It’s the first weekend of April and there are tons of things to do in Calgary.
Visit the Calgary Stampede’s Aggie Days, enjoy some live theatre, groove to awesome tunes at BIG Winter Classic, attend a hip-hop brunch in your pajamas this Sunday, or walk into a parallel universe at the science centre, and much more.
Plus, this weekend is your last chance for a few events before they come to an end. If you haven’t yet, check out an immersive exhibit of light and sound at Banff Gondola’s Nightrise, or create your own enchanted teapot cocktails at The Alice: An Immersive Cocktail Experience. Both events wrap up this Sunday, April 10.
Here are 15 of the best things to do in and around Calgary this weekend.
Enjoy some live theatre in Calgary at The Green Line
Courtesy of Downstage & Chromatic Theatre
What: Downstage has partnered with Chromatic Theatre for this co-production of The Green Line, a poetic, heartbreaking story of intergenerational queer history in Lebanon. Audiences can expect a journey that spans space and time, weaving together civil war Beirut with a contemporary nightclub, following one man’s journey to discovering his family’s past. Don’t miss out on this world premiere of The Green Line from March 31 to April 9 at the Big Secret Theatre in Calgary’s Arts Commons.
When: March 31 to April 9
Time: Varies by date
Where: Big Secret Theatre in Arts Commons (205 8th Avenue SE, Calgary)
Cost: $30
Interact with dinosaurs at Jurassic Quest
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What: The Jurassic Quest exhibition takes guests through the Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic Periods, giving you a chance to experience what it was like to be among living, breathing dinosaurs. Explore dinosaur rides, a giant fossil dig, inflatables, a fossil science exhibit, the Triceratots soft play area, and much more.
Observe the herd of animatronic dinosaurs, which include Apatosaurus, Spinosaurus, T-Rex, and an incredible 50-foot Megalodon, interact with trainers and baby dinos, and watch a live Raptor show. From the very small to the gigantic, Jurassic Quest has more true-to-life-size dinos than any other touring event.
When: April 8 to 10
Time: 9 am to 8 pm on April 8 and 9, and 9 am to 6 pm on April 10
Where: BMO Centre on Stampede Park (20 Roundup Way SE, Calgary)
Tickets: Available online; tickets starting at $27.50
Check out Glenbow’s new FREE satellite exhibit at The Edison
Rendering of Glenbow’s satellite location at the Edison (Courtesy of Glenbow)
What: Glenbow’s main building is currently closed for renovations, but its new satellite location at The Edison opens this week, featuring visiting exhibitions on temporary display. The first exhibition at The Edison, Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment, allows visitors to experience 200 works of art by a generation of 20th Century women painters, photographers, weavers, bead workers, and sculptors who remained largely unrecognized amid celebrated male artists of the time.
When: Beginning April 9
Time: 11 am to 8 pm Monday through Saturday and 11 am to 6 pm on Sundays
Where: The Edison (150 9th Avenue SW, Calgary)
Cost: Free; timed ticket required for entry
Attend a queer hip-hop brunch in your pajamas this weekend
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What: If you want to enjoy some awesome hip hop and R&B from DJ Sonidef, chill in an interactive art gallery, and stay in your PJs this Sunday, then this one is for you. Pillow Fight is a queer hip-hop brunch that is changing the brunch game (because who really wants to get out of their PJs on a Sunday?), with food and beverage provided by The Dark Arts at an additional charge. Get ready to put on your favourite onesie and have a great time at Pillow Fight this weekend.
When: April 10
Time: 11 am to 3 pm
Where: The Dark Arts Restaurant & Drink (834 11th Avenue SW, Calgary)
Cost: Tickets starting at $5; food and beverage provided by The Dark Arts at an additional charge
Celebrate spring with cute animals and cowboy competitions at the Calgary Stampede’s Aggie Days
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What: Aggie Days is back at the Calgary Stampede this spring, celebrating the event’s 35th Anniversary in 2022. For those who just can’t wait for the Stampede to start in July, Aggie Days is a free, family-friendly weekend providing insight into life on the farm right here in the city.
If you’ve ever wondered where your food comes from and how it makes it from the farm to the table, this one is for you. Aggie Days combines educational activities with plenty of entertainment, cute animals, and cowboy competitions for just the type of western experience that we expect from the Stampede.
When: April 9 and 10
Time: 10 am to 4 pm
Where: Nutrien Western Event Centre at Stampede Park (1800 Stampede Trail SE, Calgary)
Cost: Free
Pretend you’re Alice at Hawthorn’s Mad Hatter Tea
Courtesy of Hawthorn
What: Indulge in delectable pastries, dainty finger sandwiches, and oven-fresh scones along to enjoy with Fairmont-curated loose leaf teas at Hawthorn’s Mad Hatter Tea. Alice-in–Wonderland-themed sweets include the Queen of Hearts Cookie, Eat Me Macaron, Cuckoo Clock Cupcake, and more.
When: Saturdays and Sundays from April 2 to May 1
Time: 11 am to 3:30 pm
Where: Fairmont Pallier’s Hawthorn (133 9th Avenue SW, Calgary)
Cost: $95 per adult
Visit David Wilson’s solo exhibition at Gibson Fine Art
Courtesy of Artsbiz Public Relations
What: David Wilson has established himself among the most prestigious artists in Vancouver, and, after three decades and more than 20 solo exhibitions in his adopted hometown, Wilson is thrilled to make his debut at Gibson Fine Art in Calgary this month. Wilson marks his arrival in the city with In From the Cold, a characteristically sensitive collection of new works that marry the artist’s vivid technique with an interior narrative matured over his 30 years of work.
