Calgary 
Calgary’s signature winter festival, Chinook Blast, returns next month, transforming the city into a cultural hub of activities.
Credit: Chinook Blast
From February 2 to 19, Chinook Blast offers over 200 events, collaborating with more than 70 partners and showcasing an array of new art and light installations.
Major events during Chinook Blast include iconic festivals like BIG Winter Classic and High Performance Rodeo, alongside the Calgary Folk Festival’s Block Heater and Ethnik Festivals of Arts and Culture. Exciting sporting events, including Nitrocross and FIS Snow Rodeo World Cups, add to the vibrant mix.
While some events have paid admission, most activities at the Olympic Plaza are free:
February 2 – 4, 2024
- Feel the heat as festival partners Calgary Folk Music Festival’s Block Heater and High Performance Rodeo by One Yellow Rabbit set the heart of Calgary ablaze with a collaboration at Olympic Plaza on opening night! It kicks off the festival with an energizing experience that blends theatre and music on Friday, February 2, from 6 – 10 pm, featuring inaugural poet laureate Kris Demeanor, funky collective Ginger Beef and Vancouver Juno nominee Ruby Singh.
- The Festival of Sport presented by Sport Calgary is back! On February 3, learn, watch and try a variety of unique winter sports, followed by an evening of skating under the lights with free skate and helmet rentals, while supplies last!
- A unique showcase from GlobalFest closes the evening February 3 with the Japanese drumming group Mount Royal Rocky Mountain Taiko Ensemble and Caribbean steel drum band Calysto Steelband.
- Adding to the sports element on February 4 from 12 – 4 pm is the Chinook Slide! Co-hosted by Tourism Calgary and Sport Calgary, it’s an exhilarating afternoon of curling, featuring a star-studded, athlete celebrity match, including Cheryl Bernard and Darby Taylor, and an interactive learn-to-curl event with instructions from the pros at Curling Alberta, Calgary Wheelchair Curling Association and the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games.
February 9 – 11, 2024
- BIG Winter Classic brings a taste of their festival to the Olympic Plaza stage on February 9 to kick off the weekend with Canadian country music artist Amy Nelson.
- 2024 marks the Year of the Dragon! Come down and celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Honan Shaolin Golden Dragon dance team at the ImaginAsian Night Market and Lantern Parade/ Performance on February 9.
- One Big JAM takes over the stage with a fully-improvised concert experience on February 9, bringing together a wonderful mix of professional artists from Calgary’s music community. Make sure you are ready to get involved from the crowd!
- Arts Commons is giving Olympic Plaza a 45-minute blast of udderly joyful, spontaneous, and moo-ving art on February 9 – 10 at 7 pm. Don’t miss hosts Anthony Russell and CHISH, spoken word performer Priscille Bukasa, and brass band phenomenon Cowtown to give you the boost of energy to keep on skating, exploring or art-going for the rest of the night!
- On February 10 4–6 pm, experience a collaboration of talented Indigenous artists curated by Four Winds Indigenous Showcase and Market. Indigenous hip hop artist Toosick combines new age RandB stylings with traditional Indigenous elements, followed by a powwow dance performance featuring the Tootoosis Crew Youth Dancers, accompanied by a live drum performance from Sage Scabbyrobe of renowned powwow drum group Blackstone Singers!
- DJ Fatrok (Mark Cruz) and DJ C-Sik (Rick Cruz) aka The Cruz Brothers are coming together for a very special DJ set to close out Saturday night, February 10.
- Come down, strap on your skates and tour around Olympic Plaza with the group from the Great Canadian Kilt Skate! Warm yourself by the outdoor fire while enjoying tunes and sights of the bagpipers, Scottish choir and highland dancers. February 11.
February 16-19, 2024
- Calgary International Blues Fest joins Chinook Blast magic to kick off the final weekend with a showcase featuring Canadian blues and roots multi-instrumentalist Tim Williams. February 16 at Olympic Plaza.
- Astral Swans is experimental folk musician from Treaty 7 territory Matthew Swann, who will perform an exciting duo performance on the main stage February 16 at Olympic Plaza.
- Closing out Friday’s lineup is a special presentation from Casa Mexico featuring Pat Cuikani, Elemento Latin Ban, and La Calavera de Frida to keep the crowd dancing and skating!
- Market Collective brings Broken Hearts, Friends + Lovers market where you can expect amazing tunes spun by local DJ’s, art installations, a “broken / heart” photo-booth, make-up/break-up lounge, card creation station and 50+ vendors offering some of the most unique, locally made goods for that special (or not so special) someone.
