Every season is festival season in Calgary. Festivals bring out the best in Calgary, as visitors and locals celebrate everything from culture and music to food and theatre. These must-attend festivals are perfect for planning a trip around.
Festivals in Calgary
Annual Festivals
Festivals in Calgary
Music
Music Festivals
Calgary Folk Music Festival
Get a front-row seat to a festival lineup of international artists at the Calgary Folk Music Festival. This popular festival takes place on beautiful Prince’s Island Park with 70 artists, performing on five daytime and two evening stages. Regular festival goers enjoy setting up camp right in front of the main stage with blankets, low-rise lawn chairs and picnic baskets to enjoy the festival atmosphere.
When: July 25-28, 2024
Location: Prince’s Island Park
JazzYYC
Whether you are new to the world of jazz or a longtime fan, JazzYYC provides easy access to all the jazz events happening in Calgary, including three major festivals:
Summer Festival
Summer Festival brings an event series with multifaceted American jazz pianist, composer and prodigy, Emmet Cohen.
When: June/July, 2024 - Date TBD
Location: King Eddy, Ironwood Stage and Grill, Bella Concert Hall, Festival Hall
Canadian Festival
Canadian Festival wraps up the end of the year with more jazz indulges, performances, and community fun in a bopping jazz environment.
When: November 2024 - Date TBD
Location: TBD
International Jazz Days Festival
International Jazz Days Festival presents some of the best vocalists, and local and international musicians to showcase the best of jazz.
When: April 2024 - Date TBD
Location: Various locations
Sled Island Music & Arts Festival
Sled Island Music & Arts Festival brings together more than 200 bands, comedians, films, and artists in 30-plus venues throughout the city. Enjoy five jam-packed days of culture in the heart of the city with bands that you might not often see in Calgary.
When: June 2024 - Date TBD
Location: Various locations
Sled Island Music Festival (Photo Credit: Kelly Hofer)
Calgary Folk Music Festival (Photo Credit: Roth and Ramberg)
Calgary International Blues Festival
The Calgary International Blues Festival serves up a week of blues music from around the world, including workshops, special events, and live concerts. Local and international musicians come together for this Calgary classic.
When: August 1-4, 2024
Location: Shaw Millennium Park
Chasing Summer
The largest outdoor EDM event in Western Canada returns to Alberta for this two-day annual electronic fest in August. Take advantage of the last days of summer to party at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary and dance from sunrise to sundown with the hottest names in EDM.
When: August 3-4, 2024
Location: Max Bell Center
Country Thunder
The biggest names in country music take the stage at Country Thunder for an epic concert event each summer in Calgary. Fort Calgary hosts this outdoor music festival with two stages, up-and-coming artists, and a nightly headliner straight from the top of the country charts.
When: August 16-18, 2024
Location: Fort Calgary
Big Winter Classic
Why only celebrate Calgary during the warm, yet brief, summer months? That question led to the creation of Big Winter Classic, a festival designed to ensure Calgary is celebrated year-round. Arts, live music, local beer, and community combine to remind Calgarians that some of the best parties happen in the dead of winter.
When: January 25-29, 2024
Location: Various locations
Block Heater
Every winter, The Calgary Folk Music Festival presents Block Heater. This music festival brings incredible local and international musicians to perform at intimate venues throughout the Inglewood and East Village neighbourhoods.
When: February 9-12, 2024
Location: Various locations
Chinook Blast
Chinook Blast is Calgary’s marquee winter festival that celebrates community, culture, and civic pride. The best of Calgary’s art, music, theatre, sport and recreation are on display with events throughout the city.
When: February 2-19 2024
Location: Various
Food & Drink
Food & Drink Festivals
YYC Hot Chocolate Festival
Every February, participating cafes, restaurants and chocolatiers compete to be crowned YYC’s Best Hot Chocolate. Not only is the YYC Hot Chocolate Festival an ideal chance to indulge in a variety of hot chocolate selections, but $1 to $3 from every cup sold goes to Calgary Meals on Wheels to provide nutritious meals to those in need.
