The people of Edmonton have spoken. K Days, or Klondike Days, as Edmonton’s summer festival has been known as for years, is the preferred name over the recent foray as Capital Ex. It appears that a themed festival captures the imagination as a brand for the city much greater than “Capital Ex” had done. As the theme of the Calgary Stampede has taken off and been stable for our neighbours to the south, I wonder if the theme of K Days will be successful in its second chance. Previously, K Days had its heyday and then wore thin. Will Edmontonians embrace K Days once more?
What is it that gives a theme like “The Calgary Stampede” such staying power and enthusiasm? I believe linking the festival with a competition is the ticket. There are some competitions that can go along with a K Days theme, but there may be limitations, which could be the reason why the theme fizzled out previously.
There is no doubt that Edmonton is a gateway city. Established in 1795, Edmonton has been a gateway to fur, gold, grain, oil, the north, and to an extent, high tech. The various sections of Fort Edmonton Park seem to go hand in hand with some of these themes. There are definite competitive themes that can arise from a gateway brand for Edmonton:
- Gold – this is where the Klondike theme works. Klondike-themed attire is part of the gold component of Edmonton’s history, but what of competitions? Of late, there are many promotions for casino-based competitions, like poker, and such games are often linked with the gold rush. Perhaps Edmontoncould host a poker event. Cheerleading competitions are also popular; perhaps a can-can themed competition could take place.
- Fur – perhaps a canoe-based competition that is like a biathlon with both water and portage components? Perhaps a shooting or archery competition?
- Grain – perhaps specifically wheat. Edmontonhas a history of developing world-class chefs. Perhaps an international cooking competition could be part of this theme.
- Oil – there are so many competitions that can go along with oil. The Edmonton Indy can be one of them. Does Edmonton have the vision to embrace this race? Other motor-based competitions/races can fit here, especially aircraft. As Edmonton is also known as the Gateway to the North, Edmonton’s aviation history is without question. Perhaps an air race can be included.
- High tech – Edmonton is home to a prominent computer-games company. Perhaps a virtual games competition is appropriate for this component of Edmonton’s contribution to the world. Edmontonalso has a history of innovations in bio-tech, but I fail to envision a competitive theme in this area at this time.
The above is but a small sampling of possibilities. Edmontonians are very creative people, so I defer to the imaginations of our great populace. As to other names for the festival if such themes are embraced, could a name with “gate” or “gateway” be appropriate? What about “Edmonton Gateway Fest,” or “Edmo Gate,” or something similar? Time will tell if the K Days brand will revive and capture the imaginations of Edmontonians. But if not, Edmonton has a lot to work with to brand itself in a festival that all Edmontonians will take ownership of and be proud of.