With Westerner Days over, the airshow is the marquee this weekend — two days of flying just south of the city. The rest of the list leans free and local: the Saturday market at its new Polytechnic home, drop-in art nights at the museum, and cheap riverside activities at historic Fort Normandeau. Seven things worth leaving the house for.
Red Deer Regional Airshow
Festival
The Snowbirds and a CF-18 Demo headline two days of flying at the regional airport in Springbrook, just south of the city. Buy your parking pass bundled with the ticket online and arrive at 10 a.m. gates — flying doesn't start until 1 p.m., so the morning is your window for the Kids Zone, the aviation STEM area, 25-plus food trucks and the classic-car showcase before the jets go up.
When: Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26. Gates 10 a.m., flying displays about 1 to 4 p.m.
Where: Red Deer Regional Airport, 3801 Airport Drive, Springbrook
Cost: Adults $40, youth $20, seniors and veterans $35, under 3 free; parking pass extra
Instagram: @reddeerregionalairshow
The Market at Red Deer
Food
The city's Saturday market — now at Red Deer Polytechnic, not its old Ross Street home — runs through the fall. Get there before 10 a.m.: the baking and fresh-produce vendors are the first to sell out.
When: Saturday, July 25, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: Red Deer Polytechnic, 100 College Boulevard
Cost: Free entry
Bard at the Snell: The Lady Doth Protest
Arts
A Prime Stock Theatre production that reframes Juliet, Ophelia and Lady Macbeth through an all-women and marginalized-genders cast, staged in the library's Snell Auditorium. It's free but the room is small, so book the spot at rdpl.org ahead — and it's a cool, air-conditioned hour if the day is hot.
When: Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. both days
Where: Snell Auditorium, Red Deer Public Library, 4818 49 Street
Cost: Free, registration required
Friday Family Fun Night: Weaving with Nature
Free
A free drop-in nature-craft night at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery, no registration needed — a good hot-evening option that pairs with the Central Spray and Play right next door if you bring the kids early.
When: Friday, July 24, 5 to 8 p.m.
Where: Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery, 4525 47A Avenue
Cost: Free
Slow Down Saturdays at the MAG
Community
The museum runs its Saturday art activities right at the Central Spray and Play, so pack the kids' swimsuits and let them cool off in the fountains between projects.
When: Saturday, July 25, 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Where: Central Spray & Play, 47A Avenue and 48 Street
Cost: Free
Amateur Archery at Fort Normandeau
Outdoors
A cheap, hands-on drop-in for kids on the Red Deer River — combine it with a free wander through the reconstructed 1885 fort and the riverside interpretive trails while you're out there.
When: Friday, July 24, 1 to 3 p.m.
Where: Historic Fort Normandeau, 28054 Township Road 382
Cost: $3 per person or $10 per family
Sunday Sundae at Fort Normandeau
Community
Build-your-own ice-cream sundaes in the riverside historic-site setting to close the weekend. Admission to the fort grounds is otherwise free, so it's a low-key, genuinely local Sunday outing.
When: Sunday, July 26, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Where: Historic Fort Normandeau, 28054 Township Road 382
Cost: $5 per person or $16 per family
Editor's Pick
The airshow. A farmers' market comes around every Saturday; the Snowbirds and a CF-18 tearing over Red Deer do not. Get there at 10 for the ground displays and stay for the 1 p.m. flying.
Know an event we missed? Tag us @culturealberta or email hello@culturealberta.com.
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