Calgary's Culture Days
Discover. Experience. Celebrate. Calgary Culture Days
Calgary Culture Days takes place every September 1 – 30 and is a celebration of local arts, culture and community spirit.
About Calgary Culture Days
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A Calgary tradition
Calgary Culture Days has been recognized since 2014. Each year, more people participate and discover something new about our city, our stories and each other. It’s an opportunity to showcase creatives, community groups and cultural organizations from all backgrounds, sharing diverse expressions of arts and culture in Calgary.
Calgary Culture Days also includes moments of remembrance. We commemorate Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by highlighting events that honour residential school victims, survivors and their families, while encouraging meaningful learning and dialogue.
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Why it matters
Arts and culture are at the heart of what makes Calgary a vibrant, welcoming city. They spark creativity, connect communities and breathe life into our neighbourhoods. From murals and music to film, festivals, and food — culture is everywhere.
Arts and culture creates jobs, attracts visitors and helps grow our local economy. Most importantly, arts and culture help us feel like we belong by sharing our stories and celebrating what makes each of us unique.
Featured event
Music on the Avenue: Aug. 30
Join us as we kick off Culture Days by enjoying the sounds of local live music on Stephen Ave outside The Palace Theatre starting at noon.
Schedule:
- Noon – Amy Hef
- 12:25 p.m. – Stephen Fletcher
- 12:50 p.m. – Tayo G
- 1:15 p.m. – Robert Adam
Event calendar
New events added weekly.
Greatest Nigerian Classics Orchestra Concert
Greatest Nigerian Classics is a jazz orchestral performance to celebrate the music of Nigeria’s music legends.
Run for Life
Join Canadian Mental Health Association Alberta and Centre for Suicide Prevention on a journey from darkness into light to remember loved ones lost to suicide and raise awareness for prevention.
Opening Night: Katie Ohe Public Art Exhibition
Come celebrate Katie Ohe's art and the preservation of one of her beloved sculptures in a rare Devonian Gardens exhibition.
Cirque Du Soleil - The Science of Cirque
Join Spark in partnership with Cirque du Soleil for The Science of Cirque - learn the science of juggling and contortionists!
Calgary International Film Festival
The Calgary International Film Festival is a celebration of the finest local, national and international cinema.
Sanctuary: Haus of Worship
A night of drag, music and queer joy in a sacred space. Expect a dazzling mix of comedy, live singing, lip sync and heartfelt moments that will lift both soul and spirit.
Franco Festival Calgary
Franco Festival celebrates Francophone diversity with music, food, art, a new outdoor movie night and a First Nations Cultural Village.
Beyond the Postcard: Cuba's Untold Stories
Beyond the Postcard: A vivid 60-min journey of Cuba’s soul in film, poetry & puppetry. Listen. Feel. Remember.
Calgary Police Classic
The 45th edition of Calgary’s iconic fall road race, now reimagined as the Calgary Police Classic, produced by Run Calgary.
Calgary Culture Days funding
This year, we introduced the Calgary Culture Days Microgrant to support community-led initiatives that help activate Calgary’s greater downtown through free or low-cost arts and culture programming during the month of September.
With a total of $100,000 in available funding for 2025, the Calgary Culture Days Microgrant supported new small-scale initiatives or the enhancement of existing ones, offering up to $5,000 per initiative.
Applications are now closed
Thank you to everyone who applied. You can see the supported initiatives in our events calendar.
Do you have a larger initiative in mind? Check other funding opportunities here.
Calgary Culture Days collaboration
Calgary Culture Days 2024 introduced an exciting partnership between Calgary Opera and two of Calgary’s popular cultural festivals: Taste of Italy and Fiesta Filipino.
This collaboration explored new opportunities for cultural exchange and helped raise awareness of Calgary Opera’s underutilized services. The City of Calgary’s Arts and Culture team facilitated the connection, provided funding to support event delivery, and helped create a more cohesive cultural experience.
The partnership drew more than 87,000 attendees over four days of performances and laid a strong foundation for future collaborations. It demonstrated the power of diverse engagement in shaping a vibrant and inclusive city.