List of festivals in Calgary

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Festivals of Calgary
Lilac festival 2004.JPG
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The following is an incomplete list of annual festivals and cultural events in Calgary and the Calgary Region, in the province of Alberta, Canada.

Contents

This list includes festivals of diverse types, such as regional festivals, commerce festivals, fairs, food festivals, arts festivals, religious festivals, folk festivals, and recurring festivals on holidays.

List of festivals in Calgary

Whirling dervishes at Calgary Turkish Festival Whirling Dervishes at Calgary Turkish Festival.jpg
Whirling dervishes at Calgary Turkish Festival
Carifest 2007 opening day parade Carifest 2007 -034.JPG
Carifest 2007 opening day parade
FestivalOccurrenceLocationDescription
Calgary Stampede July 5-14, 2024Calgary“The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.”
Cowboys Music Festival July 4-15, 2024Calgary: Stampede Park
Badlands Music Festival [1] July 6-14, 2024Calgary
Fiestaval Latino Festival [2] July 19-21, 2024Calgary: Olympic Plaza
Calgary Folk Music Festival (aka Calgary Folk Fest)July 25-28, 2024Calgary: Prince’s Island Park folk music festival
Calgary International Blues Festival [3] July 29- Aug 4, 2024Calgary
CSIO Spruce Meadows 'Masters' Tournament JulyCalgary: Spruce Meadows equestrian show jumping tournament
Festival of Chariots (Rath Yatra) [4] JulyCalgaryreligious Hindu festival
High River International Food Festival [5] July High River food festival
Inglewood Sunfest [6] JulyCalgary: Inglewood street fair
Inspirefest [7] JulyCalgaryfestival for Alberta-based music, artists, artisans, horticulture, and vendors
Roundup MusicFest [8] JulyCalgarymusic festival co-produced by 51 North Productions and Live Nation Entertainment
ShadyGrove Bluegrass Festival [9] July Sundre bluegrass music festival
Shakespeare by the Bow (or Shakespeare On The Go) [10] July - AugustCalgary Shakespeare festival presented by Theatre Calgary
Chasing Summer Music Festival [11] Aug 3 & 4, 2024Calgary: Max Bell Centremusic festival presented by Live Nation Entertainment
Afrikadey! Film Festival [12] AugustCalgary
Afrikadey! Music Festival [12] AugustCalgary
Caesar Week [13] AugustCalgaryweek-long festival celebrating caesar cocktails
Calgary Dragon Boat Race & Festival [14] AugustCalgary
Calgary Fringe Festival [15] AugustCalgary fringe theatre festival
Calgary Japanese Festival “Omatsuri [16] AugustCalgary
Calgary Pride AugustCalgaryLGBTQ+ Pride parade and festival
Carifest [17] AugustCalgary Caribbean cultural festival
Chinatown Street FestivalAugustCalgaryChinese cultural festival in Chinatown
Expo Latino [18] AugustCalgaryLatino cultural festival
GlobalFest AugustCalgaryconsists of OneWorld Festival and International Fireworks Festival
Great Outdoors Comedy Festival AugustCalgary: Prince's Island ParkOutdoor comedy festival presented by Trixstar LIVE
GuitarFestWest [19] AugustCalgary: Mount Royal University week-long classical guitar festival
Heritage Day Festival [20] August (first Monday)Calgary
International Reggae Festival AugustCalgary
Marda Gras [21] AugustCalgary: Marda Loop street festival
Mountain View International Festival of Song and Chamber Music [22] AugustCalgary
When Words Collide [23] AugustCalgaryfestival for commercial and literary fiction
Tabestoon Festival [24] August (biennially)CalgaryIranian arts and culture festival, organized by the Persian Gulf Foundation
Taste of Calgary [25] August (third weekend)Calgaryfood and drink festival
Artember [26] September Airdrie art festival
Beakerhead [27] SeptemberCalgarycelebration of art, science and engineering
Barbecue on the Bow [28] SeptemberCalgaryculinary festival and barbecue competition
BrazilFest [29] SeptemberCalgary
Calgary Corporate Challenge September Games [30] SeptemberCalgary2-week corporate team-building event that features various competitions "focusing on teamwork and networking" [30]
Calgary Highland Games [31] September (Labour Day weekend)CalgaryCeltic sports, music and dance
Canmore Highland GamesSeptember (Labour Day weekend) Canmore Celtic sports, music and dance
Cochrane Lions Labour Day Rodeo [32] September (Labour Day weekend) Cochrane rodeo
Heritage Park Railway DaysSeptember Heritage Park
Calgary Arab Film FestivalOctoberCalgary
Calgary International Film Festival September / OctoberCalgary
Calgary Tattoo & Arts Festival [33] OctoberCalgary
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation "CIBC Run for the Cure"OctoberCalgary
Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival [34] OctoberCalgary
Wordfest: Calgary International Writers' Festival OctoberCalgary
Calgary Justice Film Festival (formerly Marda Loop Justice Film Festival) [35] NovemberCalgary environmental and social justice film festival
CUFF.Docs Documentary Film Festival [36] NovemberCalgaryNon-fiction film festival presented by the Calgary Underground Film Festival
Otafest Aurora NovemberCalgary anime convention, smaller version of Otafest in the spring/summer
Airdrie Festival Of Lights [37] December Airdrie Rides, Christmas lights, refreshments
Emerging ArtismDecemberCalgary
Once Upon A ChristmasDecemberCalgary
Zoolights [38] December / January Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo 6-week Christmas/holiday festival
High Performance Rodeo JanuaryCalgary3-week international festival of live art produced by One Yellow Rabbit
International Festival of Animated Objects JanuaryCalgary
Calgary Midwinter BluesfestFebruaryCalgary
Chinook Blast [1] February 2-19, 2024CalgaryTourism Calgary's winter festival
Picture this…film festivalFebruaryCalgarypostponed since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as of 2022 [39]
Artifact Small Format Film Festival (formerly $100 Film Festival)MarchCalgary celluloid-based film festival
Gluten Free Expo [40] MarchCalgary
MTT Fest [41] MarchCalgary
Rodeo RoyalMarchCalgary
Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo [42] AprilCalgary
Calgary Beer Festival AprilCalgary
Calgary International Spoken Word Festival AprilCalgary
Calgary Maple Festival des Sucres [43] AprilCalgary
Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF)AprilCalgary
Vaisakhi Mela AprilCalgary Punjabi spring harvest festival
FunnyFest Calgary Comedy FestivalMay + JuneCalgary
Calgary International Children's Festival [44] MayCalgary
Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival MayCalgary
Heritage Park Festival of QuiltsMayCalgary: Heritage Park
Lilac Festival MayCalgary: Beltline + Mission street festival
Otafest [45] MayCalgary anime convention
Puppet Power: Festival of Ideas [46] [47] MayCalgary
Calgary Greek FestivalJuneCalgary
Commuter Challenge Week [48] June (week of June 5)Calgary
Ignite! Theatre-Arts FestivalJuneCalgary
Light & Motion Prop Arts and Circus Festival [49] JuneCalgary
MEC Bikefest [50] JuneCalgary
MEC Paddlefest [51] JuneCalgary
Sled Island Music and Arts Festival [52] JuneCalgaryindependent music and arts festival

