Varscona Parkade

I’ve decided to review local Edmonton businesses and institutions as they are for Fringe venues because I’m a Fringe and Unilocaler nerd like that. So keeping that in mind this review is for the Varscona Parkade as a venue for The Edmonton International Fringe Festival. This is not a review for the Varscona Parkade as a parking site. This is also not a review of any shows I’ve seen here. Let’s go.
Yes. This isn’t a mistake. The Varscona Parkade was a Fringe venue at the 2015 Fringe Festival. Sounds weird, but it was used as a BYOV for a show I saw by Toy Guns Dance Theatre (Who Am I? Unauthorized Stories from the Varscona Parkade). Out of the BYOVs I’ve been to for the Fringe this was definitely my favorite. Why?
— The setup was great. The show was on the top level of the parkade. Being up here and watching this show made me think how I need to visit more rooftop patios and such in the summer. Roofs rule.
— Best seats of the Fringe (depending where you sit). They used wooden pallets to create a few rows of stadium seats. There were pillows on the first few rows, but they had couches at the very back. My friend and I saw on a couch. Got a comfy seat and completely clear view of the show. It was definitely the most comfortable seats in the show.
— An outdoor venue. Yes, the weather can be temperamental, but if you’re seeing at a Fringe show you should be prepared for anything. We lucked out and got a sunny show (though it got a little cooler when the sun went behind the clouds). I only wished I’d brought sunglasses, but the stage was setup so the sun wasn’t right in your eyes.
— It’s unique. How often are you going to find yourself sitting on couch on the top of a parkade watching a wonderfully unique dance and performance art piece? Watching this show was very surreal experience, and the venue was one of the reasons for that.
— The location is great. Right by the Varscona Hotel so it was easy to find.
I think the only downside to this hotel is that being so close to Whyte you could hear traffic noise constantly, but seeing as this show was mostly dance and performance art it wasn’t a big deal. They had music playing from speakers (which took out most of the noise) and when any performer did talk it was easy enough to hear them. Getting to the venue did require walking up several flights of stairs, but I believe there are elevators in the parkade for those with mobility issues.
This definitely wouldn’t work for all Fringe shows, but for this show the uniqueness of this venue worked well. I’m kind of hoping I’ll get to see a Fringe show on the top level of the Varscona Parkade next year.