When: February 1-28, 2024
Location: Various participating locations
Calgary International Beerfest
Canada’s largest beer festival brings together over 700 beers from more than 200 breweries. The Calgary International Beerfest includes tastings, brewmaster seminars, awards, and live entertainment worthy of a toast. This is an 18+ only event.
When: May 3-4, 2024
Location: BMO Centre, Stampede Park
Taste of Calgary
Discover Calgary’s rich culinary scene at Taste of Calgary, a unique mix of restaurants and beverage companies with a side of live music. Admission to the festival is free, and you can purchase sample tickets for $1.00 to try select dishes from some of the city’s best restaurants and brewers.
When: August 1-5, 2024
Location: Calgary Parking Lot #6 311 8 Street S.W.
Brewery & the Beast
Brewery & the Beast attracts chefs and restaurants from Calgary, Banff, Edmonton and surrounding areas to showcase incredible food and beverages from Alberta. This festival creates a playful and educational environment where you can learn about local proteins and produce, enjoy quality food and drink, and participate in a dynamic environment that supports local businesses.
When: August 2024 - Date TBD
Location: Fort Calgary
Winefest Calgary
Are you interested in expanding your knowledge of the flavours and types of wine? Winefest Calgary is your chance to enjoy a variety of red, white, port, sparkling, and dessert wines from the world’s most celebrated wine regions. Pair each sample with a selection of sweet and savoury treats to further enhance the flavours. This is an 18+ only event.
When: 2024 TBD
Location: BMO Centre, Stampede Park
Grape Escape
Join over 150 vendors at Calgary’s largest premium wine, spirits, and beer-tasting event featuring sommelier-led tasting events, exciting drinks, and delicious foods. The Grape Escape is a chance to try local beer, sample crafted spirits, and sip on cocktails while discovering your new favourite drinks. This is an 18+ only event.
When: 2024 TBD
Location: BMO Centre, Stampede Park
YYC Food and Drink Experience
Chefs, sommeliers, bartenders, and local producers gather to bring the city’s culinary culture to life. The YYC Food and Drink Experience features multi-course prix fixe menus from dozens of Calgary’s favourite chef-led restaurants alongside six scheduled curated event experiences.
When: 2024 TBD
Location: Various locations
Arts & Entertainment
Arts & Entertainment Festivals
BUMP Festival
The Beltline Urban Murals Project is Calgary’s street art festival. Since 2017, BUMP has added over 180 public art installations to Calgary. During the BUMP Festival you can watch new murals go up in real time, attend artist talks, and vibe out to Graffiti Jams.
When: August 3-24, 2024
Location: Various
Great Outdoors Comedy Festival
The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival features some of the best comedy legends in live shows that promise great laughs, good times, and a celebration of all forms of performance comedy.
When: August 2024 - Date TBD
Location: Prince’s Island Park
BUMP Murals (Photo Credit: Chris Amat)
Performer at the Jubilee Auditorium (Photo Credit: Amitava Sarkar)
High Performance Rodeo
High Performance Rodeo is Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts. Local and international theatre, music, dance, comedy, and interdisciplinary arts come together at various venues each January in collaboration with local arts organizations and theatre companies.
When: January 15-February 4, 2024
Location: Various locations
Calgary Underground Film Festival
The Calgary Underground Film Festival is integral to Calgary’s cultural landscape with the best in international independent cinema. It is Western Canada’s premiere genre festival.
When: April 2024 TBD
Location: Globe Cinema
Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo
The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo celebrates all things pop culture. This family-friendly festival is one of the largest of its kind in North America. It includes hundreds of vendors, exhibits, workshops, autograph sessions, and panel discussions featuring iconic stars from the small and big screens.
When: April 25-28, 2024
Location: Stampede Park
Calgary Fringe Festival
Calgary Fringe Festival is a nine-day theatre festival showcasing a wide range of performances. The term “fringe” refers to a festival where any and all submissions are accepted and includes emerging and established artists alike to share stories on stage. Watch street performances, browse vendors, and experience the eclectic entertainment presented each day.
When: August 2-10, 2024
Location: Various locations
Calgary International Film Festival
The Calgary International Film Festival brings over 200 feature and short films to the big screen each fall with gala events, movie screenings, and red-carpet premieres. Local and international films are shown at various theatres throughout the city with the opportunity for fans and local filmmakers to interact.