Most attended festivals

Calgary Stampede

Rider at the Stampede Rodeo StampedeRodeo2002.JPG
Rider at the Stampede Rodeo

The city of Calgary is famous for the Calgary Stampede, a large agricultural fair and rodeo held every July. The Stampede officially bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth". It features an internationally recognized rodeo competition, a midway, stage shows, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon races, First Nations exhibitions, and pancake breakfasts around the city. It is among the largest and most well known festivals in Canada. The event has a 111 year history. In 2005, attendance at the 10-day rodeo and exhibition totaled 1,242,928, which set a new record. Attendance at the Stampede Parade (North America's second longest parade), which takes place downtown on opening day, is usually somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000. [ citation needed ] During Stampede Week, many of the city's residents dress in country attire, and many businesses decorate their stores and offices in western style.[ citation needed ]

Lilac Festival

The Lilac Festival is an annual street festival held in Calgary, Alberta. In 2005 it had an estimated 120,000 attendance. [53] The festival takes place along the 13 blocks of 4th Street (between 13th Avenue South and Elbow Drive) in the Beltline and Mission neighborhoods. [53]

Sun and Salsa Festival

The Sun and Salsa Festival is an annual festival put on in the Kensington Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) of Calgary. [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] Attendance of the festival has grown to around 100,000 in 2010. [59]

Former festivals

This is a list of festivals that no longer exist, have been on a prolonged hiatus, or festivals that were once held in Calgary but have since moved to elsewhere.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calgary Stampede</span> Annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival in Calgary, Canada

