What to do on Canada Day in Calgary
CBC News | Posted: June 9, 2017 9:37 PM | Last Updated: July 1, 2017
Join our CBC hosts at various stages around the city on Canada Day!
- Chaos-reduction guide to Canada Day 150 in Calgary
- 250K visitors expected at Canada Day 150th celebration in Calgary
Fort Calgary
- 9 a.m. to noon
About 4,000 participants will form a Canadian flag using red and white T-shirts, after a pancake breakfast. The fort is open after Canada Day festivities until 4 p.m. with Indigenous celebrations and local musicians.
Confederation Park 50th anniversary
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
A free pancake breakfast and birthday cake will welcome visitors, along with live entertainment. There's also free horse wagon rides, a self-guided interpretive trail and the opening of a 1967 time capsule.
Chinatown
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In addition to being a great place to watch the fireworks, Chinatown is also centrally located between three other Canada 150 venues.
There will be Asian cultural dances, musical drum performances, martial arts demonstrations, calligraphy, kite building and flying, lantern crafts and a multicultural parade.
East Village
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
National Music Centre's Studio Bell is hosting a street festival along with free Canadian musical performances and there are no entrance fees.
Prince's Island Park, east
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A showcase will include interactive educational displays of Canada's military history where people can touch and explore military equipment. Participants can chat with Canadian Armed Forces members and it's kid friendly with face tattoos, games and entertainment.
Also on the east side of the park there will be circus performances and circus instruction for kids eight to 16 years of age.
The Peace Bridge
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
There will be a Sikh turban education and tying event at the Peace Bridge from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Canada Day. (Richard White)
The World Sikh Organization wants to demystify the turban through education and turban-tying event. They'll be handing out red and white turbans and demonstrating how to wear them.
Olympic Plaza
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
It's a day of art appreciation and a whole lot more. There's a citizenship reaffirmation ceremony and they're expecting thousands to take part. The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Calgary Opera will perform on one of two stages while 1,500 guitarists will do a rendition of Four Strong Wings led by Ian Tyson.
Stilt walkers and magicians will be roving the plaza and there'll be plenty of children's craft activities.
Come meet CBC-TV's Rosa Marchitelli from 10 a.m. to noon, CBC-TV's Rob Brown from noon to 3 p.m. and CBC Radio One's Jenny Howe from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Prince's Island Park, west
- 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The city and Bow Valley College's Iniikokaan Aboriginal Centre have a full day of events planned. There's a traditional powwow with drumming and grand entry followed by storytelling, traditional food, children's crafts and activities and artisan booths.
CBC-TV's late night host Shannon Scott will be at the Enmax Stage from 4:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Come say hi!
Eau Claire
- 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
A huge multicultural celebration with dance and musical performances takes over the Festival Market in the north plaza of Eau Claire Market. There will be youth singers, an ethno-cultural artisan market, lots of food vendors showcasing many ethnic cuisines and of course, children's activities and arts and crafts.
Riverfront Avenue, Harry Hays Building, north lawn
- 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Two stages will headline Canadian performers such as Tegan and Sara, Crystal Plamondon, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald and Juno award-winning artist Armond Duck Chief. There will be multicultural music and dance all day long and food vendors will fill stomachs with a variety of ethnic cuisines.
A full 30 minutes of fireworks and a light show set to Canadian music will bring the day to a close.
CBC Radio One's The Eyeopener hosts David Gray and Angela Knight and The Homestretch host Doug Dirks will be at the Riverfront East Stage from 4:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Come say hi!