Calgary 
It is no secret that the holidays are an expensive time of the year for many in Calgary, but not all of the holiday or winter fun needs to break the bank!
Credit: Lions Festival of Lights
Luckily, there are many fun things to do this holiday season with friends or family for under ten bucks, or for free. For some winter activities, owning equipment first may help. But for those activities you’d like to try for the first time this winter, rentals are still at a reasonable per day price.
And all around Calgary, as well as the surrounding towns and cities, is Christmas-themed fun that won’t cost a thing: meeting Santa, checking out the lights, or stopping by a free indoor attraction.
Free Holiday Light Displays
These Christmas lights in Calgary and the surrounding areas are totally free to enjoy this holiday season.
- Lighten Up Calgary is a crowd-sourced map of incredible home displays to see. These homes have registered themselves for this map and invite you to go out to see how they’ve lit up their houses for the holidays.
- Lions Festival of Lights is the largest FREE drive-by Christmas Lights showcase in Calgary. It’s comprised of over 650,000 bulbs on 25,000 strings and almost 4 km of power cords.
- The Airdrie Festival of Lights is the biggest free outdoor light display in Western Canada. Until December 31st, the outdoor display is set up and free to access.
- Legacy Christmas Light Parade – Legacy will light up the south end of the city with their Christmas light display, featuring more than a million Christmas lights, making it one of Calgary’s largest free light displays.
Holiday/Christmas Events
- Experience the festive charm of the European Christmas Village Market, a family-friendly event with a variety of vendors, daily activities, and delicious food. Enjoy Santa visits, fireworks, outdoor skating, live entertainment, and unique shopping opportunities. Indulge in mulled wine, brats, and European treats among beautifully decorated chalets and horse-drawn wagon rides.
- The Mahogany Parade of Lights, a cherished annual event, encourages participants to dress warmly and join in a festive parade featuring Santa and Mrs. Claus, open to local residents, groups, and businesses at no cost.
- Trade your cowboy boots for snow boots and rein in a merry Western Christmas during Stampede Christmas. Join the community to enjoy dazzling lights, hot cocoa, live entertainment and more FREE festive fun.
- The Calgary Nativity Pageant, a collaborative effort from the Calgary interfaith community, presents a moving rendition of the Christmas story. It includes 15-20 costumed actors, including adults and children, alongside live animals, enhanced by effective narration, sound, and lighting, creating a memorable tableau of the nativity scene.
- The Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Holiday Train travels across the U.S. and Canada to raise funds and awareness for food banks. Featuring festive decorations and live performances, it supports local communities in addressing hunger. The train will be in Calgary on December 12.
- Enjoy various free carol concerts around the city.
Ice Skating in the City
Let’s hope for a few more days of below-freezing temperatures so we can skate in Calgary this Christmas. Most of the city’s outdoor rinks are not yet open, but they typically open by mid to late December.
- Bowness Park (8900 48 Ave. NW) is great for those without skates, as they offer rentals for these as well as ice bikes and helmets.
- Olympic Plaza (228 8 Ave. SE) in downtown Calgary is a nice central location for meeting up with friends or other families to skate.
- Carburn Park is the closest city rink to Calgary’s south end and has great winter river views and several trails to explore after skating.
Lunch in the Devonian Gardens
Take your December plans indoors and enjoy nature while enjoying the warmth. Downtown Calgary’s Devonian Gardens are completely free to visit and provide direct indoor access to TD Square. The park and gardens have bistro seating scattered throughout for a scenic lunch spot. Plus, the garden offers a playground and climbing wall for kids.
Where: 400, 317 7 Ave. S.W (4 floor in the CORE Shopping Centre)
Tobogganing
While Calgary is surrounded by opportunities for downhill sports, it is also home to great places for FREE downhill sports. Save a bit of money by opting for a family day on the hill with toboggans and sleds. These Calgary parks are well-known for their long, steep, or overall fun toboggan hills.
- St. Andrew’s Heights: 2504 13 Ave. NW
- Confederation Park: 2807 10 St. NW
- Prairie Winds Park: 223 Castleridge Blvd. NE
- Signal Hill: 2063 Sirocco Dr. SW
Cross-country skiing
There are several options within Calgary for cross-country ski trails. Plus, many parks within a short drive of the city offer maintained trails as well- these park trails may also come with wildlife viewing opportunities, or great mountain views.
In Calgary:
- The Confederation Golf Course’s trails are maintained and groomed by the Foothills Nordic Ski Club to create a series of small loops around the course.
- North Glenmore Park and South Glenmore Park both have their own groomed ski tracks, both at about 2.5km
West of Calgary:
- Sheep River Provincial Park offers many reasons to make the drive including ski tracks, snowshoe areas, a skating rink, and picnic areas.
- The Elbow River Provincial Recreation Area has an expensive ski trail system in the winter. These trails lead north or south from West Bragg Creek Road.
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing in Calgary may not be free, as families may need to rent gear. Luckily, even with rentals, snowshoeing is still an inexpensive way to enjoy the holidays or the winter break. And there are many places to go in Calgary for wide-open snowshoeing areas.
- Nose Hill Park has a massive area for exploring on snowshoes, including places that will get you excellent views of downtown Calgary and more.
- Fish Creek Provincial Park, in the southeast, also has an exceptionally large space for snowshoes. This also provides opportunities for exploring next to the Bow River.
- West Bragg Creek Provincial Park, a little way out of the city, is a great way to get some quiet snowshoeing or mountain views.
Family fun with Calgary Public Libraries
The programming and events scheduled this month at the Calgary Libraries include fun for all ages. Sign up kids for public story times, or even a firefighter story time. There are also fun kids’ workshops like “Where do bugs go in winter?” and “Amazing Arboreals,” or computer coding! All branches host a variety of different programs. You can also search for events suited to teens, toddlers, or adults.
When: all December
Where: all Calgary Library branches
How much: free
