COLD LAKE - The City of Cold Lake is gearing up to host the exciting Full Throttle Festival, that marks the start of the 2024 Airshow weekend.
Scheduled for July 19 in downtown Cold Lake, this family-friendly festival offers a wide range of activities and entertainment for all ages.
Heather Miller, Programs and Services Manager for the City of Cold Lake, shared details about the event.
“There will be family activities from 4 - 8 p.m. including bouncy castles sparkle tattoos, face painting, Kip the Court Jester doing magic and balloon twisting, a caricature artist, roving ventriloquist, Axes & Apples’ mobile axe throwing, and an inflatable arcade. The beer gardens will also start at 4 p.m. with the main stage. The 4 Wing band will kick off the event followed by the LHS Woofstock winner Cold Brew, Shantaia and then our headliner Blackjack Billy.”
The Full Throttle Festival aims to boost excitement for the airshow and attract visitors to downtown Cold Lake.
Miller explained, “The festival was created to ramp up excitement around the air show weekend and help bring attention to the downtown businesses for those who are from out of town. We’re confident it will create a fun environment for all involved.”
Emphasizing community involvement, Miller continued, “The event is to be open to everyone. It gives the community and our guests a chance to come together and celebrate a great event.”
The City of Cold Lake is working closely with 4 Wing to ensure a smooth and enjoyable airshow weekend, “to help make everything run as smoothly as possible, including things like the traffic plan. The Full Throttle Kick Off Event is always special as it gives the pilots a chance to come down and socialize with the community in a fun, relaxed environment,” Miller noted.
She added, “The Full Throttle event is a great event to come out to. There are some awesome activities happening, great music, and you can interact with some amazing pilots. 4 Wing does a great job of bringing in a variety of acts that are unbelievable and worth going to see!”
The festivities will take place on 50th Avenue, also known as Main Street.
Family activities will wrap up at 8 p.m., just in time for the headliner, Blackjack Billy, to take the stage. The beer gardens will remain open until the main stage entertainment concludes.
Residents and visitors should note that Main Street downtown will be closed to vehicle traffic leading up to and during the Full Throttle Festival.
Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week
