To host an event on a road or sidewalk, you must first obtain a road permit that grants you access to the space required. In order to obtain a road permit you first submit a special events application for review and submit a copy of liability insurance when asked to do so by your Event Liaison.
There is no cost for the road permit itself; however there are costs accrued by utilizing Traffic, ETS, and EPS services (if required for your event) and these costs are displayed on the permit as cost estimates. After your event we will invoice for the actual work completed on a cost-recovery basis.
The permit will be issued to you by your events liaison prior to your event. We require you to sign the permit and scan/fax it back to our office at 780-944-0042.
Your road permit is not an invoice.
All road closures are regulated by the City Traffic Bylaw 5590.
Road permits are issued for all permissible events on road space (parades, processions, street festivals, runs/walks, and other event closures), except for construction and block parties. For these activities, an OSCAM permit is required; which can be obtained by contacting the City Traffic Department at 780-442 6458.
What is Considered a Road Event?
A road event is any event that utilizes roads for the majority of an event. It has the same criteria as other civic events that it is open to the public and not a private event space for exclusive use.
There are many different types of events that use Edmonton's roadways.
Edmontonians can celebrate any season with a parade. From cultural parades to silly parades; parades bring a sense of creativity and fun to any community.
We help make parades happen by facilitating the road closures, modification ETS bus services, and the deployment of EPS officers for traffic control; to allow your parade to happen safely.
For more information on how to successfully host a parade, contact the Civic Events Office at 780-944-7740.
From military marches to religious celebrations, walks/marches that use part of the roadway can be managed through our office. Contact the Civic Events Office at 780-944-7740 to discuss how to set up your procession.
Using road space is another way you can showcase your event during any season. Closing a road can transform it into a unique venue. With the help of the Civic Events Office we can provide advice in relation to best practice and civic bylaws in order to help you create an event that your community will remember.
Waste Management: ensure your neighbourhood stays clean during & after your event by allocating volunteers to monitor the waste generated from your event.
First Aid: If you are anticipating a large crowd at your event, it is a good idea to allocate a 10x10 tent for first aid, information, and lost children information.
For-Sale Vendors: Vendors who sell food or products at your event, they must obtain a vending permit before they can participate. The Civic Events Office will help you prepare for the vending permit by putting you in touch with the City's vending coordinator.
Electricity: The best way to ensure that you have power on-site is to bring in your own generators. There are available tree plugs found along some Edmonton streets, but not all. It is a good idea to make sure you have an alternative power source if required.
Washroom Facilities & Hand Wash Stations: These are the responsibility of the event organizer to arrange. Using a vendor such as Waste Management for the booking, delivering, and removal is recommended.
We understand that not every event is the same and our team will work with you to design the set up of your event and provide practical advice based on the City of Edmonton bylaws & regulations.
For more information on how to successfully host a street festival, contact the Civic Events Office at 780-944-7740.
Edmonton has a spectacular river valley that has both trails and streetscape that showcase it's beauty. The Civic Events Office can help you find the right route for your event to host your walk or run, no matter the length or time of year.
For more information on how to successfully host a run/walk, contact the Civic Events Office at 780-944-7740.
Smaller events which require some traffic accommodation set up are managed by the Civic Events Office as well. Contact us if you need to discuss your requirements.
For more information on how to have incremental closures that benefit your event, contact the Civic Events Office at 780-944-7740 for more information on how to do so.
Your event liaison is your link to the City to ensure your event is set up properly ensuring the safety of event participants, pedestrians and motorists.
How does traffic get detoured around your event? The City Traffic Department designs a Traffic Accommodation Plan that outlines their set up plan of road barricades, cones, signs, and other traffic control devices to ensure that motorists and pedestrians know how they can safely navigate around your event.
Leading up to your event, the Traffic Department will implement the required traffic accommodation set up. There is a cost for Traffic Services, which is determined based on the size, scope and set up required for your event. This cost will be identified as a cost estimate prior to your event and billed according to the work completed, after your event.
Shutting down roads can be inconvenient to motorists as Edmontonians have to contend with both construction and special events throughout the year. If the road closures for your event are significant and will have a large impact on traffic, we try to mitigate the inconvenience to the public by issuing newspaper ads on behalf of the event. These newspaper ads are placed in the major daily papers prior to your event, the cost of doing so will be billed back to your event. We will inform you during the planning process if this step is necessary.
Parking may be an issue when selecting your event location, especially in high traffic areas such as downtown. If you require parking restrictions for your event, your request will be reviewed on an individual basis. When selecting your location, also consider how much space you require for set-up and removal of equipment and resources.
Parking restrictions may help your event in the first few years however when areas are overly subjected to parking restrictions, it's difficult to gain community support and approval in following years.
The City of Edmonton has 6835 bus stops and 179 routes that criss-cross our city – and often times you will find bus stops along your requested closure. If your event impacts regular ETS service operations and schedules, your Events Liaison will work with ETS to determine any modification to the existing routes or regular service.
If ETS service can be modified or detoured around your event without the need to add in additional buses or dedicated supervision to maintain frequency and advertised schedules, there will be no additional cost to you.
If ETS can't make modifications to regular service without incurring an additional cost to meet your event requirements, this cost estimate will be identified prior to your event and billed to you as part of your overall event costs.
Depending on the size of your event you may want to arrange a bus charter (ETS or private company) and an off-site participant/patron parking area and shuttle your attendees back and forth to your event if your site has limited public parking or parking restrictions.
The City of Edmonton, through ETS, does offer a comprehensive bus charter services with dedicated supervision for a single bus to 100+ buses, depending on your event requirements. Please call 780-496-5758 to arrange for a consultation with an EPS supervisor.
If you are organizing a roadway event that goes through signalized intersections or other high traffic areas you may be required to hire special duty police officers to control traffic.
Subject to the review of your application, your event may also require police for crowd control and/or security management. Your event liaison is your link to EPS, and will provide a plan indicating the EPS resources required for your event.
Volunteers may also be used to provide traffic marshalling or security in some circumstances.
In the colder winter months when snow is blowing, we can work with the Roadways Maintenance team to arrange for street cleaning for your festival.
When hosting a run or walk (depending on the size and scope of your event), we may require the presence of medical assistance to be prepared in case one of your patrons or staff requires their services. This will be discussed with your group in preparation for your event.
Depending on the route you chose for your event, you may find businesses, churches, or residential areas may be impacted by your closure. You will be required to notify all the homes, businesses, and churches along your route a few weeks prior to your event.
Depending on the style of your event, we can also include the Fire Department, Public Safety & Compliance, Sustainable Development and Parks Departments into the planning phase to ensure you have the full range of support required to host a successful event.
If you are planning a block party, please contact the Traffic Department at 780-442-6458.
If you are planning a roadway event, please visit our event application section to begin the process.