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Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village Will Remain Closed for 2025 Summer After Wildfire Damage

Restoration of museum buildings and collections is underway with cultural celebrations shifted to alternate venues.

The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village east of Edmonton is seen on April 19, 2025, one day after a fire burned through the area.
Pioneer Family by Leo Mol sculpture Pioneer Family is surrounded by wildfire damage at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, in Lamont County east of Edmonton, April 19, 2025.
Wildfire damage is visible at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, in Lamont County east of Edmonton, April 19, 2025.
A fire burns at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village near Elk Island National Park, Alta. in this Alberta RCMP handout photo posted on their Facebook page, on Friday, April 18, 2025. Firefighters who battled a wind-fanned grass fire that spread to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village east of Edmonton managed to save the historic structures at the open-air museum, but provincial officials say the visitor centre buildings were lost. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Facebook, Alberta RCMP (Mandatory Credit)

Overview

  • Alberta’s government announced on August 11 that the village will stay closed for the entire 2025 summer season to allow comprehensive restoration work.
  • The April 18 grass fire, driven by high winds, destroyed the visitor reception, gift shop, exhibition galleries, offices, conservation lab and curatorial storage.
  • Site director David Makowsky described the losses as “profound” and pledged that staff are committed to reopening as soon as repairs and assessments are complete.
  • Recovery efforts now focus on structural repairs, cataloguing remaining artifacts and assessing damage to research files and preservation facilities.
  • The ian CanadiCanadian Congress-Alberta Provincial Council has relocated Ukrainian Day on August 24 to the Alberta Legislature Grounds in Edmonton.