Explore Downtown YYC

Current // Process + Place
2026-07-18, 2026-07-19, 2026-07-20, 2026-07-21, 2026-07-22, 2026-07-23, 2026-07-24, 2026-07-25 and 3 more dates | The New Gallery, 208 Centre St S, Calgary, T2G 2B6
Current is a new series of public art activations presented by The New Gallery (TNG), transforming the Bow River pathway into a flowing corridor of creativity. Connecting Calgary’s cultural landmarks and natural landscapes, these activations merge art, nature, and community through installation, performance, and interactive projects. It invites audiences to experience the city through the rhythm of the river and the energy of downtown life.
Presented by The New Gallery and supported by RISEUp Calgary, Current runs through July 6 – 30th, 2026.
Current brings together the works and creative processes of Calgary artists through installation, performance and socially engaged practice. At times ecological, social and deeply rooted in process, Current invites artists to slow down and work directly within the liminal space of the river’s edge, the histories it holds, its riparian habitat, transition to the urban environment, and the material relations both carried and deposited.
Artist participation is site-specific, and interventions are simultaneously temporary, time-based and socially engaged. Current merges an outdoor exhibition program with musical and movement-based performance, installation, sound, participatory workshops and facilitated interdisciplinary tours.

Drop-in Art Making
2026-07-18 13:00 - 17:00, 2026-07-25 13:00 - 17:30 (America/Edmonton) | Contemporary Calgary, 701 11 Street Southwest, Calgary, Ab, T2P 2C4
Embrace creativity and exploration in our Saturday Drop-in Art Making program. This program is offered most Saturdays from 1-5 PM throughout the year. Materials and light instruction are provided, along with rotating themes and activities.
Our programs encourage children, youth, and families to connect with modern and contemporary art through enjoyable and interactive creative experiences.
JULY SCHEDULE

July 4: Thaumatropes
July 11: Paper Puppets (Stampede Themed)
July 18: Pipecleaner Summer Flowers
July 25: Paper Pinwheels

In addition to the above activities, there will be both a collage and drawing station available for creative free time during each session.
These are drop-in sessions running from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Come anytime — no registration is required.

Soccer City FC - Presented by Calgary Wild FC
2026-07-19 | Peace Park, 2 Ave SW, Calgary, T2P
Free youth soccer is taking over Peace Park this summer, bringing high-energy, high-quality programming right to the heart of downtown. Whether your child or teen is trying soccer for the first time or building on their skills, these free programs offer a fun, positive, and accessible way to stay active and connected all summer long.
Delivered in partnership with The City, Cavalry FC, Calgary Wild FC, Calgary Minor Soccer Association and the Centre for Newcomers, this initiative creates meaningful opportunities for young people to learn, play, and thrive. With coaching led by Cavalry FC and Calgary Wild FC, participants get top-tier instruction at no cost, learning from the pros, building confidence, and experiencing the joy of the game in a supportive environment.

Soccer City FC – Presented by Cavalry FC & Suncor
2026-07-19 | Peace Park, 2 Ave SW, Calgary, T2P
Free youth soccer is taking over Peace Park this summer, bringing high‑energy, high‑quality programming right to the heart of downtown. Whether a child or teen is trying soccer for the first time or building on their skills, these free clinics offer a fun, positive, and accessible way to stay active and connected all summer long.
Delivered in partnership with The City of Calgary, Cavalry FC, Calgary Wild FC, Calgary Minor Soccer Association, and the Centre for Newcomers, this initiative creates meaningful opportunities for young people to learn, play, and thrive. With coaching led by Cavalry FC and Calgary Wild FC, participants receive top‑tier instruction at no cost while learning from the pros, building confidence, and experiencing the joy of the game in the heat of the city.
When: June 7 – September 20, most Sundays Who: Youth ages 8–17 Where: Peace Park (2 Avenue & 8 Street SW) Weather: Clinics may be cancelled if conditions are unsafe

Monday Rap Night by Tribe Cypher
2026-07-20 17:00 - 19:30, 2026-07-27 17:00 - 19:30 (America/Boise) | Werklund Centre, 205 8th Avenue SE, Calgary
Every Monday
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Werklund Centre, formerly Arts Commons, 205 8 Ave S.E.Room: Arts Learning CentreAge: 18+Cost: Free
Schedule:5:00-5:30 p.m. – Snack, Chill, Network5:30-6:00 p.m. – Smudge
6:00-6:30 p.m. – Mini Workshop
6:30-7:30 p.m. – Cypher

River Hall YYC
2026-07-23 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-07-24 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-07-25 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-07-26 11:00 - 22:00 (America/Edmonton) | 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.

Surge City Hoops Summer Series
2026-07-23 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-28 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Edmonton) | Century Gardens Basketball Courts, 826 8 Ave Sw, Calgary, T2P 1H7
This summer, the Calgary Surge & The City of Calgary’s Downtown Strategy team have partnered to bring back Surge City Hoops, and our FREE youth basketball clinics to the heart of our city.
Join us for free basketball clinics every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from June through September, hosted at the ﻿Century Gardens Basketball Courts (826 8 Avenue SW).
Open to youth ages 8 to 17, these clinics are all about building skills, boosting confidence, and having fun on the court—whether you’re a beginner or looking to take your game to the next level. Surrounded by the downtown energy and led by experienced coaches, this is your chance to train, play, and grow in one of Calgary’s most iconic outdoor spaces.

