Annual Food Festival returns for Summer 2020

Fort McMurray’s well-loved food festival is back for its fourth year with health and safety modifications to ensure stress-free family fun for Summer 2020.

The Fort McMurray Food Festival presented by Suncor launches tomorrow (July 25) and will run until July 27 throughout the region to help support Waypoints. This year’s event will offer five main events – both live and virtual. All in-person events will have all the proper Alberta Health Services COVID-19 guidelines and safety protocols in place.

Food Festival Calendar of Events

Taste of YMM Eats presented by Suncor

Event Dates: Friday, July 24 to Friday, July 31

Time: Check participating restaurant for operating hours

Staying true to its original event platform, the Taste of YMM Eats presented by Suncor will be highlighting eateries currently open during this time. Participating restaurants will have sample menus for guests to try. After they indulge in their delicious eats, guests can go vote for their favourite places and options online. Prizes will be available for guests who give their ratings, and the best restaurants claim award-winning titles at the end of the Food Festival.

Participating restaurants include 57 North, Bear & Buffalo, MR. MIKES SteakhouseCasual, Paddy McSwiggins, Surekhas on the Snye, The Club House at Miskanaw and Zeebar & Grill.

Anzac Beach Party presented by Anzac Grocery & Zeebar

UPDATE – The Anzac Beach Party has been cancelled

Event Date: Saturday, July 25

Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Anzac Beach Party is one of the Fort McMurray Food Festival’s most favoured family-friendly events. Pack your beach towel and sunscreen to enjoy a day at the beach with your family and friends. A BBQ lunch will be available using all the Alberta Health Services guidelines and COVID-modified outdoor activities will be designed to entertain. Donations can be made to Waypoints via tap options on credit and debit cards.

Virtual Patio Party presented by Coldwell Banker Fort McMurray

Event Date: Saturday, July 25

Time: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

As one of the Festival’s staple events, the patio party could not be missed on the 2020 line-up. This year, the We Love YMM Patio Party presented by Coldwell Banker Fort McMurray in partnership with Mix 103. 7 will be hosted virtually allowing the entire Wood Buffalo region to participate from their own patios. Sign-up to get a login code and allow DJ Q-PID to entertain your family and friends through a virtual night of dancing and prize-winning. Guests can also purchase Patio Party Kits from participating restaurants.

Please note: Only one link is needed per household. The link will be emailed to guests by 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. Tickets are only $20 will all proceeds supporting Waypoints. Click here to Buy Tickets.

Strongman Community Breakfast presented by MacDonald Island Park

Event Date: Sunday, July 26

Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The 2020 Food Festival Committee is happy to bring back the Strongman Community Breakfast presented by MacDonald Island for another year. Guests can enjoy a community breakfast which event hosts will serve following all the appropriate Alberta Health Services guidelines. Come out to support Waypoints while watching some of Canada’s strongest men and women show off their skills in strength. Donations will be accepted through electronic tap purchases using credit or debit cards.

Food Festival Golf Classic presented by A. P. E. Maintenance

Event Date: Monday, July 27

Time: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Teams of four will be heading to the Fort McMurray Golf Club to take in an evening of golf, friendly competition and great eats from the Club’s Bear & Buffalo Bar restaurant and bar. The golf course has been open now for weeks and is following all the COVID-modified protocols to ensure guest safety. Registration and welcome cocktails will start at 4 p.m. and the Shotgun Start will take place at 5 p.m. Click here to Buy Tickets.

By intertwining a fundraising festival with the region’s food industry is a win-win as Waypoints Manager of Communications & Corporate Relations Jason Beck said it helps support both local restaurants and residents in the community who need Waypoints resources.

“The Fort McMurray Food Festival Committee is looking forward to offering the community we call home a safe and fun festival that showcases some of the wonderful places our region has to offer,” Beck explained in a release. “We hope all residents in our region find some way to participate and enjoy the festival with us.”

Waypoints is a local social profit organization that supports and assists individuals and families of domestic violence, abuse, sexual assault and homelessness through prevention treatment, intervention and referrals.

Learn more about Waypoints and make a donation at www.waypointswb.ca.

About the author

Dawn Booth

Editor-in-Chief at YMM Parent | dawn@balsom.ca

Dawn Booth is the Editor-in-Chief of YMM Parent Magazine and Your McMurray Magazine. She has actively worked in the Wood Buffalo region's media industry since residing in Fort McMurray in 2007.

Her passion is writing poetry and puts it at the forefront of the community through her volunteer work as the President of NorthWord Magazine. Most important, Booth puts her family of five first, which includes her husband Ryan and their three children, Landon, Dawson and Tessa.