The best of Edmonton this October

By Sarah Sussman

As fall settles in and the temperatures start to dip, cozy up and head out this month to enjoy all that Edmonton has to offer. In addition to all of the amazing new eateries opening up (and all the decadent new bingsu Korean shaved ice spots), October 2017 is prime time to tap into your creative side. Head to the Edmonton Short Film Festival, learn some coding or head to the Winspear Centre on Halloween to take in a showing of the 1925 silent film The Monster. Here's the best of Edmonton this October. [Photo credit: iStock]

As bingsu (Korean shaved ice) takes its reign as Edmonton’s latest “it” food, make sure you head out to one of the city’s new dessert spots to try this sweet frozen delicacy. Snowy Dessert has some amazing fresh fruit variations (try the mango) while Snowy Village offers adventurous creations like the injeolmi bingsu. Another new spot, Snow Bear Dessert Café, is scheduled to open on 109th Street soon.

The Butternut Tree is one of the newest additions to the Edmonton dining scene, featuring local ingredients and a decadent menu created by chef Scott Downey. In case you were wondering, the restaurant is named after the only kind of walnut tree that grows in Canada. Head on down and try the Irvings pork with crab apple butter, coral mushrooms, potato and leek for a cozy and comforting belly buster.

Cat lovers, rejoice – Edmonton is getting its second cat café soon! Following the success of Cat Café on Whyte, a new kitty haven called Paws the Cat Café is slated for opening on 109th Street.

And if you want to experience a winning culinary combination, head to the Shumka Dance Centre Oct. 1 to experience Bannock & Borscht. The free event – hosted in celebration of Alberta Culture Days – delivers a delicious and festive mixing of Aboriginal and Ukrainian cultures.

We’ll be short with this one – the Edmonton Short Film Festival is coming to the Royal Alberta Museum Oct. 14 for a 90-minute gala of Alberta indie film screenings, live music, Alberta craft beer and free (yes, free) popcorn. The festival aims to spotlight Alberta’s growing film scene, showing everything from 30-second trailers to more in-depth 15-minute short films.

For all the unemployed tech-curious ladies out there, the good folks over at Ladies Learning Code are hosting a day-long workshop at Startup Edmonton Oct. 21 to cover the basics of HTML coding, CSS and online resume building. Ladies Learning Code is a not-for-profit organization that hosts a ton of awesome HTML and CSS workshops throughout the year with an aim to make web and tech skills fun and approachable.

Instead of spending a lonely Halloween night handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, head over to the Winspear Centre Oct. 31 for a showing of the silent horror-comedy film The Monster. This is one of the original mad scientist movies, and it’s been a cult classic since its release in 1925. The event kicks off at 8 p.m., followed by an afterparty in the Winspear lobby after the film.

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More fun things to do in Edmonton this October:

• 8 can't-miss festivals in Edmonton this October
• Discover the joys of Edmonton's literary scene
• A guide to virtuous living in Edmonton

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Want to check out some artwork about artwork? The Peter Robertson Gallery is showing a solo exhibition by Joseph Hartman that features a series of photographs on artists’ creative spaces. Hartman started The Artist’s Studio project back in 2013 and has since photographed more than 100 spaces of contemporary Canadian painters and sculptors.

After winding down their 2016/17 season at the beginning of the summer, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is back for their 2017/18 season with a brand new chief conductor, Alexander Prior. This year, the ESO has an amazing lineup of concerts, including the highly-anticipated show in collaboration with Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra on Oct. 28. Enjoy the sweet sounds of Mozart, Dvorak and Estacio with guest appearances from Ottawa conductor Alexander Shelley and violinist Jessica Linnebach.

And for all the diehard Simons shoppers out there, the Quebec-based fashion retailer finally opened its second location in the north end of the city at Londonderry Mall. The mall is getting a massive $130-million facelift, so expect to see some other exciting retailers moving into the space soon.

With so much happening around Edmonton this month, make sure you get out of the house and immerse yourself in something that’s a little outside of your comfort zone. With so many exciting film events, gallery shows, music events and foodie finds, October is slated to be quite an adventurous month for Edmontonians.