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Festivals in Calgary

Street festivals, cultural weekends, comedy runs, citywide food events, and the bigger public happenings worth planning around.

10This weekend

28Coming up

1004More finds

Sep 4–Sep 7, 2026This guide

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.

Check the current window first

Festival timing is date-sensitive. The top section stays focused on this weekend before older festival finds move into the archive.

Best Bets Start here

3 highlighted

🎉

🎉Best Bet

BBQ on the Bow – BBQ Festival and KCBS Competition

Canada's oldest BBQ competition turns 35 with a free day of smoke, food trucks, live music, and enough brisket to feed the whole group chat. It is the kind of festival where everyone can wander at their own pace and still end up at the same table. Bring chairs, bring friends, and let the smell do the planning.

Shriners StablesNW·FreeLink →

🎉

🎉Best Bet

Fiesta Filipino Calgary 2026

Fiesta Filipino marks 12 years at Eau Claire Park with food, music, and more than 300 local artists. It is a free, family-friendly way to kick off the weekend with the whole city.

Eau Claire ParkDT·FreeLink →

🎉

🎉Best Bet

Afro Caribbean Festival YYC

Lot 6 becomes a free celebration of African and Caribbean culture with food, music, and community all day. It is the kind of festival that works for a group, a family, or a solo wander with good taste.

Lot 6 Event SiteDT·FreeLink →

Start With Faster paths

Fri4 Sat4 Sun3 Free1 Outdoor2 Music5 Food2

Browse This Weekend Filter the live list

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TypeFree Outdoor Music Food Arts Festival

🍽️Calgary VegfestSunalta Community Hall and HubSW·Sat·Free›

Calgary Vegfest fills Sunalta Community Hall with plant-based food, vendors, and a friendly crowd. Even committed carnivores will find something worth trying.

freefoodfestival

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🥂About Love – 5th Anniversary! Celebrating with Photography,Poetry and MusicFestival HallSE·Sun·3pm·$22.63 - $30.09›

Photography, poetry, and live music.

musicartsfestival

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🏴Canmore Highland Games 2026Canmore Highland GamesOutside city·All weekend·5pm·$5 - $115›

Celtic athletics and market stalls in the mountains.

outdoorfestival

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🎉FRANKENFEST 2026FRANKENFEST 2026DT·Fri·$5-75›

Welcome to FrankenFest, where the local artists come out to perform a scary good set every night! Attractions are open, bands are killing it, food trucks, and ... »

musicfoodarts

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🎉WayneStockWayneStockDT·Fri·$40.95 & up›

Nestled in the heart of the Badlands, this little festival bursts with magical musical energy, unforgettable performances, and the kind of atmosphere you can only find in ... »

musicartsfestival

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🎉All White Affair Vol 31140 10 Ave SWSW·Sat·10pm·$22.63›

End the summer with all the right vibes at Volume III of All White Affair. Music handled by UK's own NoiseyNadwa, Juice, & Gamabear

musicfestival

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🎉SUGA CANE - SEPT 6National on 8thSW·All weekend·9pm·$22.73›

SUGA CANE RETURNS TO NATIONAL ON 8TH ROOFTOP FOR THE PERFECT END OF SUMMER BANGER!

outdoormusicfestival

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Coming Up Future dates we found

28 upcoming

🎉2026 Honens Festival — Dialogues with the PianoStudio BellSE·Thu, Sep 10·From $66›

Enjoy an evening blending live piano and digital performances.

musicfestival

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🎸Honens Festival: Echoes & TransformationsHonens Festival (multiple venues)SE·Thu, Sep 10·7pm·$10-$66›

Three-day piano festival with concerts and innovative presentations, including the Neurorecital where a pianist's brain activity becomes 3D visuals.

musicartsfestival

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🎭Cinema on 17thTomkins ParkSW·Fri, Sep 11·6pm·Free›

Free outdoor movies in Tomkins Park over three nights, including Saturday morning cartoons with the Calgary Underground Film Festival.

freeoutdoorarts

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🎉2026 Honens Festival — Reverberations: Chopin ReframedStudio BellSE·Fri, Sep 11·From $66›

Experience a piano masterpiece … reimagined.

festival

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🌿Alberta Biodiversity FestivalWilder Institute/Calgary ZooNE·Fri, Sep 11·9am·Included with day admission ($29.45-$40.95)›

Three-day zoo festival celebrating Alberta wildlife and ecosystems with family-friendly activities; finale at Bow Habitat Station September 19.

outdoorfestival

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🛍️Sunalta Community Association Mini MarketSunalta Community HubSW·Sat, Sep 12·10am·Free›

Support local and shop our wide variety of vendors in this bi-weekly community market!

freefestival

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🎉The Spirit of PAKISTANThe Genesis CentreNE·Sat, Sep 12·1pm·Free›

A Family Festival celebrating the Culture, Diversity & Inclusion through multicultural stage, performance, trivia, videos & melody night

freefestival

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🎉2026 Honens Festival — Echoes in MotionStudio BellSE·Sat, Sep 12·From $66›

From the elegance of the Baroque court to the fire of the modern concert hall, dance forms take centre stage in this journey across centuries.

musicfestival

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🎉2026 Honens Festival — Storytellers: Babar the ElephantStudio BellSE·Sat, Sep 12·From $5›

Join us for a charming morning concert that brings Jean de Brunhoff’s The Story of Babar to life. Children and families are welcomed into Babar’s world in this charming, accessible introduction to classical music and storytelling.

musicfestival

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🛍️Calgary Cat Festival & MarketContemporary CalgarySW·Sat, Sep 12·11am·$10-$12›

