Tonight the Uptown Folk Club kicks off  Winterfest 2011, which means a busy weekend for folkies…There’s the Rogers Media Battle of the Bands at NAIT. I fear N.N. may destroy The Nest with rock…The Joe (THE JOE!) is holding an all-ages show for his newest release, Float or Flail. He’s gonna have a lot of performing friends along for the evening (Speaking of all-ages, the Jubilee is hosting Art Music Play tonight.)…Cygnets is at the new New City…KeysNKrates at the Pawn Shop…The Haven Social Club is hosting another Friday The Sound of Edmonton…

When’s the last time you put on your skinny jeans and hung out at the Hydeaway? This Saturday Xplosionation is there, releasing their new EP, and they’ve been kind enough to give us a track for your listening pleasure. Says bassist Nathan Woodward: “This EP is the culmination of 4 years of jamming and writing from three guys who love to have fun and rock out. It is our second release, but our first set of professional, sellable music.” Doors at 7, tickets 8$, EP can be purchased on iTunes. Also, there’s even more Xplosionation over at @mikeatqazam‘s excellent blog, New-Music-Michael.com .

We are Xplosionation – Xplosionation

If that’s not enough for your Saturday, The James T Kirks and Manraygun should blow it up real good. Boogie Patrol’s at Blues on Whyte too.

Heart and Melissa Etheridge are also in Edmonton this weekend.

Rexall Place will be bouncing with sportiness, as the Oil Kings, Oilers, and Rush all play at home. In other sports, the Oil City Derby Girls are hosing a rookie smackdown of Alberta proportions.

WinterLight don’t stop until, well, until spring is just about here. This weekend you get a double-dose with the Silver Skate Festival in Hawrelak Park and Family Day fun in Churchill Square. You can also Skate, Rattle & Roll Saturday at City Hall. To coincide with the holiday weekend and the NHL’s Heritage Classic, between Calgary and Montreal, the Glenora Community League’s got Family Fun Day and outdoor hockey at 10426-136 Street, 2-7pm.

Until the 26th Fringe Theatre Adventures and Edmonton Opera present The Barber of Barrhead. It’s the Barber of Seville in Barrhead, Alberta.

I totally forget to mention this (but am now including it by way of some Internet magic), but the Edmonton Symphony is getting all Bugs Bunny with great music from Warner Brothers and Hanna Barbera that subtly made us all listen to the classics.

And, my favourite, the World’s Hottest Commercials are back at the Empire City Centre Monday-Thursday, with a couple of lunchtime 45-minute runs for the downtown work crowd. It’s also a fundraiser for the Edmonton International Film Festival.

Oh, and watch out for LRT disruptions. Why they schedule this stuff for long weekends is beyond me. Except when you consider my conspiracy theory that the Edmonton Transit Service is actually run by the city’s top car dealers.

Let the tournament begin!

More difficult to score on than the Oilers.

Wow, this is looking to be one busy long weekend.

Sure, you’ve got all that stuff happening over in Vancouver, which will likely occupy some of your TV time but, hey, the weather isn’t the worst its been, it’s a long weekend and there’s lots happening in good old Edmonton.

In other good news, I’m getting some of these fun ideas from ShareEdmonton. You’ll especially want to hit up that website for all kinds of neighbourhood Family Day events happening all over Edmonton.

Let’s start with the most obvious, it’s Family Day on Monday. Not only does that mean an extra day to sleep in, it means more going on.

City Hall (and Churchill Square) and the Alberta Legislature will be open for events. City Hall’s event is part of the ongoing WinterLight festival. WinterLight is also doing something Saturday in Boyle Street Park.

As Sally wrote about earlier today, there’s a kid-friendly play at the Stanley Milner Library. You can catch it tonight, and there are two showings Saturday.

Maybe you want Family Day to be about looking into your family’s past. You can do that over at the Provincial Archives.

As for the Lunar New Year, you can check out the Year of the Tiger’s entrance at the Valley Zoo, Sunday, or in Chinatown. Firecrackers go off at 95 Street and 105 Avenue, Sunday afternoon. I’m sure there are smaller events around too, so check your local listings.

The Uptown Folk Club‘s having a WinterFest of their own. I bet there’ll be music.

Oh, if you’re looking for Valentine’s Day dinner, Mack and Sharon have some ideas. They’ve even peered into the menus and prices. Yes, things do get more expensive for this night out.

Speaking of Valentine’s Day, the Valley Zoo is also offering same-sex speed dating. I don’t know how else you could blow away Edmonton stereotypes than with the civic government hosting this. Bang.

There’s also two nights of “Animal Attractions” for any couple looking to take in the zoo at night.

Whatever you do, if you’re thinking about taking the LRT, remember that there are some service disruptions this weekend.

See you Tuesday, but I’ll bet we’ll all be tired from this exciting weekend!