Industry | Host a BIG JIG Band

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Event FAQ

CulinART! | Friday, September 10, 2021 | 6:00 – 9:30 PM

CulinART is back! Sylvan Lake's annual celebration of its rich culinary and art scene. Restaurants along 50 Street, Lakeshore Drive and 46 Street will show off their best bites and small sips for this highly-popular culinary & art walking tour experience on September 10.

Ticket sales end at 9pm on September 10. Restaurants may continue to exchange tickets as long as they like on September 10.

Admission is $5 per adult and $2 per junior aged 12 and under. Tickets will be sold for $1/ticket beginning September 7 at the NexSource Centre, and from the event booth on the walking route during the event. Guests will purchase their admission wristbands and tickets and find art installations, live music and culinary stations along their downtown walking route.

Each participating business is invited to activate a culinary station by creating sample-sized bites of their signature dishes, trial menu items and miniature cocktails. Businesses will exchange guests' tickets for their culinary offerings, and later be able to redeem the value of the tickets with the Town of Sylvan Lake following the event.

NEW! CulinART Walking Guides will encourage participants to visit as many culinary stations and art locations as possible. After the event, guests can submit their passport to win amazing prizes!

NEW! Off the Eaten Path Culinary Vendors - Restaurants located outside of the walking route along 50th Street, Lakeshore Drive and 46th Street can now participate in CulinART as an open-air mobile food vendor. Space is limited! Mobile vendors must sign up by Friday, August 20 to allow for AHS application processing time.

1. Choose your items

Be creative and select items that are unique to your restaurant! For speed, we recommend pre-making your items and serving from a chafing dish or tray at your culinary station. Price your items at a whole dollar amount between $1 - $7, where 1 ticket equals $1 dollar.

Pro tip – Use ingredients you already have to keep costs minimal! Keep your portion sizes and prices small; guests will want to try a little bit of everything from each restaurant

2. Register

Please confirm your participation early by completing the online registration form at the bottom of this webpage to help ensure the success of this unique event. A $50 vendor fee per restaurant will be payable upon registration. An online payment link will be sent to the registrant via email after registering. Pay online or visit the NexSource Centre to pay in person.

Registration Deadlines

August 31, 2021| Deadline for restaurants located along the downtown walking route (50 Street, Lakeshore Drive, 46 Street)
August 20, 2021| Deadline for Off the Eaten Path mobile vendors located outside of the walking route. Mobile vendors must submit an AHS Special Event Food Vendor Notification accompanied with their registration form.

3. Prepare your culinary station

Each participating business will activate a culinary station by creating sample-sized bites of their signature dishes, trial menu items, miniature cocktails and more!

For restaurants located along downtown walking route:

Each restaurant will set up a table near your front entrance and have a dedicated staff member collecting tickets and distributing your items from the culinary station. For speed, we strongly recommend pre-making your items and serving from a chafing dish or tray at your culinary station.

Alcohol must be served at a location for which the restaurant has a valid liquor license. Serving from the bar can help keep guests moving quickly. Use signage to indicate guests should head directly to the bar! If you chose to offer a miniature cocktail or beverage, ensure that you are compliant with liquor pricing and reference Section 5.2 of the AGLC Liquor Licensee Handbook.

For Off the Eaten Path culinary vendors:

Open-air culinary stations will be placed along the walking route downtown, consisting of a 10x10' canopy tent and signage. Off the Eaten Path restaurants will activate their station by providing a table, staff member(s) and culinary offerings. Mobile vendors must abide by all AHS food handling regulations to ensure consumer safety.

Pro tip – Keep things simple with disposable dishes and utensils guests can easily throw away.

4. Collect tickets & sticker Walking Guides

Businesses will exchange food tickets for their culinary offerings, and later be able to redeem the value of the tickets with the Town of Sylvan Lake following the event. Restaurants will be given stickers to place on guest's Walking Guides when they exchange tickets at their culinary station. Put the sticker on the square that has your restaurant's name. Guests will enter their completed Guides to win great prizes! One sticker, per guest, per restaurant.

Important - Be sure not to lose or misplace any tickets collected; the Town of Sylvan Lake is unable to redeem any tickets that are not presented after the event.

5. Redeem tickets for reimbursement

Redeem tickets to be paid out by cheque by bringing all tickets collected during the event to the NexSource Centre by October 1, 2021. A cheque will be sent via mail within 5-10 business days.

Just for Tourism Partners! Businesses who are registered Tourism Partners will additionally receive:

Featured business logo on the event webpage at visitsylvanlake.ca/culinart following approved registration
Option to be an ART STOP and feature an artwork at your business (dependent on the type or art available and its durability)

Not a Tourism Partner? Register for FREE at sylvanlake.ca/tourismpartnership

Artists' work will be exhibited at CulinART! and distributed throughout the downtown area. From sculpture to paintings, mixed media, and more - CulinART! is open to all types of art that can feasibly be placed and protected during the event.

Know an artist? Artists at every level can exhibit their work at CulinART! by getting in touch with our special events coordinator at 403 887 2199 ext 512 or pmcarthur@sylvanlake.ca or apply online at visitsylvanlake.ca/artistapplication

On the CulinART! Menu

Dare to be bold! Feature dishes and drinks that are unique to your restaurant, or add your own special twist on a familiar favorite! Guests will be excited to visit each restaurant for something special and different.

Keep your portions small. Guests will need room to try it all!

What is Visit Sylvan Lake?

Visit Sylvan Lake is the visitor services umbrella through which visitor information and destination marketing for Sylvan Lake are delivered. This includes the visitsylvanlake.ca website and social media @visitsylvanlake

Visit Sylvan Lake is operated by the Town of Sylvan Lake. Tag your social media photos with @visitsylvanlake or #visitsylvanlake for the chance to be featured on our social media and increase your business' likelihood of being found by visitors!

Latest Destination News

This section is updated every few weeks as new news comes up. Stay updated by checking back often!

Winterfest x The BIG JIG: Apply to Host a Band

Winterfest x The BIG JIG events take place on February 18-21, as one massive celebration of winter at the lake! Live music is a great way to finish off a day of chilly winter activities paired with a warm meal and a good drink! The Town of Sylvan Lake is looking for three restaurants or bars to host a band on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evenings as part of the event.

Accepted restaurants will be marketed as part of the event on visitsylvanlake.ca/winterfest, in the Facebook Event, and across Visit Sylvan Lake social media!

Applicants must be registered Tourism Partners before applying to host a Winterfest x BIG JIG band. If your business is not yet a Tourism Partner, register at sylvanlake.ca/tourismpartnership
The Town of Sylvan Lake will reimburse three accepted restaurants up to 50% of the cost of the band up to a maximum of $400
Accepted restaurants must host a minimum 2 hour performance beginning between the hours of 7pm-11pm
Accepted restaurants must host a different band on a different night from other accepted restaurants
Band choice is at the option of the restaurant.
First come first served. Accepted restaurants must receive a Confirmation Email specifying acceptance prior to booking a band.

Registration opens Tuesday, December 14 via online form posted here or by calling 403 887 1192 ext 527. Closes January 21, 2022.

The personal information on this form is collected under the authority of Section 33(c) the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and will be protected under the provisions of the Act. Personal information, such as names, will not be published unless express consent is provided. Email addresses will be utilized to facilitate contact as indicated above. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the collection and/or use of this information, please contact our Records Clerk at 403 887 1185 Ext 224.