NMC Presents: Eddy Fest
2026-08-16 | Studio Bell, 850 4 St SE, Calgary, Ab, T2G 0L8
In honour of the King Eddy’s 120th anniversary, NMC presents Eddy Fest, a three-day music festival from August 14-16, celebrating every chapter of the venue’s history.
Eddy Fest showcases an eclectic mix of performances that represent the venue’s past and present — from blues and rock to country and singer-songwriters!
The King Eddy has lived many lives over of its 120-year existence. Built between 1905 and 1907 as the King Edward Hotel on 9 Avenue SE (then known as “Whiskey Row”), it provided a home away from home for settlers, railway workers, travellers, and people from all walks of life. Decades later, it became an important part of the city’s music scene during its heyday as “Calgary’s Home of the Blues” from the early 1980s until it closed in 2004. That rich civic and musical history is the primary reason that the National Music Centre worked to save the King Eddy and build its new home around the venue. When the reimagined King Eddy reopened in 2018, it did so with a mandate to continue offering a welcoming space for legendary live music — “all music for all people.” Now, the Eddy celebrates its 120th anniversary alongside the 10th birthday of NMC’s home, Studio Bell, remaining an important piece of Calgary’s music story and one of the oldest music venues in Canada that is still in operation today.
Eddy Fest Lineup
Friday Night (August 14)
7:30 pm – Duke Domino
8:30 pm – Ollee Owens Band
9:30 pm – Brother Bicker Band
Saturday Brunch (August 15)
11:30 am – Jessie Bird
12:30 pm – Ross Fizzard
Saturday Afternoon (August 15)
1:30 pm – Ashley Ghostkeeper
2:30 pm – Take the Sonset
3:30 pm – Leo Martinez
4:30 pm – John Rutherford
Saturday Evening (August 15)
7:30 pm – Sonia Deleo & The New Dads
8:30 pm – Deicha & The VuDudes
9:30 pm – Jade Elephant
Sunday Brunch (August 16)
11:30 am – Lewis Cardinal
12:30 pm – Toni Vere
Sunday Afternoon (August 16)
1:30 pm – Black Crow Funk
2:30 pm – Marcus Trummer

2026 BUMP Festival
2026-08-16, 2026-08-17 | Beltline, Calgary
BUMP 2026 HAS LANDED
Of Simmering, and the Surge
What began in 2017 as a mural festival has grown into one of Canada’s most ambitious public art organizations, transforming Calgary into an open-air gallery while expanding into sculpture, music, film, education, conferences, and year-round cultural programming. As we celebrate this milestone year, we remain committed to a simple belief: BUMP is for the people.
This year’s theme, Of Simmering, and the Surge, asks us to consider how change takes form, both slowly and explosively. How do we respond to the forces that shape our world, at both the intimate and systemic level? What are the ideas, noise, gestures, and resistances that gather in the margins, in undergrounds, in small rooms, in fleeting conversations? And how do these moments accumulate, building pressure until they break through into the larger public sphere?
Throughout August and beyond, you’ll encounter an extraordinary collection of local, national, and international artists creating new public works across Calgary. From large-scale murals to the inaugural BUMP Public Sculpture Program, this year’s festival asks how public art can become more than something we simply look at. How can it become a portal into new ways of thinking, gathering, and imagining our shared future?
For the first time in BUMP’s history, we’ve invited guest curators to help shape the artistic direction of the festival. We are honoured to welcome Ken Lum, one of Canada’s most influential voices in contemporary public art, Marigold Santos, whose multidisciplinary practice has profoundly shaped artistic conversations in Calgary and beyond, and Said Dokins, an internationally celebrated artist from Mexico City whose work examines language, memory, and public space. They have assembled a remarkable group of artists whose practices reflect the diversity, complexity, and ambition of contemporary public art today.
This year also marks the third BUMP Urban Art Conference, taking place August 13-15 at Contemporary Calgary. Over three days, artists, writers, musicians, journalists, architects, curators, and cultural leaders from around the world will come together to explore the ideas shaping public life today. Through keynote talks, panel discussions, and conversations, the conference extends the questions raised on our walls into broader discussions about cities, culture, identity, ecology, technology, and the future of public space.
Whether you’re discovering BUMP for the first time or have been with us since the beginning, we invite you to experience the city differently this August.
We’ll be announcing details for our 2026 Festival Finale in the coming weeks, along with additional public programming and events taking place throughout the festival.
Thank you for being part of BUMP’s first ten years. We can’t wait to show you what’s next.

Sunday Safari Brunch
2026-08-16 09:00 - 23:59, 2026-08-23 09:00 - 23:59, 2026-08-30 09:00 - 23:59 (America/Denver) | Calgary Zoo, 1300 Zoo Rd Ne, Calgary, T2E 7V6
Join us for a unique Calgary brunch experience in the heart of the zoo. You can enjoy both gourmet and comfort breakfast foods, including a free-flowing chocolate fountain with fresh fruit, eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon, a Belgian waffle bar, cooked to order omelets, and much more. Get your combo brunch and admission tickets today!

