Your Delegate's Guide to Exploring Calgary
From morning coffee to wellness breaks, dining, and entertainment, discover the best ways for delegates to explore Calgary during your event.
Chinook Blast (Credit: Tourism Calgary/Neil Zeller)
The big decisions have been made. Calgary, Alberta is the host city for your conference. The final details at the venue are handled. Contracts are locked in. Delegates are arriving at the international airport, receiving a warm welcome from our famed White Hat volunteers. Keynote speakers are polishing their presentations. Let the games begin!
The agenda is packed, but you’ve scheduled breaks and there’s plenty of time for your delegates to explore the city before, during, and after each day’s sessions. To help you and your delegates make the most of your time in Calgary, here are some of our favourite haunts, from morning coffee, to wellness breaks, to dining and entertainment.
Morning coffee
The early birds have already hit the fitness facilities and are on the prowl for a decent cup of joe. Calgarians love their coffee. Here are some of their favourite spots. Pop in again when there’s a break between sessions.
Rosso Coffee Roaster – a local success story with several locations. Try the one located directly across from the Glenbow Museum in the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre on historic Stephen Avenue, or any of their other four locations throughout the city.
Monogram Coffee – skip the line and choose from different types of coffee on tap
Deville Coffee – choose from four downtown cafés for hand-crafted magic, and if you missed breakfast, try a toastie on rustic sourdough, bacon and egg on Brioche, or a vegetarian breakfast wrap, for openers
Phil & Sebastian – headquartered in the Simmons Building in the East Village, they collaborate with their Simmons partners, Charbar and Sidewalk Citizen Bakery to create their food program, perfectly paired with custom roasted and crafted coffees
Midday outdoor art break
After lunch, stretch your legs with an amble along Stephen Avenue, anchored at the eastern end by City Hall. Across the street is Olympic Plaza, where medals were handed out at the 1988 winter games. Gaze farther west and you’ll see the statues of the famous five Alberta suffragettes who fought and won the battle to have women recognized as persons in 1927. There’s a table waiting for you to join the conversation.
Calgary is bursting with public art. Check out the Corridor of Connection, a colourful mural along the 4th St underpass connecting the East Village with Victoria Park. Or look up, way up, at the world’s tallest mural at 123 10 Ave SW, created as part of the 2022 Bump Festival , a city-wide, artist-focused street art festival.
After the welcome reception: delectable dining
Now that you’re done with the hors d’oeuvres and have caught up with your associates, it’s time to carry on the discussion of the day’s events over dinner. The Calgary culinary scene is jumping. Award-winning restaurants abound. Here are some top recommendations and local favorites. It’s a good idea to make reservations ahead of time.
Evening entertainment
After supper, entertainment choices abound. If you’re a theatre buff, you’ll find a variety of excellent productions within walking distance. Take in a show at one of the stages in Worklund Centre or, if they’re playing, immerse yourself in an evening with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in the acoustically brilliant Jack Singer Concert Hall. If sports are your jam, check to see if there’s a Calgary Flames game in town.
Maybe it’s jet lag, or maybe you’re just not ready to end your adventures. Time to find some live music! Calgary is known as a mecca for country music, which it is, but there is so much more. Check out the Music Mile on 9th Ave SE, the heartbeat of our diverse music scene, with over 20 live venues stretching from Studio Bell , home of Canada’s National Music Centre, in the East Village, to the Ironwood Stage & Grill in historic Inglewood.
Unique perspectives: iconic Calgary locations
Perhaps that morning coffee trumps the fitness gym today. Onward! Once you’ve completed your conference sessions for the afternoon, it’s time to head sky high. Visit the Calgary Tower and ride to the top for a stunning 360-degree view of the city from the observation deck. Double dare you to walk on the section of clear Plexiglas floor and look straight down more than 600 ft (190 m) to the street below. Worth a photo or two just to prove you did it!
On a clear day, you can see the Canadian Rockies on the far western horizon. Looking north, you’ll see the Bow River, which flows through the city, and what looks like a giant’s finger trap puzzle spanning it. Known as the Peace Bridge, this award-winning pedestrian byway is worth a walk across what has been described as a piece of art in its own right. And it’s one of the best places to take photos, inside or outside the bridge.
On the other side, leave downtown behind and get your steps in, walking west on Memorial Drive into the neighbourhood known as Kensington , where you’ll find a host of eclectic shops as well as eateries and pubs for your evening fare. Walk back across the Bow River on the 10th Street Bridge and head for your hotel. At this point, you’ll probably just want to fall into bed. You’ve had a busy day!