Cat lovers' festival with a market, workshops, talks, rescue charities, and the annual Ravensburger puzzle tournament.

festival

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🍷Taste of Italy FestivalBridgeland-Riverside Community AssociationNE·Sun, Sep 13·11am·Free›

Fifth annual Italian food festival with vendor booths, pizza-making and grape-stomping workshops, a pasta-eating contest, and live music.

freefoodfestival

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🍷Rocky Mountain Wine & Food FestivalSpruce MeadowsSW·Fri, Sep 18·5pm·$30-$110›

Western Canada's largest wine and food festival with 25+ restaurants, 320+ Canadian beverages, tasting seminars and after-parties.

foodfestival

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🎉Harvest Lights & Hot Air Balloon GlowCalgary FarmyardDT·Fri, Sep 18·5:30pm·$31.45 - $34.95›

Fall evening festival with thousands of lights, hot air balloon glow, 40+ attractions, a dark corn maze flashlight challenge, pig races, live music, and fall themed food. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

outdoorfoodfestival

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🍷Farm to Glass: A Market Wine & Food FestivalMarket Wines WestNW·Fri, Sep 18·7:30pm·$107.78›

Farm to Glass pairs Calgary Farmers’ Market dishes with curated wines. Taste, discover, and connect over local food and wine.

foodfestival

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🎉Ganesh Chaturthi & BhandaraThe Genesis CentreNE·Sat, Sep 19·5pm·Free›

Come join us for a fun-filled Ganesh Chaturthi celebration with delicious Bhandara feast and great vibes!

freefestival

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🛍️Fall Harvest Sale 2026BMO CentreSE·Sat, Sep 19·10am·$0.00-$7.00›

Eat well, save money and make a difference! Proceeds support local charities and community groups!

freefestival

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🎸YYC Music Awards GalaGrey Eagle Event CentreDT·Sun, Sep 20·6:30pm·From $51.45›

Calgary's music awards gala with live performances from nominees and the announcement of the 2026 winners.

musicfestival

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🍷Feast on Fourth4th Street SWSW·Wed, Sep 23·11am·$10 per dish›

Walkable budget-friendly food festival where 16 restaurants offer select dine-in and takeout dishes for $10.

foodfestival

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🍷Dumpling Fest CalgaryMultiple Calgary restaurantsDT·Wed, Sep 23·5pm·$49-$69›

One-night tasting tour through Calgary restaurants serving dumplings from Chinese, Korean, Indian, Mexican, Nepalese and Vietnamese traditions.

foodfestival

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🎉African Studies Lecture Featuring Festus KeyamoCraigie HallNW·Thu, Sep 24·6pm·Free›

African Studies Lecture Featuring Festus Keyamo Presented by the African Studies Program Thursday, September 24, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Craigie Hall C119, University of Calgary Admission is Free, Registration is required Event Description: As apart of the

freeartsfestival

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🎃Haunted Historic InglewoodInglewood BIASE·Thu, Oct 1·7pm·Free entry / paid activities›

Month-long haunted celebration of Inglewood beginning October 1, with walking programming and seasonal events.

freefestival

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🍷YYC Pizza FestMultiple Calgary restaurantsDT·Fri, Oct 2·11am·Menu prices vary›

Local restaurants create unique pizzas competing for Calgary's best pizza, with $1-$4 from every pizza supporting Calgary Meals on Wheels.

foodfestival

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🎉AFRO-Kizz Me Festival 2026Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Calgary DowntownSW·Fri, Oct 2·3pm·$129.12-$342.12›

AFRO-KIZZ ME FESTIVAL 2025 October 3–6, 2025 | Downtown Calgary Our 3rd ALL-IN-ONE Festival Experience! Come experience Calgary

musicfestival

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🍷Oktoberfest 2026Bow River BrewingSE·Fri, Oct 2·6pm·$34.94-$46.13›

Oktoberfest 2026 Night One

foodfestival

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🎭Calgary HorrorCon XIVGenesis CentreNE·Sat, Oct 3·10am·$35-$50›

Canada's first and largest horror convention with film screenings, panels, SFX makeup demos, and celebrity guests.

artsfestival

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🍷Gluten Free Fall Market by LokalMarda Loop Communities AssociationSW·Sat, Oct 10·10am·Free›

Gluten Free Market inside the Marda Loop Community Hall

freefoodfestival

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🎉Mikisew Group 8th Annual TradeshowFairmont PalliserSW·Thu, Oct 15·2pm·Free›

Connect with industry leaders, explore innovation, and discover how Mikisew Group is building opportunities and partnerships.

freeartsfestival

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🍷Calgary Beaver Fest 2026Vista PointSW·Sat, Oct 17·12pm·$0.00-$10.00›

A family-friendly fall festival celebrating beavers, healthy watersheds & community with live music, food, drinks and beaver activities!

freemusicfood

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Thursday shortlist

Want the edited version before the weekend fills up? Jamie sends the best Calgary plans every Thursday morning.

Keep Exploring Other ways in

After-dark browsing

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Family plans

Kid-Friendly Events in Calgary

Festival days, zoo plans, markets, and public events that work when kids are in tow.

Eat your way through it

Food Festivals in Calgary

Food festivals, tasting weekends, markets, pop-ups, and drink-forward events worth planning around.

No-ticket plans

Free Events in Calgary

Free markets, festivals, outdoor events, gallery days, music, and public plans that still feel worthwhile.

Earlier issues

Older finds live in the archive so this page stays focused on what is useful now.

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