- The world’s top athletes will hit the hill and compete in the stunt ditch when the Snow Rodeo FIS Freeski Halfpipe World Cup takes over Winsport Canadian Olympic Park from February 15 to 17.
- Madhuban Performing Arts is a dynamic collective of talented musicians and dancers dedicated to showcasing the rich traditions of Calgary South Asian arts who take Olympic Plaza stage by storm on February 17 4 – 6 pm.
- Block Heater’s incredible line-up hits the stage on the final Saturday, February 17 at Olympic Plaza. The diverse group of artists set to ignite the night includes Quebec trad dance band Le Vent du Nord, the Senegalese dub and world music sounds of Cheikh Ibra Fam and the bombastic hip hop and soul of CBC Radio producer Odario.
- In collaboration with Jazz Fest, Esteban Herrera takes the Chinook Blast stage at Olympic Plaza on February 18! He’s a versatile Mexican-born, Calgary-based artist loved for his original approach that combines contemporary world jazz with intricate Latin rhythms and improvisation.
- The YYC Music Awards Showcase will feature the musical musings of local artists Scarlett Butler, The Hi-Tops, and Kam Prada on February 18.
- Green Fools Theatre presents Gustovo the Impossiblist on February 19. Bring the whole crew down on Family Day to witness his feats of unrealised stupidity for your pleasure and amazement!
- Family Day Skating – On February 19 from 12 – 4 pm, bring the family out for free skating tips with instructors from WinSport Calgary while the Heritage Park townsfolk dressed in historical costumes add to the atmosphere with a leisurely skate around the plaza from 2 – 4 pm.
- Closing out the final day, Big Winter Classic has curated an incredible lineup that will make it hard to say goodbye to Chinook Blast 2024, featuring Lucky Sonne, whose genre-defying take on rock, roots, alt-country and alt-folk styles will tickle the eardrums of folks at Olympic Plaza.
- For the first time ever, the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s life-size polar bear puppet, ‘Fjord’, will be venturing off zoo grounds and into the community. Visit Olympic Plaza on February 19 to meet ‘Fjord’, along with members of the zoo’s ‘Wilder Bunch’ theatre team.
Art Installations and More!
- Art and light installations from inspiring artists, many of which are debuting pieces to visually delight, including B!G Art, HEREBY, ActivateYYC, Petrucci Glass, Ken Hacke Arts, Bedford Creative, Be. Trit, The Communication and Design Lab, and True North Absurdities.
- Explore the creations by the winners of The Winter City Design Competition, in partnership between The City and Chinook Blast. The installations reimagine public spaces in ways that encourage people to spend more time outside during the cold months of the year.
- Three Left Feet returns to Calgary’s midwinter festival with a stilt roving program, Luminescent TALL Tales (LTT). This year they will introduce new 4-legged creatures with costumes from Marcia Darling and Dream Dance Circus. You bring the camera, they’ll bring the glow in specially-designed LED costumes created by Alberta-based artists.
- CAOS presents Itsy Bitsy Puppet Shows, taking creativity to a miniature level with engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking little suitcase puppet shows. The 3-minute inventive shows engage all ages, languages and demographics throughout Olympic Plaza all three Chinook Blast weekends.
- Downtown Calgary will feature projection mapping and live entertainment on Stephen Avenue throughout the festival! Looking for that Instagrammable moment, keep your eyes peeled for roving performances throughout Olympic Plaza and Stephen Avenue, from Little Red Ball Company and aGoGo performers.
Artists Pavilion at the Central Library:
Credit: Chinook Blast
sponsored by the TB Bank Group.
- Glow Fusion Experience – Visit on February 9 at the Artists Pavillion for a one-of-a-kind celebration of Lunar New Year brought to you by MakeFashion, Cirque De La Nuit, and Indi City. In collaboration with the Gai Lan Ensemble and the Asian Heritage Foundation, this event combines wearable tech, circus arts, and dance performances to showcase a mesmerizing fusion of cultures.
- Lunchtime Mini Jams – Join One Big JAM on Thursdays and Fridays from 11:30 – 1:30 PM, starting February 1, to experience a fully improvised concert series, bringing together a diverse selection of professional artists throughout Calgary’s music community. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with artists, fostering community connections and cultural appreciation.
- Pop Up Art Galleries – The Artists Pavilion will be transformed into a pop up art gallery showcasing a diverse array of Asian artworks, crafts, and cultural expressions. Additional pop up galleries will be hosted in six Calgary Public Library locations in all quadrants of the city to provide access for Calgarians to take in some incredible pieces. These talented artists include Ashley Oshiro, David Park, Harvey Nichol, Justine Bui, Ryle Ramirez, and Zoe Harveen Kaur.
