As recommended by health officials, if you choose to participate in events outside of your home, please adhere to COVID-19 health and safety measures, including proper physical distancing, mask-wearing, and frequent handwashing. If you are sick, please stay home.
There are lots of things to do in Calgary this week, no matter what our crazy weather ends up doing.
Whether you want to catch a drive-in movie, listen to a virtual jazz festival, pick up some local goodies at a farmers’ market, or get outside, there’s sure to be something going on in the city this week to match your interests.
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Grab a family member or cohort buddy, mask up, and have some fun this week, YYC.
Watch a movie at the Grey Eagle Drive-In
Grey Eagle Drive In (Courtesy of The Event Group)
What: Join the Grey Eagle Resort & Casino at southern Alberta’s largest drive-in venue, and catch one of two showings of the 1980s classic Dirty Dancing. Guests can even purchase food and beverage packages to add to their experience.
When: May 13
Time: 7 pm and 9 pm
Where: The Grey Eagle Resort and Casino (3777 Grey Eagle Drive)
Cost: $40 per vehicle
Relax with dinner and a movie at Hotel Arts
What: Escape for a night with an in-room dinner and a movie at Hotel Arts. The package comes with a night’s stay in the hotel’s luxury accommodations, a gourmet in-room dinner for two, a bottle of wine, two craft sodas, truffled parmesan popcorn and other movie snacks, and a $25 credit towards your in-room movie.
When: Available daily
Where: Hotel Arts (119 12th Avenue SW)
Cost: Package starts at $275
JazzYYC: International Jazz Days Festival
What: Join JazzYYC for their second virtual International Jazz Days Festival. The event features artists from Calgary and across Canada in a series of online tutorials and performances.
When: Now through May 27
Time: Videos released at 6 pm on Thursdays and 7 pm on Fridays
Where: Online
Cost: Free
Catch a drive-in movie at Canyon Meadows Cinemas
What: Calgary’s favourite “cheap theatre” has pivoted amidst public health restrictions, turning their parking lot into a drive-in theatre. Tickets are now on sale for this weekend’s showings of The Princess Bride.
When: May 14 and 15
Time: View showtimes and purchase tickets via the Canyon Meadows Cinemas app
Where: Canyon Meadows Cinemas parking lot (13226 Macleod Trail)
Cost: $35 per vehicle
Spark Science from Home
What: TELUS Spark Science Centre hosts a wide variety of fun and educational options online, from virtual programs and Dome Movies at Home to Cereal Science and a collection of experiments and activities.
When: Programming varies, learn more through their website
Where: From the comfort of your own home
Cost: Varies by program
Book exclusive hydrotherapy access at Kananaskis Nordic Spa
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What: Kananaskis Nordic Spa is taking bookings for private access to their hydrotherapy facility, which includes use of the hydrotherapy pools, steam room, and sauna, plus the spa’s locker rooms and showers. For those who haven’t experience it before, hydrotherapy is the Nordic-inspired cycle of alternating between hot, warm, and cold baths, followed by periods of rest.
Anyone can book the spa from Monday to Thursday, with access limited to hotel guests with reservations at Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge and Crosswaters Resort from Friday to Sunday.
When: Now until May 31
Time: Two-hour time slots are granted per group throughout the day.
Where: Kananaskis Nordic Spa (1 Centennial Drive, Kananaskis, Alberta)
Cost: $499 total for up to 4 guests. (Additional household members can join in on the booking for $119 per person, up to 10 people.)
Take a walk through Devonian Gardens
What: Feel like you’re in a tropical paradise in downtown Calgary at Devonian Gardens. Stroll the boardwalk, take in the plants and ponds, and grab a some take out eats from the food court.
When: Daily
Time: 11 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 pm on Sundays
Where: Fourth floor of the CORE Shopping Centre (400 – 317 7th Avenue SW)
Cost: Free
Visit the National Music Centre’s Amplify platform
What: Amplify serves as an extension of the NMC’s onsite programs through an online hub detailing the sounds and stories of music in Canada. Take a guided tour of the museum virtually, delve into articles from their vast collection of historical musical instruments, equipment, and memorabilia, and learn more about the power of music for healing and wellness.
When: Anytime
Where: Online, from the comfort of your own home
Cost: Free
Try a city-wide scavenger hunt
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What: Calgary’s Parks Foundation has teamed up with PlayCity to bring the Hide & Seek challenge to YYC. Hide & Seek is the perfect way to get outside and explore the city’s outdoor spaces and win prizes. A new post card is hidden bi-weekly in a park somewhere in the city, and you can download the PlayCity app to find exclusive hints about the card’s location.
When: Parks and green spaces through Calgary
Where: Bi-weekly starting May 8, and running through the spring and summer months
Cost: Free
Wordfest’s Imagine On Air broadcast channel
What: Wordfest’s broadcast channel has assembled the “best writers, biggest thinkers, and sparkiest creators” in one virtual place to help fuel your curiosity. Join these great minds for a live conversation and get inspired.
When: May 11 and 13
Time: 7 pm
Where: Broadcast on wordfest.com
Cost: Free
Go on a spring walk
What: Calgary is home to some incredible parks and pathways, creating the perfect backdrop for a lovely springtime walk. Head outside to get some fresh air and exercise while enjoying some of the city’s gorgeous green space. Check out our list of the best places to walk this spring.