Contemporary Connections: Tagalog Tour
2026-07-24 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Edmonton) | Contemporary Calgary, 701 11 Street Southwest, Calgary, Ab, T2P 2C4
Admission: Free with advance registration; walk-ins welcome, space permitting

Exhibition Tour: Ghazaleh Avarzamani: Churn, Earn, Burn and then Return

Duration: 30-minute guided tour, followed by a post-tour conversation and optional mini mixer

Guide: Sophie Garcia is a Filipino educator and curator living and working in Mohkinstsis, Treaty 7 Territory. Originally from Manila, she immigrated to Canada in 2019 and draws on her lived experience as a newcomer in both her art and teaching practice. She is passionate about sharing diverse voices within the Canadian art landscape through community-rooted work in educational and artistic spaces. She has facilitated art workshops for children, newcomers, and older adults alongside non-profit organizations and has organized exhibitions across Calgary. Her curatorial work explores how belonging, memory, and identity are shaped by and rooted in the land. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Education with a minor in Museum & Heritage Studies from the University of Calgary, and currently teaches with the Calgary Board of Education.

Contemporary Connections is supported by program partner Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation (ICAI)

Art as a Language by Adrian Stimson
2026-07-24 15:45 - 16:45, 2026-07-28 03:45 - 04:45 (America/Edmonton) | Central Library – Shaikh Family Welcome Gallery (West), 800 3rd Street Southeast, Calgary, Ab, T2G 0E7
Join us to explore a powerful public artwork by Siksiká Nation artist Adrian Stimson that celebrates Indigenous storytelling and culture.
Join Jasmine MacGregor as she presents Art as Language, a powerful public artwork by Siksiká Nation artist Adrian Stimson that explores the connection between Indigenous language, culture, and identity. Inspired by traditional Blackfoot pictographs, winter counts, ledger drawings, and petroglyphs, the installation transforms symbolic storytelling into a three-dimensional experience using steel and aluminum forms. Created in consultation with Blackfoot knowledge keepers, the work reflects the histories and territories of Mohkínsstsisi (Calgary). Through the interaction of wall and floor elements, Stimson invites viewers to experience an Indigenous way of communicating, where language is physical, visual, and deeply connected to memory, resilience, and community.
This event is repeated on Tuesday, July 28.

Little Bean Comedy
2026-07-24 20:30 - 22:00 (America/Edmonton) | Alcove Beltline, 1040 8 Street Southwest, Calgary, Ab, T2R 1K2
Join Little Bean Comedy for a special series tackling climate change the only way we know how: by telling jokes. Featuring local comedians, this event creates space for conversations and much needed laughs in the face of challenges that can often feel overwhelming. Come connect with community and briefly forget the heat waves.

Please reach out to the Little Bean Comedy’s Instagram with any questions about this event
Click here to register your spot. Registration available at the door.
For Ages 18+
Free Admission

*Please note Alcove Beltline is not wheelchair accessible, and has a few steps to enter.

Inglewood Sunfest
2026-07-25 11:00 - 19:00 (America/Edmonton) | 9 Avenue Southeast, 9 Ave Se, Calgary
Welcome to the Inglewood Sunfest
A stylish summer festival in the heart of Inglewood.
We’re here to celebrate, engage, entertain, and delight.
See you July 25, 2026 from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
At Sunfest, there is fun for everyone. Visit 9th Ave SE in Inglewood for a day of free entertainment, shopping, food trucks and patios!
Inglewood is host to over 200 vendors that include artisan crafts, small businesses, community organizations and more!

Acoustic Afternoons with Rockit Vocal Studios featuring Evie Marsten, Shaya Istace, and Addy Watson
2026-07-25 11:30 - 23:59 (America/Edmonton) | 438 9 Ave SE, 438 9 Ave Se, Calgary, T2G 1R1
Join Rockit Vocal Studios as they take over Acoustic Afternoons at the King Eddy. This family-friendly brunch show will feature live music by local artists Evie Marsten, Shaya Istace, and Addy Watson.
Evie Marsten is a 15-year-old farm-living singer/songwriter who has been writing and performing since the age of nine. A talented multi-instrumentalist, Evie plays bass, guitar, banjo, ukulele, mandolin, and drums.
Shaya Istace is a 17-year-old up-and-coming country artist from Whitewood, Saskatchewan, blending modern and classic country with a style inspired by Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson.
From Whitecourt, Alberta, Addy Watson is a powerhouse in the country rock scene, known for her raspy, upbeat vocals and electric stage presence. Blending the grit of Joan Jett with the heart of Miranda Lambert and the soul of Lainey Wilson, Addy brings a fierce authenticity to every performance, whether she’s lighting up a festival stage or a hometown concert.

A Long Dramatic Pause
2026-07-25 14:00 - 14:30 (America/Edmonton) | Contemporary Calgary, 701 11 St Sw, Calgary, T2P 2C4
A Long Dramatic Pause is a live performance that explores strategies of resistance against ultranationalism and far-right politics through the languages of photography and theatre. Performed by Cindy Ansah and co-developed with artist Erdem Taşdelen, the narrative comprises 12 dramatic scenes that describe a photographic image, never showing it directly but rather bringing it to life through re-enactment and visual analysis.At the heart of the photograph being described is a young woman, a figure of solidarity and defiance with whom the audience can identify. As the performer moves between observing and embodying this antifascist figure, the narrative gradually implicates the audience as if they had been unknowing protagonists in the image all along. With this, their focus shifts away from the performer towards their own agency and collective presence.A Long Dramatic Pause is a process-based project developed anew with each staging. Every version emerges from a collaboration between the artist and a new performer, guided by a set of graphic scores created specifically for the work.The first staging of A Long Dramatic Pause took place in London (UK) in September 2025. This second staging at Contemporary Calgary marks the performance’s Canadian premiere.
