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.
Chinatown Cha-Cha Film Screening
The Chinatown Pop-Up Movie Club x AMAAS presents a special screening of Chinatown Cha-Cha, featuring a Q&A with director Luka Yang and captivating dance performances.
Eastside Studio Crawl
Eastside Studio Crawl celebrates artistic expression and collaboration. An invitation to spend the day making new friends!
Culture Connect Festival
Multicultural festival featuring music, dance, crafts, exhibits and workshops that celebrate diverse cultures.
Recovery Day Alberta
Recovery Day Alberta is a free festival celebrating recovery, reducing stigma and connecting people to support and resources.
Calgary Harmony: A Celebration of Culture, Heritage and Community
Enjoy a group Tai Chi demonstration with 200+ participants, traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn and Double Ninth festival celebrations and an ethnocultural diversity showcase.
Serious Family Fun: Folk Tales
A magical, family-friendly mash-up of music, stories and fun! Create and star in an opera with masks, singing and imagination.
Culture Connect Festival
Multicultural festival featuring music, dance, crafts, exhibits and workshops that celebrate diverse cultures.
Festival of Lights: An Evening of Global Traditions
Celebrate light-related traditions from around the world with cultural booths, lantern-making workshops, live music, dance performances and a community lantern walk.
Hustle for the House
Join us for a high energy, family-friendly fun run and community festival where everyone can participate and have a blast!
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.