Bigger and better: Winter festival returns with expanded offerings in its third year
Celebrate all that makes winter in Calgary fun with Chinook Blast.
This year’s art, sport and music festival will take place Jan. 27 to Feb. 12 across Calgary.
While Chinook Blast is itself a standalone festival, the third annual winter celebration is also an umbrella for others, including High Performance Rodeo, BIG Winter Classic and Block Heater, plus art installations, outdoor sport opportunities and more.
“It’s exciting to bring Chinook Blast back to the city again,” says Franca Gualtieri, Chinook Blast’s executive director. “We’re about creating that platform, that infrastructure, to let people know what’s happening in the city this winter.”
Many events are free and centred around Olympic Plaza and the downtown core. Others will take place in participating neighbourhoods throughout Calgary.
For information and a complete list of events, go to chinookblast.ca. But here are some of the many highlights:
■ Presented by BIG Winter Classic, Block Heater and Ethnik Festivals, musicians Sunglaciers, K-ritz and The Rondel Roberts Band will kick off Chinook Blast with a free outdoor concert Jan. 27 at Olympic Plaza;
■ New this year, Nitro Rallycross features motorsport racing on snow and ice, Feb. 4 and 5 at Stampede Park;
■ A first of its kind in Alberta, Drag on Ice is a twohour drag show on skates on Feb. 11 ;
■ Throughout Chinook Blast, local artists will create installations downtown while the City Hall Atrium night markets have expanded from one to three weekends. Returning this year, Exposure Photography Festival presents Exposure Fence: People & Place at Olympic Plaza;
■ BIG Winter Classic takes place Jan. 25 to 29, with performers including A. Savage, Tempers, Nick Thune and Sgt. Papers;
■ Sport Calgary features speedskating, synchronized skating and other ice sport demonstrations at Olympic Plaza on Jan. 28 and 29;
■ Celebrate the Lunar New Year with a lantern parade on Feb. 3. Make a lantern at 4:30 p.m. at the City Hall Atrium and then join the parade at 6 p.m.;
■ Four Winds Indigenous Showcase and Market connects Indigenous and urban communities on Feb. 3. Performers include JUNO Award winner Fawn Wood and Ashley Ghostkeeper and many more;
■ At Arts Commons Feb. 4 and 5, Artsxpeditions outdoor concerts include hip hop and R&B acts, plus the YYC Music Awards Spotlight Festival, a celebration of emerging musicians;
■ The 37th annual High Performance Rodeo takes place through Feb. 5, with dance, theatre and more;
■ Snow Rodeo: FIS Snowboard Slopestyle and Halfpipe World Cup events take place Feb. 6 to 12 at Canada Olympic Park;
■ The Calgary Folk Music Festival’s Block Heater has a star-packed lineup including The Jayhawks, Elliott Brood and Pierre Kwenders from Feb. 9 to 12;
■ Ethnik Festivals take place Feb. 24 and 25, after Chinook Blast ends, but will still be highlighted at Chinook Blast venues.
As for Gualtieri, she’s already looking ahead to 2024. “It’s great to help bring our city to life,” she says. “Next year will be even better.”