and February. There's one this Sunday at 2 p.m. and the hour-long event is included in general admission.

Have other events in the community you want us to know about? Drop us a line at: OurEdmonton@cbc.ca