Beakerhead is here, and it has turned Calgary into a shining, blinking, dazzling spectacle of lights and science and sounds.
There’s a lot to do and a lot to see, so here’s our list of all the awesome events to check out—with some happening today, and today only!
Meet the Maker Tour
- What: Meet the artist and creators that are the masterminds behind some of Beakerhead’s most amazing installations.
- When: Wednesday, September 13
- Time: 6 to 8 pm
- Where: Eau Claire Market – 200 Barclay Parade SW
- Admission: $15.50, available at Eventbrite
Virtual Experiences: Making Stuff Easier, Cooler, and Better
- What: Check out what’s going on with virtual reality in this very hands on workshop.
- When: Wednesday, September 13
- Time: 6 to 8:30 pm
- Where: Enmax District Energy Building – 407 9th Avenue SE
- Admission: $30 for Adults, $20 for students, available at thechicgeek.ca
Butcher This Anatomy Class
- What: Drink some beer and east some meat at this culinary and biology experiment.
- When: Wednesday, September 13
- Time: 6 to 8 pm
- Where: The Cookbook Co. Cooks – 722 11th Avenue SW
- Admission: $125, available at Eventbrite
Field of Dreams Tour
- What: Three restaurants. Three hours. A whole lot of delicious eats.
- When: Wednesday, September 13
- Time: 7 to 10 pm
- Where: Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Calgary – 711 4th Street SE
- Admission: $75, available at Eventbrite
Spectral Illuminations II
- What: See the Memorial Park library light up and shine from projection mapping.
- When: Wednesday, September 13
- Time: 8 to 11 pm
- Where: Memorial Park Library – 1221 2nd Street SW
- Admission: Free!
Scent Bar
- What: Mesmerize your nostrils with some special smells at this theatrical sensory experience.
- When: Wednesday, September 13
- Time: 8 to 9 pm
- Where: 604 8th Avenue SW
- Admission: $50, available at brownpapertickets.com
Calgary Municipal Space Station
- What: Take a trip to Calgary’s Space Station by blasting off via the Calgary Tower Space Elevator.
- When: Wednesday, September 13
- Time: 4 to 8 pm, at 15 minute intervals
- Where: Calgary Tower – 101 9th Avenue SW
- Admission: $25, available at Eventbrite
The Ape In You
- What: A show put on by some of Calgary’s best improv actors, The Ape In You may cause an existential crises.
- When: Wednesday, September 13
- Time: At 7:30 and 9 pm
- Where: Engineered Air Theatre, Arts Commons – 205 8th Avenue SE
- Admission: $26, available at artscommons.ca
And here’s all the events and installations that will be sticking around throughout the week:
Engineered Eats
- What: 24 different bars and restaurants participating in Beakerhead experiments.
- When: Tuesday, September 12 to Sunday, September 17
- Where: Participating Restaurants throughout Calgary
Metamorphosis
- What: Interactive artwork that can communicate through sensory metaphors.
- When: September 7 to October 7
- Time: 11 am to 6 pm Tuesday to Friday, 11 am to 5 pm on Saturdays
- Where: Herringer Kiss Gallery – 709 11th Avenue SW
- Admission: Free!
Bee Kingdom’s Inflatable Space Invasion
- What: Huge space invaders blown up and ready to be gawked at.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Time: 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, 6 to 10 pm Thursday as well, and 1- am to 5 pm on Saturday
- Where: Telus Spark – 220 St. George’s Drive NE
- Admission: $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, $16 for youth, and $13 for kids
Snakes and ladders
- What: A journey of 14 different Beakerhead sites to visit the ups and downs of invention
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Where: Throughout downtown Calgary
- Admission: Free!
Kensington Alley
- What: Check out the Beakerhead version of one of Calgary’s tightest squeezes.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Where: Alley beside 1145 Kensington Crescent NW
- Admission: Free!
Loop
- What: Your own motion will activate images in this two metre wide illuminated cylinder.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Where: 4th Street SW, between 20th Avenue and Elbow Drive SW
- Admission: Free!
Love in the Age of Machines
- What: An installation created by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and the Alberta College of Art + Design.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Where: Visible from the shared traffic corridor and C-Train platform by SAIT and ACAD
- Admission: Free!
Serpent Mother
- What: An awesome, gigantic, fire breathing serpent.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Saturday, September 16
- Time: Nightly shows at 8 and 9 pm on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and at 8, 9, and 10 pm on Saturday
- Where: Fort Calgary – 750 9th Avenue SE
- Admission: Free!
Impulse
- What: 15. Giant. Interactive. Teeter-totters.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Where: 6th Avenue and 6th Street SE
- Admission: Free!
Nest
- What: A nest of dragons hiding behind construction barriers—keep your eye out!
- When:Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Where: Victoria Park – 201 10th Avenue SE
- Admission: Free!
Nucleation
- What: 5,00 white balloons attached to Legion No. 1—don’t worry, it won’t be floating away.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Where: Legion No. 1 – 116 7th Avenue SE
- Admission: Free!
Enoch Park
- What: Check out the bunnies during the day, then see the amazing light shows at night.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Time: Noon to 10 pm Wednesday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday
- Where: Enoch Park – 314 12th Avenue SE
- Admission: Free!
Skybeings
- What: Learn about the stars and the story of the Big Dipper
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Time: Noon to 10 pm Wednesday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday
- Where: Eighth Avenue Place – 525 8th Avenue SW
- Admission: Free!
Mars 112
- What: A show home on Mars in the first Martian colony.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Time: Noon to 8 pm Wednesday to Friday, 10 am to 8 pm on Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday
- Where: Loft 112 – 535 8th Avenue SE
- Admission:
Up Against All Odds
- What: A game that pits you against fate at the roll of the dice.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Time: Noon to 8 pm Wednesday to Friday, 10 am to 8 pm on Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday
- Where: McDougall Centre – 455 6th Street SW
Claw
- What: An industrial-sized claw game that puts you in the driver seat.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Time: Noon to 8 pm Wednesday to Friday, 10 am to 8 pm on Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday
- Where: Eau Claire Market – 200 Barclay Parade SW
- Admission: Free!
BowWave
- What: Play the Bow River with illuminated, interactive shapes cast across the gravel beach.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Time: 5 to 11 pm Wednesday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday
- Where: On the banks of the Bow River east of Centre Street
- Admission: Free!
Beaker Bar
- What: The perfect place to taste some experimental brews during Beakerhead.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Sunday, September 17
- Time: 4 to 9:30 pm Wednesday to Friday, noon to 11 pm Saturday, noon to 5 pm Sunday
- Where: Fort Calgary – 750 Avenue SE
- Admission: Free admission, beverages by token
Four to Six
- What: Human and technology collide for a street full of interactive installations.
- When: Wednesday, September 13 to Friday, September 15
- Time: 4 to 6 pm
- Where: 8th Avenue and 1st Street SE
- Admission: Free!