Event Technical Services request forms must be submitted at least 60 days prior to the event.

Event Technical Services has an inventory of equipment that may be available to rent for your event. Equipment includes tents, stage decking, fencing, and bike racks. Your Event Liaison will work with you to determine availability of equipment and crew and provide the required forms. Submitting the Event Technical Services request form alone does not confirm the booking as resources are limited.

Related topic

Site plans

Parks that are used for festivals and special events are parks first and are to be treated as such. Organizers must make every effort to keep the site clean and leave it as it was found before the event. Many of the guidelines and policies are in place to protect the park and ensure that all Calgarians can enjoy them safely. Failure to adhere to these may result in forfeit of damage deposit, additional fines levied, termination of event in progress or denial of future permit requests.

All festivals and events must adhere to the Festival and Event Manual, Parks Bylaws, and Parks Conditions. Additional Parks Conditions specific to the festival and event venue will be included in Schedule “C” – Special Conditions and Advisory Comments of the Service Standard Agreement.

1. The event organizer must clearly communicate Parks conditions and set up plan to all vendors, subcontractors and event deliveries and be onsite to supervise set up.
2. All utilities and irrigation lines must be properly located before any tents or other structures are staked to the ground and locate ticket must be presented to City of Calgary Liaison prior to set up. Weights are to be used on all hard surfaces. Failure to locate utilities or irrigation could result in Parks permit not being issued.
   • For utilities: Contact both Alberta One Call and a 3rd party locator, e.g. Tracker, at least 2 weeks before set up to ensure all utility lines have been located
   • For irrigation: Call 311 (403-268-2489 if calling from outside Calgary) at least 3 business days prior to set up to have Parks irrigation lines located in your event area and request to turn the automatic sprinkler system off for the duration of your permit
   • Structures must be a minimum of 1 metre away from marked lines
3. Alcohol
   • If served in a separate fenced off area, the maximum capacity is to be no more than 10% of approved expected attendance or per Fire occupancy load, whichever is lower
   • If a site wide liquor license request is made, Parks is open to supporting such a request on a case by case basis, providing the appropriate approvals and restrictions are identified by the AGLC and Calgary Fire and any other applicable business units
   • Where alcohol is served or sold, the event organizer must obtain an extension to normal general liability insurance to include Host Liquor Liability
4. Power
   • All generators must be fully grounded, placed on a protective surface, in a fenced off location. All cables must be clearly marked and covered to prevent a tripping hazard. A spill kit with an absorbent material must be on site in case of a spill.  A large spill requires hazmat to be called.
   • Generators under 7KW can be supplied by event organizer and conditions above must be followed
   • Generators over 7KW must be provided by Calgary Parks preferred vendor as per detailed power plan submitted to Calgary Recreation Liaison prior to event. Power plans must be submitted 30 days prior to event.
     • Any extra power request will be charged back to event organizer
     • Additional fees may be charged if the event organizer or site manager is not present during set up
     • The event organizer must ensure the security of equipment at all times, and especially when equipment is to be left overnight. Any theft or loss of equipment will be charged back to event organizers.
5. If possible, all portable toilets should be placed on gravel or asphalt surfaces and accessible for servicing
6. Do not hang or tape any banners, flyers or signs, etc from any trees, shrubs or other parks features
7. No helium or air balloons permitted
8. Please use chalk only to mark layout requirements on any hard surfaces. Suitable marking paint may be use on turf grass areas only.
9. Vehicles
   • All vehicles must have prior approval from Parks to access and drive in the park
   • Vehicles needed for the event may be brought to the site to drop off and / or pick up passengers, performers, props and other equipment only. Then vehicles must be parked off site for the duration of the event.
   • Vehicles must have hazard light flashing and must not exceed 10km speed limit and have spotters to supervise vehicles load-in in the park
   • If ground conditions are wet ONLY approved vehicles to be positioned via a ‘plywood highway’ and plywood placed under wheels to prevent damage to turf and other park features
   • Plywood or protective surface to be placed under engine to prevent damage to turf and other park features
   • Avoid driving on irrigation boxes
   • There is no onsite parking
   • Please adhere to our Anti idling policy: Vehicles must not be parked with the engine operating for more than five minutes unless it is essential for performance of work.
10. Any freezer, beer, food, security or other heavy vehicle left on the turf for any length of time will require a protective surface underneath tires and engine. Also if driving over the turf you will be need to drive over a plywood road in order to park the equipment and proceed the same way out.
11. Propane bottles must be properly secured and placed on a protected surface to prevent turf damage
12. A fire-resistant grease proof protective surface must be placed under all barbeques and grills to prevent damage to park features. All BBQ’s and grills must have an operational fire extinguisher present.
13. All grey water containers must be self contained, removed and emptied off site at an approved facility, on a regular cycle. Place a tray underneath the containers and have an absorbent material on hand in case of a spill.
14. Organizers are responsible to remove all litter, garbage, recycling, and food/organic waste from the site during and immediately after
15. Any damage or theft to turf, park features or electrical equipment as well as any additional clean up required by the City will be charged back to the event organizers
16. Additional fees may be charged if any equipment remains on the site after the scheduled strike date
17. If you use music as part of your event, you must obtain a SOCAN and/or Re-Sound performing rights licence. Proof of current or previous year’s license is required.

