Calgary Events: Aug 22-28

A comedy fest, fireworks, T-Swift brunch, the best local breweries and barbecue spots, and so much more.

Author

Krista Sylvester
August 22, 2023

 

Happy Tuesday, friends. Welcome to the first edition of TWIC, the newsletter equivalent of your neighbourhood coffee shop bulletin board.

Here, you’ll see a list of events happening around town this week and weekend, and other things happening we’ve got our eyes on.

Hope you enjoy it and find value here—take our poll at the bottom to let us know what you think!

P.S. If you haven’t already, take 30 seconds and tell us a bit about you so we can make this newsletter even better!

On our radar

🎙 Party in the Plaza: Join hip-hop trailblazer Kardinal Offishall and electro-pop dance diva Kiesza as they perform a free concert at Olympic Plaza on Aug 30.

🏈 Labour Day Classic: Stampeders vs Elks: If you haven’t yet, grab your tickets for the Labour Day Classic before they sell out. Watch Alberta’s two CFL teams battle it out at MacMahon Stadium on Sept 4.

🍖 Calgary Rotary RibFest: A modern-day meat brigade, don’t forget to put RibFest in your calendars! Enjoy delicious ribs hot off the rack at MacMahon Stadium from Sept 8-10.

🧪 Beakerhead: Returning for its 10th anniversary, Beakerhead is a festival that celebrates art, science, and engineering. The four-day free event will take place in three Calgary locations from Sept 14-17.

🦖 Badlands Family Adventure: Coming up in September, take your family to explore the fossil-rich badlands of Alberta on this 7-day and 6-night experience from Sept 19-25.

Happening this week and weekend

Friday to Sunday | Prince’s Island Park 

Laugh the weekend away at the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival happening at Prince’s Island Park! Catch comedian headliners Nick Offerman, Jonathan Van Ness, and Andrew Schulz at the festival with some local gems. [$59+]

Sunday | 12-4pm | Fort Calgary

The best of Alberta’s food and beverage scene will be showcased at Fort Calgary featuring delicious meat options and drinks galore.

Saturday | 3-8pm | Enmax Park

Enjoy some meats and drinks while raising money for a good cause. This event features 100% all local establishments so check out some old favourites and find some new ones, too. [$125+]

Join one of Canada’s premier professional wildlife and nature photographers in a one-hour seminar at The Camera Store on lessons in wildlife photography and Canon’s latest mirrorless camera line. [Free]

Blue Rodeo | Wednesday | 8pm

Take in an evening with Blue Rodeo at Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, celebrating their 30th anniversary and fifth studio album, “Five Days in July.” [$89+]

Check out the Dollhouse and Dogs Charity Fashion Show happening at The Glencoe Club! The theme for the fashion show is Barbie-core and money will go towards the Cochrane and Area Humane Society and AARCS. [$65.23]

Explore the wonderful world of birdwatching through a guided tour from Nature Calgary at St. Patrick’s Island. [$5]

Paint the Night Pink | Friday | 6pm

Spark is getting fabulous to celebrate all things pink. Dress your best to play and learn in the newest exhibit, Barbie: A Cultural Icon. Adults only. [$35]

Drag Dinner | Friday | 6pm

Unleash your inner diva for the wildest dining experience at the zoo. Included in your ticket is admission to the zoo so you can have a full day of fun. [$89+]

The Military Museums | Saturday-Sunday | 9am

Attend 2023 Summer Skirmish to experience two days of historical battle demonstrations. The event will be at The Military Museums. [$15+]

Party in the Park | Saturday | 1-7pm

Hosted by The Blox, this all-ages party brings live music, food trucks, a beer garden, games, and more to the Lougheed House grounds. [Free]

Red Bull Outliers | Saturday-Sunday

Take in the adrenaline-pumping action in two distinctive arenas in the fourth stop in the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, a variant of Enduro off-road motorcycle racing. [Free]

In celebration of Taylor Swift announcing her Eras Tour stop in Canada, bring your crew and enjoy a Taylor-themed menu at Trolley 5 Pub on 17th. [$60+]

General Block Party | Sunday | 10am-3pm

The businesses of General Block are hosting their very first Block Party for a free, family-friendly event that features a curated Maker Market with local makers, vintage apparel vendors, live music, and more. [Free]

YYC Pop-Up Pride Market | Sunday | 10am-5pm

Alberta LGBTQ+ Chamber hosts their second annual Flea Market, showcases local businesses and celebrating pride. [Free]

The monthly market returns to Shawnessy Barn with two floors of local vendors featuring made-in-Alberta products. [Free]

In CPL action, Cavalry host Victoria’s Pacific FC at ATCO Field. [$20+]

The Calgary Underground Film Festival presents a free outdoor screening of a comedy about a DJ in Ibiza at containR Park. [Free]

Sofar Sounds returns with their secret concerts in the city, featuring 3 unannounced local or global artists across different musical genres. Local to be revealed 36 hours before the event. [$21]

Pride Patio Party | Monday | 6pm

TD Inglewood/ Ramsay presents the annual Pride Patio Party! With three new beer stations and an extended patio for you to enjoy it is sure to be a great time at Ol' Beautiful Brewing Co. [$30+]

The Market on Stephen Avenue | Tuesday | 11am-4pm

It’s the last market of the summer! [Free]

Ongoing

GlobalFest | Until Saturday

The annual celebration of Calgary’s multi-cultural communities is on now, with fireworks nights happening today, Thursday, and Saturday (the finale). [$21]

Laughs on Tap | Tuesdays | 7:30pm

Hosted by the talented Ben Dyck, enjoy tasteful comedy and beer at Revival Brewcade every Tuesday evening. [$5.83]

Music in the Plaza | Wednesdays | 6-8pm

Discover live music in Calgary every Wednesday until Aug 30 all summer from the city’s best emerging audiences at The Plaza at Heritage Park. [Free]

ArtsXpeditions | Thursdays | 12pm

Join Arts Commons Presents every Thursday until Sept 21 with a wide range of genres and styles at these performances at Circle Stage at Olympic Plaza. [Free]

Summer on 17th | Thursday to Monday 

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out Summer on 17th as it continues through August until Sept. 23. Catch live music, fitness classes, DJ and drag shows, outdoor movies, and more in Tomkins Park. [Free]

Kensington Night Market | Every other Thursday | 4:30pm

Shop, meet and find your new local favourites and support YYC small businesses at the Kensington Night Market every other Thursday! Happening Aug 24 and Sept 7. [Free]

Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza | Starts Friday to Oct 8

The acrobatic performance and art of clowning, while exploring fear, identity, recognition, and power returns to Calgary under the Big Top. [$54+]

Night Markets at Heritage Park | Saturdays | 3-9pm

Shop local vendors, explore the shops in the Plaza, grab some food, and more. Every Saturday until Sept 2. [Free]

Fort Calgary Stories | Wednesday to Sunday | 1pm

Join Fort Calgary for a one-hour outdoor walking tour that explores Fort Calgary’s 40 acres of beautiful parklands and teaches you about the layered stories rooted in the site. [$11.98+]

That’s it!

Thanks for checking in this week. Hope you found something good to add to your calendar. If not, reply back and let us know what you’re looking for. Consider us your concierge to good times.

See you next week? Same time, same place.

✌️ TWIC

This Week in Calgary is a new weekly newsletter from the team at Calgary Citizen. Our goal is to make this the best source of events and things to do in YYC. We hope you enjoyed this week and we’ll see you back here next Tuesday!

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