Edmonton cat festival adds cat-shaped bath bombs to monthlong lineup

Cat-shaped bath bombs have found a bigger stage in Edmonton, where the Edmonton International Cat Festival is using them as one of the most shareable parts of a monthlong lineup of cat-themed CATivities running May 2 through May 31. For bath-bomb makers, the point is not just the shape. It is the way a hyper-specific theme can pull in people who came for cats, pop culture, and a good photo op, then leave with a handmade product in hand.

The festival calls itself Canada’s longest-running cat festival and Alberta’s biggest, and it says all proceeds go to local cat rescues. Since 2014, the festival says it has raised $187,000, a number that gives the novelty real fundraising weight. The 2026 schedule stretches across eight cat-themed events in Edmonton, with cat toys, cat yoga, student art, live role-playing games, and cat-shaped bath bombs all folded into the same family-friendly format. The workshops and breakout-room CATivities, except cat yoga, are included with a festival ticket, which makes the making itself part of the draw rather than a separate add-on.

The finale is set for Sunday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at MacEwan University’s Robbins Health Learning Centre in downtown Edmonton. Tickets are listed at $15 in advance online and $20 at the door, with kids 12 and under free. The Sunday timing is a shift from the festival’s usual Caturday slot because of a venue conflict, but the move still keeps the event anchored as a citywide capstone for the month.

Bath bombs have already proven to be one of the festival’s most flexible workshop formats. In 2025, Edmonton artist Julie Morrison of WEIRD NEIGHBOUR led a one-hour cat bath bomb making session where participants could make 10 to 12 bombs, choose their color, scent and shapes, and carry them home in a pizza box. The festival says WEIRD NEIGHBOUR, an Edmonton artist and design brand, went exclusively online in 2023. That kind of setup shows why bath bombs work so well in crossover events: the craft is fast to understand, visually distinct, and easy to tailor to a theme without losing the handmade appeal.

The festival also ties the craft back to its rescue mission. It says it can donate proceeds to only a few rescues each year, but it invites other cat rescues to attend with booths or discounted involvement, and its 2026 Main Stage is presented by the City of Edmonton Animal Care & Control Centre. In a month built around cats, the bath bomb is not a side attraction. It is the kind of themed object that turns a local workshop into a fundraiser, a fandom touchpoint, and a ready-made impulse buy all at once.