West Edmonton Mall describes itself as “the most comprehensive retail, hospitality and entertainment complex on Earth.” Its homepage then promises “12 world-class attractions.” Its About page, a click away, says sixteen.
Somewhere between the two pages, four attractions have gone missing, possibly into the waterpark. West Edmonton Mall at 45 remains the only building in Canada large enough to lose count of itself, and Edmonton should be proud of that.
Key facts
- West Edmonton Mall reports more than 800 stores and services under one roof (West Edmonton Mall).
- Explore Edmonton, the city’s tourism agency, reports 30.8 million visits a year to West Edmonton Mall as of March 2026 (Explore Edmonton).
- Guinness World Records recognized West Edmonton Mall’s parking lot as the world’s largest car park in 1981, with 20,000 spaces and overflow room for 10,000 more (Guinness World Records).
- Guinness World Records lists the mall’s indoor amusement park as the world’s largest, at 37,200 square metres (Guinness World Records).
How the mall grew from 220 stores to more than 800
The mall opened in September 1981 with about 220 stores, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. Galaxyland came in 1983. A third phase followed in 1985, the Fantasyland Hotel in 1986 and a fourth phase at the end of the 1990s. It now lists more than 800 stores and services.
The design brief, according to the mall, drew on “traditional urban bazaars of Persia.” The Persians, to be fair, never had to plan parking for 20,000 cars and an overflow lot for another 10,000.
What happened to the West Edmonton Mall submarines
In 1985 the mall bought four submarines at $900,000 each. That is $3.6 million by our arithmetic, spent on a navy for an indoor lake on the prairie. They carried passengers until 2005 and were scrapped starting in March 2012.
A mall spokesperson later explained the problem with admirable honesty, saying that “after you’d been on the submarine probably once” the appeal was spent. Every institution should be so candid about its own inventory.
What the mall still gets right after 45 years
The anniversary promotion, “Pay and Play Like it’s 1981,” included rides at Galaxyland, which opened in 1983. The mall is so committed to nostalgia that it now celebrates things from before they existed.
None of this stops anyone from coming. Explore Edmonton reports 30.8 million visits a year. Against a city of roughly 1.2 million people, our arithmetic puts that at about 26 visits for every Edmontonian. Spread across a province past 5.1 million people, it is still about six visits for every Albertan. The mall calls itself “accredited as a zoo,” and after 45 years of sea lions and weekend crowds, nobody has asked to see the paperwork twice.
Edmonton built a mall so big its own website loses track of it. Far better to have that problem than a mall small enough to count.
Frequently asked questions
How many attractions does West Edmonton Mall have?
The mall’s own pages disagree. Its homepage promises “12 world-class attractions” while its About page, one click away, says sixteen. Somewhere between the two pages, four attractions have gone missing, possibly into the waterpark.
How many stores and visitors does West Edmonton Mall have?
The mall reports more than 800 stores and services under one roof. Explore Edmonton, the city’s tourism agency, reports 30.8 million visits a year as of March 2026.
What happened to the West Edmonton Mall submarines?
In 1985 the mall bought four submarines at $900,000 each, $3.6 million in total, for an indoor lake on the prairie. They carried passengers until 2005 and were scrapped starting in March 2012. A mall spokesperson later explained the problem with admirable honesty, saying that after you had been on the submarine probably once, the appeal was spent.
When did West Edmonton Mall open and how has it grown?
It opened in September 1981 with about 220 stores, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. Galaxyland came in 1983, a third phase followed in 1985, the Fantasyland Hotel in 1986 and a fourth phase at the end of the 1990s. It now lists more than 800 stores and services.
What world records does West Edmonton Mall hold?
Guinness World Records recognized its parking lot as the world’s largest car park in 1981, with 20,000 spaces and overflow room for 10,000 more. Guinness also lists the mall’s indoor amusement park as the world’s largest, at 37,200 square metres.
