Purple City Music Festival

The festival started out -- or grew out of -- the Up + Downtown Music Festival, which ran annually from 2013 to 2019.{{cite news |last1=Gallant |first1=Colin |title=Purple City renews focus on downtown Edmonton |url=https://edmonton.taproot.news/news/2023/06/22/purple-city-renews-focus-on-downtown-edmonton |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=Taproot Edmonton |date=22 June 2023}} In 2020, Ryan Rathjen, a radio host on CJSR-FM, became executive director of the festival, and led its rebranding in an attempt to make the festival more inclusive and collaborative.{{cite news |last1=Boissonneault |first1=Stephan |title=The Return of Edmonton’s Purple City Music Festival |url=https://readrange.com/purple-city-music-festival-2023/ |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=Range |date=16 August 2023}}

Purple City 2021 was held outdoors in William Hawrelak Park.

The following year, amid the easing of pandemic restrictions, the festival was held in various locations across the city, including Hawrelak Park and the Garneau Theatre.{{cite news |last1=Edmonton's Purple City Festival Announces Lineup |url=https://www.cupsncakespod.com/news/2022/4/23/edmontons-purple-city-festival-announces-lineup |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=Cups N Cakes Network |title=Edmonton's Purple City Festival Announces Lineup |date=23 April 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Cox |first1=Drew |title=Live, In Review: Purple City Music Festival |url=https://www.cupsncakespod.com/news/2022/9/12/purple-city-music-festival |access-date=8 September 2023 |date=12 September 2022}}

Its 2023 edition was held 25-27 August, featuring over 60 acts at eight stages within a two-block radius.{{cite news |last1=Stephen |first1=Allison |title=Massive music festival about to take over parts of downtown Edmonton |url=https://dailyhive.com/edmonton/purple-city-music-festival-edmonton |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=Daily Hive |date=16 August 2023}} The venues included The Starlite Room, the Freemasons Hall of Edmonton,{{cite news |title=Capital Foundations: A peek inside Edmonton's secretive Masonic hall |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/capital-foundations-freemasons-edmonton-1.4784690 |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=CBC |date=15 August 2018}} McDougall United Church, and Downtown Edmonton Community League, as well as the Purple City Block Party, an outdoor stage on 102 Street NW which was closed to car traffic for the day.{{cite news |last1=LaPierre |first1=Megan |title=Edmonton's Purple City Music Festival Gets OFF!, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Bonnie Trash, Hot Garbage for 2023 Edition |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/edmontons_purple_city_music_festival_gets_off_bonnie_trash_hot_garbage_for_2023_edition |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=Exclaim |date=5 June 2023}}

The headliners included Los Angeles hardcore punk supergroup Off! fronted by Keith Morris of Black Flag/Circle Jerks fame, LA garage rock band Death Valley Girls, Hand Habits, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Light Asylum, and Austin shoegaze band Ringo Deathstarr.{{cite news |title=OFF!, Death Valley Girls, more to play Purple City Music Festival |url=https://www.punknews.org/article/80422/off-death-valley-girls-more-to-play-purple-city-music-festival |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=Punk News}}

A highlight of the festival was BatScratch, fronted by a 7-year-old boy.{{cite news |last1=Ruggles |first1=Marissa |title=A Day in the Life of Seven-Year-Old Hardcore Frontman Robbie Andrew |url=https://readrange.com/batscratch-interview/ |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=Range |date=19 May 2023}} Their presence on the lineup reportedly helped convince Off! to join the festival.{{cite news |last1=Murray |first1=Tom |title=Purple City Music Festival has taken a turn for the punk |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/local-arts/purple-city-music-festival-has-taken-a-turn-for-the-punk |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=Edmonton Journal |date=5 June 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Griwkowsky |first1=Fish |title=REVIEW: Musical romps with Off!, Patriarchy, BatScratch and more at Purple City |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/festivals/review-musical-romps-with-off-patriarchy-batscratch-and-more-at-purple-city |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=Edmonton Journal |date=26 August 2023}}

The festival has been praised for taking place in one central area, as well as for allowing underage people to enter all the venues, plus the inclusion of a high number of female-fronted acts.{{cite news |last1=Griwkowsky |first1=Fish |title=Purple City's spectacular lineup in two-block downtown radius this weekend |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/festivals/purple-citys-spectacular-lineup-in-two-block-downtown-radius-this-weekend |access-date=8 September 2023 |publisher=Edmonton Journal |date=23 August 2023}}

The name Purple City comes from a ritualistic tradition of the local youth culture. People visit the Alberta Legislature Building at night to stare into the floodlights. After about a minute of exposure, the light makes all the surroundings appear purple.{{cite news |last1=Drinkwater |first1=Rob |title=Purple City: An Edmonton Tradition |url=https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2014/07/21/purple-city-an-edmonton-tradition/ |access-date=8 September 2023 |agency=Edmonton Heritage Council |publisher=Edmonton City as Museum Project (ECAMP) |date=21 July 2014}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://purplecityfest.com Official website]
• [https://www.facebook.com/purplecityfest Facebook page]
• [https://www.instagram.com/purplecityfest Instagram account]

{{Rock festival}}

Category:Music festivals established in 2013

Category:Music festivals in Edmonton

Category:Annual events in Canada