River Hall YYC
2026-08-16 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-20 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-21 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-22 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-23 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-27 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-28 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-29 11:00 - 22:00 (America/Edmonton) and 4 more dates | 311 8 Street SW, 311 8 Street Sw, Calgary
River Hall YYC

☀️ Free open air community events
along the Bow River
🎶 Entertainment •
Activities • Wellness & more!
💫
Family + Dog friendly 🐾
📍 Lot 6, 311 8 ST SW

Hours
✨ Thursdays & Fridays:
5–10 PM
✨ Saturdays & Sundays:
11 AM–10 PM

Enjoy the best of summer at River Hall with vibrant events,
local talent, vendors, and plenty of opportunities to connect, relax, and have
fun!

Whether you’re looking for a fun weekend outing, a perfect
date spot, or simply somewhere to soak up the sunshine, there’s plenty of room
to hang out and make the most of the season.

The Official Carifest After Party
2026-08-16 21:00 (America/Edmonton) | Modern Love, 613 11 Ave Sw, Calgary, T2R 0E1
After Carnival In D’Park – We Fete!

Keep the energy going for the Official Carifest After Party! Local and International Caribbean DJ’s All On One Stage!

Hosted by Drew Atlas featuring Jus Jay (Barbados) DJ Becks (St.Vincent & The Grenadines), King Mars (Jamaica/St.Kitts & Nevis), DJ Suppa D (Trinidad & Tobago) and DJ Majesti (Trinidad & Tobago)

Location: Modern Love (613 11 Ave SW, Calgary, AB ) Time: 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
18+

Brewery & the Beast
2026-08-23 14:00 - 17:00 (America/Edmonton) | The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland, 750 9 Avenue Southeast, Calgary, T2G 5E1
With more than 35 Brewery & the Beast events hosted in Western Canada, we welcome our guests to good times, exceptional food, refreshing beverages, live music + support for local charities. We’re stoked for you to join us!

Savour world-class food and beverage
Interact with top chefs and restaurateurs
Spend quality time with friends & family in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
Learn More about Brewery & the Beast

Great Outdoors Comedy Festival
2026-08-28, 2026-08-29, 2026-08-30 | Prince’s Island Park, Calgary, Alberta
The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival is a no minors event (18+ in Alberta) – including infants/babies. Get ready to laugh under the open sky! Join us as we showcase an incredible lineup of comedic talent—ranging from local gems to superstar headliners—all in the stunning backdrop of our beloved parks and communities across the nation. Come for the jokes, stay for the scenery, and let the good times roll!

Calgary ReggaeFest 2026
2026-08-28 16:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-29 15:00 - 22:00 (America/Edmonton) | The Rise, Calgary, T2E 4E2
Join us August 28 & 29 for Calgary’s premier celebration of reggae music and Caribbean culture at The Rise on St. Patrick’s Island.
More than a music festival, Calgary ReggaeFest is a pulsating rhythm of unity, culture, and celebration. There will be a beer stand by Village Brewery, food trucks, craft vendors, and a dance floor.

Party in the Park
2026-09-01 | Lougheed House, 707 13 Avenue Sw, Calgary, Ab, T2R0K8
An all-ages, pet-friendly outdoor celebration each September at Lougheed House. Enjoy live music, food and drink, lawn games, local vendors, and end-of-summer vibes in one of Calgary’s most beautiful green spaces. Free to attend and open to everyone.

Yvie Oddly’s ODDBALL
2026-09-04, 2026-09-05, 2026-09-06 | Dickens Pub, 1000 9 Ave, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2Y6
YVIE ODDLY’S ODDBALL
Drag & Designer Competition
Presented by The Cabaret Company
Sept 4 2026
Dickens Pub, Calgary
18+

Yvie Oddly, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11, she’s not only an incredible drag queen, but a performer, fashion designer rapper, and recording artist, and she is coming to Calgary for Pride!
In honour of the 5th special guest judge for The Cabaret Company’s annual drag competition, this year ALL competitors have been asked to create never before seen lewks — working with local designers — to win the title of Yvie’s ODDBALL of the night!
This show sells out every year and is packed! Do not delay, nab those early bird tickets now!
There will be standing room only for General Admission, a seated area for accessibility only, or choose to reserve a seat in the raised VIP section of Dickens.

Inglewood Night Market
2026-09-04 17:00 - 22:00 (America/Denver) | Inglewood Night Market, Inglewood 10th avenue and 11th Street SE, Calgary
Inglewood Night Market is a series of FREE summer night markets taking place in the heart of Inglewood. The markets have over 150 unique and local artisan vendors, food trucks, an all-ages licensed area & live music. The markets feature the best arts and culture talent Calgary has to offer. Come to shop and stay for the atmosphere!