Crossroads Market
What: This isn’t your traditional farmers’ market. Along with fresh produce and local eats, shoppers will find comics, jewellery, vintage items, and more at Crossroads Market.
When: Weekly from Friday to Sunday
Time: 9 am to 5 pm
Where: 1235 26th Avenue SE
Cost: Varies by purchase
Calgary Zoo: FOCUSED
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What: The FOCUSED photography event allows shutterbugs exclusive access to Zoo Island before opening to the public for the day. This is your chance to snap some pictures of the animals and the zoo grounds in the morning light without other guests ending up in the frame.
When: May 15
Time: 7:30 to 9:30 am
Where: The Calgary Zoo (210 St. George’s Drive NE)
Cost: $45 (includes full-day admission), or $25 for Calgary Zoo members
Check out High Park
What: High Park offers downtown views, adorable string lights, colourful picnic tables, and fun signs to take photos with – on top of a parking garage in the Beltline. Have a spring picnic six floors above street level and grab some cool photos while you’re at it.
When: Open daily
Time: 7 am to 11 pm
Where: The top level of the Centre City Parkade at 340 10th Avenue SW
Cost: Free
Zombie Scavenger Hunt
What: Test your ability to survive after a zombie apocalypse in this scavenger hunt game that leads you through the city. Players have 60 minutes to collect supplies to survive during the interactive game that invites participants to complete challenges and answer trivia questions.
When: Daily
Time: One hour of your choosing between 10 am and 9 pm
Where: Downtown Calgary
Cost: $29.30 per team (up to 10 people)
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra’s virtual concert series: City Spaces
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What: While their concert hall remains closed, the CPO has taken their show on the road, playing from iconic Calgary spaces in these free new virtual performances. City Spaces bring music to audiences from a variety of places, including the top of a modern skyscraper, the interior of a brutalist-era gallery, and the grand ballroom of a historic hotel.
When: May 15
Time: 7:30 pm
Where: Watch the performance virtually, broadcast from the TELUS Spark Science Centre
Cost: Free
Calgary Farmers’ Market
What: Pick up farm-fresh produce, warm and delicious baked goods, and locally produced artisan goods at the Calgary Farmers’ Market. Pet products, coffee and tea, and flowers are also available to purchase.
When: Thursday to Sunday weekly
Time: 9 am to 5 pm
Where: 510 77th Avenue SE
Cost: Varies by purchase
Visit a sculpture covered with flowers and snakes in this Inglewood window
What: While we wait for the Esker Foundation’s main gallery to reopen, their Project Space window brings some art into our lives while simultaneously providing a concept to contemplate. Visible from street level, “The Garden” is a clay sculpture combining elements of nature with the human form, created by ceramic artist Yvonne Kustec.
When: Now through June 6
Where: Esker Foundation’s Project Space window (1011 9th Avenue SE)
Cost: Free
Arts Commons presents National Geographic Live
What: Arts Commons is taking their 10th annual National Geographic Live series online this year. In these livestreams, viewers will hear from virtual speakers who will transport them to extraordinary places, challenge perceptions with amazing stories, and view natural events from around the world through stunning photography.
When: May 10
Time: 7 pm
Where: Online
Tickets: Free, with advanced registration required
Explore fandoms and win prizes during Calgary Library and Calgary Expo’s four-month reading challenge
What: Calgary Public Library and the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo have paired up to host a reading challenge. On until May 15, kids and adults alike can take on both reading and creative challenges to be entered to win one of 25 prizes.
When: Now through May 15
Where: Anywhere
Cost: Free with your Calgary Library card
Tee-off at one of the world’s best courses from Hotel Arts’ Golf Studios
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What: Choose from simulations of more than 20 of the world’s best courses, including Pebble Beach, Oakmont, and Valderrama, and tee-off from your own private Golf Studio in downtown Calgary. Players can enjoy their own stocked carts with food and beverage service from Hotel Arts’ Clubhouse during the game.
When: Open daily
Time: Book one-, two-, three-, or four-hour time slots from 8 am to 9 pm
Where: Hotel Arts
Cost: Starting at $50 for 55 minutes
Glenbow from Home
What: Tour Glenbow’s extensive collection and galleries of rotating exhibits virtually and get cultured without even leaving the house.
When: Anytime
Where: Online, available through Glenbow’s website
Cost: Free
“Escape from the Alternate Dimension” in this ’90s-themed virtual escape room
What: In this virtual escape room, players are transported to a parallel 1990s universe using a time machine. A Live Adventure Guide will host the experience and cater to your group based on the ages of players, making this a fitting activity for everyone – whether you were alive during the 90s or not.
When: Daily
Time: Start times are staggered through the day, typically between 9 am and 9:30 pm (players have 60 minutes to win the game)
Where: From the comfort of your own home
Cost: $25 per person
Snap photos at PARK PARK
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What: PARK PARK took an urban parking lot in Inglewood and turned it into a modern play space. Visitors will find life-size symbols of a tree, a phone, a picnic table, a bike, a book, and more. Each of these colourful symbols also contains a useful feature integrated that relates to what they depict – check out these curiosities and be amazed.
When: Open daily
Where: CPA Lot 43 (880 11th Street SE)
Cost: Free