Northlands facts for kids
 |
|
| Non-profit Organization | |
| Founded | 1879 |
| Headquarters | 53°34′2″N 113°27′15″W / 53.56722°N 113.45417°W, , |
|
Key people
|
Peter Male, CEO |
Northlands is a special non-profit group in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was started way back in 1879. That was even before Edmonton became an official city or Alberta became a province!
Northlands is known for hosting many fun events. These include Farmfair International, Amazing Agriculture, and the popular K-Days festival. In the past, Northlands also hosted Edmonton Oilers hockey games, the Canadian Finals Rodeo, and exciting live horse racing.
Contents
Northlands' Event Spaces
Many of the events Northlands hosts take place in an area called the Exhibition Lands. This big area used to be known as Northlands Park. The word 'Park' was removed from the name in 2006. For a long time, Northlands managed all the buildings in this area.
After the Edmonton Oilers hockey team moved to a new arena called Rogers Place, Northlands suggested a big plan to improve the Exhibition Lands. This plan was called Vision 2020. However, the city of Edmonton decided not to go with that plan. Instead, the city took over running the facilities themselves. The city also helped Northlands by clearing a large debt they had.
Past Facilities Managed by Northlands
Northlands used to operate several important buildings and spaces. Here are some of them:
- Edmonton Expo Centre (1984 - 2017): This large building was first opened in 1984 and was called the "Agricom." It was made even bigger in 2009 with a huge expansion. The Edmonton Expo Centre is a place where many different shows, trade fairs, and events are held. The city's economic development group took over running it in 2018.
- Northlands Coliseum (1974 - 2017): This famous arena was completed in 1974. It had a few different names over the years, like Edmonton Coliseum, Skyreach Centre, and Rexall Place. It was the home of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team for many years. The Coliseum closed its doors on January 1, 2018.
- Northlands Park (1951-2019): This was a special track for horse racing. It opened in 1951 and was updated in 1995. Besides horse races, it also had many slot machines and a restaurant. People could watch live horse races or races from all over the world on screens. It closed on January 31, 2019.
Buildings No Longer Standing
Some of the older buildings that Northlands once managed have been taken down:
- Northlands Sportex: This was a convention hall built in 1963. It was taken down in 2008 to make space for the expansion of the Edmonton Expo Centre.
- Edmonton Gardens: Built in 1913, this building could hold 5,200 people. It was taken down after the Northlands Coliseum was finished, as the Coliseum became the new main arena.
Images for kids
-
The midway at the 2010 K-Days festival
