Start with the street energy
Pick festivals when you want the plan to carry itself: food, music, people-watching, and enough movement for a loose group.
festivals
Street festivals, cultural weekends, comedy runs, citywide food events, and the bigger public happenings worth planning around.
Pick festivals when you want the plan to carry itself: food, music, people-watching, and enough movement for a loose group.
Festival timing is date-sensitive. The top section stays focused on this weekend before older festival finds move into the archive.
🦫Best Bet
Calgary Beaver Fest is a brand-new free festival about beavers, the dam builders that hold back water and create wetlands, set up on the field south of the North Glenmore Park boathouse. Expect live music, beaver-themed food and drinks, family games and conservation booths, with fire pits going to keep you warm.
🎃Best Bet
Over 10,000 jack-o'-lanterns, every one carved by hand, are built into lit scenes with music and effects along an after-dark path at WinSport, with carvers at work as you walk. It's billed as family-friendly with no jump scares, and you book a 15-minute arrival slot.
🐶Best Bet
East Village's free dog festival moves to RiverWalk Plaza this year, with a dog costume fashion show at 2 PM, an agility course, free nail trims and mini-grooms, and local animal rescues on site.
ScreamFest is Calgary's big Halloween scare park: six haunted houses you walk through outdoors, an optional Zombie Outbreak house where actors are allowed to touch you, carnival games and rides like the Slingshot. ScreamFest rates it PG-13 and suggests ages 12 and up.
Calgary Meals on Wheels' pizza competition ends Sunday. About 21 restaurants each serve one original pizza, from a Bánh Mizza to a duck confit pie, and you rate them online to help pick the winners, with $1-$4 from every pizza going to the charity.
Puptoberfest is a celebration of all things fall and dogs in East Village. So grab your pooch and enjoy an afternoon of live music, Instagram-worthy moments, fall ... »
Fluid Fest 2026 is a celebration of dance, contemporary performance and connection unfolding across the city. Framed by the curatorial invitation: This Messy Gorgeous Love, we invite artists and audiences into the unpredictable brilliance of bodies in motion, where uncertainty and precision share...
Fall farm fun is back at Butterfield Acres, and it’s time to pick your perfect October adventure. Come stroll the farmyard, visit your favourite animals, snap ... »
The Under $100 Art Show is coming to Calgary December 3-6 & December 10-13. Art of all kinds- paintings, photography, textiles, mixed media, ceramics, handmade accessories, and so much more! Don’t miss your chance to discover amazing local art and one-of-a-kind finds!Important Details:Our...
It’s time to pull on your coziest sweater and head to the farm! For over 40 years, Butterfield Acres has been part of Calgary family memories, and Harvest Pumpkin Fest is bringing that real farm magic to life. Plus, Mom and Dad can check out the Harvest Pumpkin Fest Date Night on Saturday!
Versals Create Your Own Eye-Catching Illuminated Letters 9:30 – 11:30 AM | $45 Turn a simple capital letter into a tiny work of art. Inspired by the spectacular illuminated capitals of the Saint John’s Bible, this playful two-hour workshop with Renate Worthington invites you to discover the colour, pattern and sheer pleasure of decorated letters. And no, you do not need beautiful handwriting to join us. Versals are bold, decorative capital letters created slowly, layer by layer, using shape, colour, pattern and ornament. Rather than writing a letter in a single stroke, you’ll build one, embellish it and make it entirely your own. Renate will guide you through the process from the first shape to the finishing details, including ways to add pattern, colour, flourishes and touches of gold. Come curious. Play with colour. Make something beautiful. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have your own hand-illuminated Versal letters to take home and, perhaps more importantly, the confidence to keep making more. You’ll Leave With • Your own hand-illuminated Versal letters• An understanding of how decorated capitals are built, layer by layer• Simple techniques for adding colour, pattern and gold accents• Ideas you can use for cards, names, quotes, journals and other creative projects• A joyful introduction to the world of illuminated lettering Perfect for complete beginners, curious creatives and experienced calligraphers who simply want to play. Two hours. One beautiful letter at a time. And absolutely no previous calligraphy experience required.
Every Thursday, get the best things happening in Calgary this weekend. Curated by Jamie. Free forever.
30+ events · 4-minute read · Every Thursday
After-dark browsing
Evening markets, late shopping, pop-ups, and stroll-first plans that feel good after work.
Open →Couples plans
Concerts, dinners, immersive experiences, and nights out that are actually worth booking.
Open →Family plans
Festival days, zoo plans, markets, and public events that work when kids are in tow.
Open →Eat your way through it
Food festivals, tasting weekends, markets, pop-ups, and drink-forward events worth planning around.
Open →No-ticket plans
Free markets, festivals, outdoor events, gallery days, music, and public plans that still feel worthwhile.
Open →Earlier issues
Older finds live in the archive so this page stays focused on what is useful now.
Browse past issues →