The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon racing, and First Nations exhibitions. In 2008, the Calgary Stampede was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stampede Corral</span> Multi-purpose venue in Calgary, Alberta

The Stampede Corral was a multi-purpose venue in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located on the grounds of Stampede Park, the arena was completed in 1950 at a cost of C$1.25 million to replace Victoria Arena as the home of the Calgary Stampeders minor professional hockey club, which hosted their Western Hockey League games for years. The Corral was built and owned by the not-for-profit Calgary Exhibition & Stampede organization, which leased the underlying land at $1/year from the city of Calgary. Seating 6,475, plus standing room, it was used during the annual Calgary Stampede, with a variety of entertainment events in each year's daily ENMAX Corral Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cochrane, Alberta</span> Town in Alberta, Canada

Cochrane is a town in the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. The town is located 18 km (11 mi) west of the Calgary city limits along Highway 1A. Cochrane is one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada, and with a population of 32,199 in 2021, it is one of the largest towns in Alberta. It is part of Calgary's census metropolitan area and a member community of the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB). The town is surrounded by Rocky View County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-Days</span> Annual exhibition held in Edmonton, Canada

K-Days, formerly known as the Edmonton Exhibition, Klondike Days, and Capital Ex, is an annual 10-day exhibition held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada mostly in late July. In recent years it has attracted between 700,000 and 800,000 visitors per year. It runs in conjunction with the Taste of Edmonton and – from 2006 through 2012 – the Edmonton Indy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beltline, Calgary</span> Neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Beltline is a region of central Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The area is located immediately to the south of Calgary's downtown, and is sometimes considered part of downtown. The neighbourhood is bounded on the south by 17th Avenue, on the west by 14th Street West and on the east by the Elbow River. Beltline is one of Calgary's most densely populated neighbourhoods as well as the most urban, featuring many apartments, condominiums and offices. It has the reputation of being one of Calgary's primary areas for eclectic night-life, restaurants and urban culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kensington, Calgary</span>

Kensington is a Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) in Calgary, Alberta, focused around the intersection of Kensington Road and 10th St. NW, also known as the Kensington-Louise Crossing Business Association. It is located in the communities of Hillhurst and Sunnyside, immediately north of downtown and the Bow River, and is easily reached by most of the city's major access routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Avenue, Calgary</span> Business Revitalization Zone in Alberta, Canada

International Avenue is a Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) in Calgary, Alberta. The district is centered on 17 Avenue SE in the neighbourhood of Forest Lawn in the east of the city. The district was created in 1993 to celebrate the rich cultural diversity that exists in east central Calgary. The area has since become a popular location for ethnic restaurants and shopping.

The Battle of Alberta is a term applied to the intense rivalry between the Canadian cities of Calgary, the province's most populous city, and Edmonton, the capital of the province of Alberta. Most often it is used to describe sporting events between the two cities, although this is not exclusive as the rivalry predates organized sports in Alberta.

Cochrane High School is a public secondary school located in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. The school's enrollment is approximately 800 to 850 students, in grades 9 through 12. The school falls under the jurisdiction of Rocky View Schools.

Jonathan Joseph Lord was a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from Alberta, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calgary</span> Largest city in Alberta, Canada

Calgary is a city in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is the largest city in Alberta and the largest metro area within the three Prairie Provinces region. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun and Salsa Festival</span>

The Sun and Salsa Festival was an annual festival put on in the Kensington Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) of Calgary, Alberta. It took place along 10 Street and Kensington Road, which both have parts closed off to traffic. Attendance at the festival has grown to around 100,000 in 2010. In 2015, organisers announced that the festival would be cancelled due to construction developments in the community, citing sidewalks, trees, and streetlights upgrades as key factors. Since then, the festival has been under an indefinite hiatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbecue circuit</span>

In Canadian politics, the "summer barbecue and kissing babies circuit" or simply, the barbecue circuit refers to the summer activities of Canadian legislators and politicians during breaks from parliament and the provincial legislatures. This involves attending many community events in order to meet constituents. The term refers to the ubiquity of grilled meat (barbecue) at such gatherings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pancake breakfast</span> Public event

A pancake breakfast is a public meal attached to many festivals, religious celebrations, and community events which involves volunteers cooking large quantities of pancakes and other hot breakfast foods for the general public, often for free or for a nominal charge if the event is a fundraiser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Druh Farrell</span> Canadian politician

Druh Farrell is a municipal politician who formerly served as Councillor for Ward 7 in Calgary, Alberta. She was first elected in 2001.

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