Related topics

• Site plans
• Tents and temporary structures
• Waste management

Event organizers need to adhere to the temporary sign bylaw, which explains the need to preserve the non-commercial nature of public parks, vegetation protection, and overall site appearance. Example guidelines:

• Banners should be clean, in good repair and hung in an attractive way using tension to keep stretched tightly
• No tape is allowed when fastening any signage
• Numbers of banners and event signage may be restricted if deemed excessive or redundant
• Signage must not be attached to trees or other vegetation
• Dependent upon location of placement, City staff may be required to install signage

Related topics

• Parks conditions
• Promotions and using City logos

All tents and temporary structures must be indicated on the site plan, including dimensions.

If a tent (or cluster of tents) exceeds a total of 60 square metres (645 square feet), organizers need to apply for a Building Permit from Building Regulations at least 45 days before the event start date. A cluster is any collection of tents within 3 metres (10 feet) of each other. Stages (including permanent and semi-permanent), scaffolding, and bleachers may also require a Building Permit.

• All tents (including pop-ups) must be certified to CAN UCL S109 fire rating. No exceptions.
• Propane tanks may not be placed inside a structure
• Cooking may be allowed under a canopy (tent with no walls or maximum one wall)
• No open flame cooking appliances are permitted in tents or canopies, and all open flames must be located at least one (1) meter from the tent
• All cooking surfaces must be located at least one (1) meter from the general public
• The size locations of all tents should be clearly indicated on the site map, along with the spacing between tents and other structures

Tents, fences, and other non-freestanding structures need to be adequately secured for safety reasons. Staking may be allowed in some parks pending Parks approval. No staking is allowed on hard surfaces or roadways. Event organizers must schedule utility locates to mark utility lines prior to any work being done, as per the Locates section above.

The City of Calgary policies for electrical and plumbing/gas also contain regulations and requirements for tents where there are cooking appliances, electricity, propane, or other fuel sources involved or proposed for use in connection within these temporary structures/tents.

Check with your Event Liaison if large amounts of propane or electrical set up are at your event and require an inspection from either discipline.

Related topics and resources

• Locates, digging or staking
• Temporary outdoor tents and canopies

All festivals and events are required to comply with the Waste Bylaw 4M2020 to divert recyclables, food and yard waste from the landfills. To assist with compliance, The City of Calgary asks all event organizers create a Waste and Recycling Management Plan.

Your event’s Waste and Recycling Management Plan should consider several factors related to garbage collection and waste diversion:

• Garbage and other waste materials should be cleaned up daily and at the conclusion of the event by the event organizer. Organizers are responsible for cleanup of all aspects of the event, including the actions of patrons, third party vendors or sponsors.
• Event organizers are required to divert recycling and food/organics from the landfill. To minimize excessive landfilled waste and garbage clean-up, organizers should consider measures such as limiting the types of materials brought onto the site to those that can be recycled or composted and donating leftover edible food. Signage should be put up on each waste disposal bin/area so that event patrons know where to properly dispose of their waste.
• Dumpsters that are on-site in some City parks may be used for the disposal of event-related garbage bags. Only garbage may be placed in dumpsters labeled/designated as "garbage only". Where permitted for disposal, recycling and food and yard waste must be disposed of in appropriate designated recycling and food & yard waste dumpsters. However, where dumpsters are not available, event organizers are required to arrange for the removal of garbage bags from the site at their own cost. In some cases, the event organizer may be required to supply a dumpster at the event site or pay for dumping costs at their expense.
• Most park facilities do not have sewage facilities to support the disposal of liquid waste. No liquid or frozen material including beverages, ice, wastewater, paint, grease, and soap may be dumped on the site or into any bodies of water. Storm water sewers are never to be used to dump liquid waste.
• All liquid waste is to be disposed of using liquid waste receptacles supplied by the event organizer and removed at the completion of an event for appropriate depositing at an approved location. This requirement is especially significant where there are food and beverage sales on-site. Final disposal of liquid waste must be done in accordance with the City Drainage Bylaw or according to some other method approved by Alberta Health Services.
• Prior approval is required before hazardous materials such as fuels, paints, fireworks, pressurized gases, solvents etc. may be brought into the event venue or used on-site. Safety standards and labeling procedures as outlined in Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) apply.
• If needles are found, secure the area and call 311 for assistance in disposal.

The City of Calgary requires event organizers to pursue greening initiatives as part of their overall event strategy to reduce potable water consumption, energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste. For further information, please speak with your Event Liaison.

Related topic

Parks conditions