When: April 2 to 21
Time: 11 am to 5 pm from Tuesday to Saturday, and by appointment.
Where: Gibson Fine Art (523 Cleveland Crescent SE, Calgary)
Be awed by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition
Elle McLean/Daily Hive
What: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition invites visitors to experience the 34 frescoes of the Vatican ceiling in life-sized, close-up detail right here in Calgary. Guests will be able to see reproductions of works such as The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment, down to each individual colour and brushstroke.
When: March 3 to April 15
Time: Time slots available between 10 am and 7 pm Thursday through Sunday, with the exhibit closing at 8 pm
Where: BMO Centre – Hall F (20 Roundup Way SE, Calgary)
Cost: Available online starting at $16.60
Walk into a parallel universe at Calgary’s science centre
Elle McLean/Daily Hive
What: Fascinated by the idea of parallel universes? If so, you can now take a deeper trip into the world of the subatomic in a new exhibit at Telus Spark Science Centre’s digital immersion gallery. The team at Calgary’s science centre has taken what many would consider to be the hardest science subject – quantum physics – and turned it into a floor-to-ceiling visual adventure that everyone can relate to.
When: Open as of March 1, 2022
Time: Science centre hours (9 am to 4 pm Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm Friday through Sunday)
Where: TELUS Spark Science Centre (220 St. George’s Drive NE, Calgary)
Cost: Included with general admission ($26 for adults, $19 for children)
Groove to live music during BIG Winter Classic
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What: BIG Winter Classic is a multi-weekend music and arts festival, celebrating the vibrancy of Calgary outside of just the warm summer months. Taking place in some of the city’s coolest venues, this festival mashes up music, art, local craft beer, and the “best and funnest” Calgarians for an epic time. “Because we’re Calgarians,” reads BIG’s website, “and dancing under patio heaters … actually sounds perfect.”
When: April 8 and 9
Time: Varies by show
Where: Various venues within The BLOX community (spanning east to west from 2nd and 9th Streets SW and north to south between 10th and 13th Avenues SW)
Cost: $30 for day passes, $139 for multi-weekend passes, and tickets to individual shows available at the door
Watch live theatre during High Performance Rodeo
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What: The spring edition of One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo, Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts, gives local audiences the chance to watch touring performances from across Canada, acclaimed international shows, and new and experimental work from artists right here in YYC.
The festival boasts theatre, dance, music, film, free lunchtime concerts, late-night cabarets, and much more, with shows in the basement of the Calgary Tower, at the Royal Canadian Legion, in the city’s +15s, a wrestling ring, an elevator, in City Hall, at the Central Library, and other unique and iconic venues around the city.
When: March 27 to May 28
Time: Varies by performance
Where: Various venues in Calgary, ranging from the Globe Cinema to Contemporary Calgary, The GRAND to Big Secret Theatre, and more
Cost: Ticket prices vary by performance
Go on a cheap movie date at select Cineplex theatres
Cineplex/Shutterstock
What: Looking for budget-friendly entertainment options? Cineplex is featuring select movie screenings for $2.99 this month at several of its Calgary locations. The Cineplex Family Favourites series runs every Saturday at 11 am and offers the chance to enjoy a good flick at a great price.
When: April 9 and 16
Time: 11 am
Where: Varies by date; participating Calgary locations include Cineplex Cinemas Seton and VIP, Cineplex Odeon Crowfoot Crossing Cinemas, Cineplex Odeon Sunridge Spectrum Cinemas, Cineplex Cinemas East Hills, Scotiabank Theatre Chinook, and Cineplex Odeon Westhills Cinemas
Cost: $2.99; tickets available online
Have a “wild” brunch at the Calgary Zoo
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What: Enjoy weekend brunch at the Calgary Zoo. Held in the heart of Destination Africa, the zoo’s Safari Brunch features both gourmet and comfort breakfast foods, including a free-flowing chocolate fountain with fresh fruit, eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon, a Belgian waffle bar, and much, much more.
When: Every Sunday until November 13, 2022
Time: First seating 9 to 10:30 am, second seating 11 am to 12:30 pm, and third seating on select dates from 1 to 2:30 pm
Where: Calgary Zoo (210 St. George’s Drive NE, Calgary)
Cost: $44.95 for adults, $27.95 for children
Get topsy-turvy at The Alice: An Immersive Cocktail Experience
Sofia Katherine Photography via The Alice: An Immersive Cocktail Experience
What: If you’ve ever dreamed of drinking tea with Alice in Wonderland characters, munching on an “Eat Me” cake, and playing croquet with flamingos, here’s your chance. Create your own liquid concoctions under the watchful eye of the Mad Hatter at The Alice: Immersive Cocktail Experience. Dive through the looking glass and solve riddles and challenges just like Alice to unlock all the ingredients needed to create your enchanted teapot cocktails.
When: January 27 to April 10
Where: SunnyCider (#1 – 3300 14th Avenue NE, Calgary)
Price: $47 per person; available here
Take in the Banff Gondola’s immersive Nightrise exhibit
Elle McLean/Daily Hive
What: Pursuit’s latest experience, Nightrise, combines multimedia, storytelling, and nature at the Banff Gondola for a multi-sensory journey like no other. The event will bring light and sound together to share a new and inspiring perspective in the heart of the Rockies. At Sulphur Mountain’s peak, guests can explore the many levels of the summit building and enjoy Rockies-inspired eats and drinks. Outside on the viewing decks, discover wonders that only emerge as the night begins to rise.
When: Wraps up April 10
Time: Gondola upload time slots between 5:10 and 8:10 pm
Where: Banff Gondola (100 Mountain Avenue, Banff)
Cost: Starting at $56 for adults and $28 for children (age six to 15)
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