When: September 19-29, 2023
Location: Various locations
The Imaginairium by Wordfest
Spark your literary imagination at The Imaginairium by Wordfest, an annual festival that has been attracting readers and authors for more than 20 years. Writers from around the world come to Calgary for ten days of live experiences, such as talk-show-style conversations, variety shows, and live storytelling.
When: October 2024 TBD
Location: Memorial Park Library, 2nd floor
The Calgary Stampede
For more than 100 years, the Calgary Stampede has welcomed the world to Calgary for the richest rodeo in the world, thrilling chuckwagon races, midway rides and games, Indigenous culture, agriculture showcases, and endless live music. That’s why it’s called The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
When: July 5-14, 2024
Location: Stampede Park
Cultural
Cultural Festivals
Calgary International Salsa Congress
The Calgary International Salsa Congress welcomes some of the best salsa dancers in the world for showcase performances in Calgary. Watch local and international dancers, participate in daily workshops, and finish the night with an exciting dance party where you can salsa with locals and professionals from around the globe.
When: April 4-7, 2024
Location: Hyatt Regency Calgary
GlobalFest
Take in GlobalFest, a multicultural celebration with five incredible nights of dancing, music, food, and fireworks displays. Each night features a world-class fireworks show set to music from an international group of pyro-artists at Alberta’s most explosive festival.
When: August 2024 - Date TBD
Location: Elliston Park
Carifest
Join in the fun of Carifest, a spectacular celebration of Caribbean music, costumes, tradition, and culture. Carifest hosts a colourful parade that starts in Olympic Plaza and makes its way to Shaw Millennium Park for a festival of live reggae and steel pan music, dancing, and food.
When: August 16-18, 2024
Location: Shaw Millennium Park
Expo Latino Festivals
Expo Latino Festivals is Western Canada's largest Latino festival and welcomes visitors for a vibrant weekend of food, artisans, dancing, music, and entertainment for over 35 years.
When: August 16-18, 2024
Location: Prince’s Island Park
Calgary Pride
Calgary Pride celebrates the city’s diverse and inclusive 2SLGBTQ+ community. There is a full week of events, including the Pride Parade which attracts more than 60,000 spectators. The Parade is followed by Pride in the Park, a free, family-friendly, outdoor celebration with food trucks, live music, a beer garden, and a family activity zone.
When: August 24 - September 2, 2024
Location: Various Locations
Carifest
Calgary Pride Parade (Photo Credit: Neil Zeller)
Community
Community Festivals
4th Street Lilac Festival
Shake off those winter blues and take in Calgary's thriving creative spirit and community with the 4th Street Lilac Festival. This free, one-day festival brings an array of musical talent, artisan vendors, local entertainment, and fun for all ages. With over 500 vendors and more than 30 performances, there is no shortage of things to discover.
When: June 2024 - Date TBD
Location: 4 St. S.W. Between 12 Ave. S.W. and Elbow Dr.
Inglewood Sunfest
Celebrate the best of summer in the heart of Inglewood. The Inglewood Sunfest offers something for everyone, from 200 vendors offering artisan crafts and imported wares to live performances, world-class circus acts, comedy street shows, bouncy castles, and more. There’s so much to watch, partake in, sample, and enjoy.
When: July 27, 2024
Location: 9 Ave. S.E. between 11 and 14 St. S.E.
Marda Gras Street Festival
This free, family-friendly event set in the heart of Marda Loop is the longest running street festival in Calgary. Marda Gras Street Festival brings a full lineup of live music, dance, and entertainment for all ages, plus local businesses and artisans offer unique and fun products to browse and buy. Even pets have the chance to join in the fun at the Marda Gras Pet Photo Booth.
When: August 11, 2024
Location: 33 Ave. S.W. between 19 and 22 St. S.W.
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https://www.visitcalgary.com/things-to-do/stories-from-calgary/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-calgary-stampede
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https://www.visitcalgary.com/things-to-do/stories-from-calgary/your-guide-to-chinook-blast