Culture, community and connection
Alberta’s government says it spent 2025 celebrating the province’s history, supporting arts and culture and investing in community programs aimed at strengthening connections across Alberta.
The province says Albertans turned out in record numbers for events such as Alberta Day, which drew more than 60,000 people to over 40 community-led celebrations, including major gatherings at the legislature grounds in Edmonton and Heritage Park in Calgary.
Alberta Day 2025 at Heritage Park, Calgary
“2025 was an incredible year for arts, heritage and culture in Alberta, and in 2026 we will create even more opportunities for Albertans to learn, explore and celebrate everything our province has to offer,” Arts, Culture and Status of Women Minister Tanya Fir said in a statement.
The province says Alberta Culture Days in September also brought thousands of people to more than 100 events supported through the initiative, giving residents opportunities to experience arts and culture locally.
In its year-end summary, the government said community grants helped fund non-profit organizations across Alberta, with almost 440 grants awarded to date. Through Budget 2025, the province says it invested nearly $93 million in programs and grants intended to empower non-profits, create jobs and drive local investment.
The province also highlighted its launch of a 10-year strategy to end gender-based violence, which it called the most comprehensive plan of its kind in Canada. The government says it invested more than $188 million annually for related programs and services across multiple ministries.
Museums and heritage sites across Alberta welcomed more than 956,000 visitors in 2025, the province said, including more than 112,000 people who attended the Royal Alberta Museum’s Orcas: Our Shared Future exhibition in a six-month span.
The government said the Reynolds Museum added 32 new donations valued at $1.3 million, while the Royal Tyrrell Museum marked its 40th anniversary with a celebration highlighting decades of palaeontological research and education.
The province says it also expanded support for artists and cultural organizations, noting the opening of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts’ new AFA art house, which it said will help share Alberta’s art collection more widely.
Budget 2025 included more than $36 million for Alberta’s arts sector, including almost $35 million for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the government said.