Event Centre
Priority Capital Projects Calgary's Event Centre and Culture + Entertainment District improvements
More than an event centre, this project continues the momentum underway to develop Calgary’s emerging Event Centre and Culture + Entertainment District and one of our newest downtown communities. It is the next step in Calgary’s renewal as a global city and international destination, as part of a total package that supports the downtown’s revitalization and recovery.
The Project
Together with downtown’s only community rink, the 6 Street S.E. underpass, street improvements and new public gathering places, a modern event centre positions Calgary to be a host city that attracts new concerts, performances, festivals and events that all Calgarians can enjoy.
These investments, along with ongoing development, will directly contribute to the quality of life of the 8,000 Calgarians, who will call this developing community home, and people visiting from all corners of the city.
They contribute to Calgary’s growing public spaces and amenities downtown for more people to explore and experience. They will join the newly designed Century Gardens and Eau Claire promenade, as well as St. George’s Island and Calgary’s Riverwalk to name a few. Our growing downtown is offering more places to visit and gather that will be accessible and well used by Calgarians and those visiting from out of town.
Ensuring Calgary continues to be an affordable and attractive city where people want to live, and visit, requires thoughtful and intentional effort. This project is one of many investments that we’re making to support Calgarians, Calgary’s communities and Calgary’s downtown.
Project update – November 27, 2023
Since definitive agreements were signed in October 2023, several streams of work are progressing concurrently to ensure a timely delivery of the Event Centre Block. The project team alongside the design consultants – DIALOG and HOK – have begun the design phase of the event centre, community rink, and surrounding public plazas. This work is in its early stages and will take several months to complete.
Simultaneous to the design work underway, the Development Manager – CAA ICON – is working to finalize a schedule that will outline target milestone dates to expect over the next year or so. This is expected in the spring or summer of 2024.
We are also gearing up to conduct early enabling works in the New Year to prepare the site for construction. This will include utility relocations, reconfiguration of 5 Street SE, and site clean-up.
As previously promised, we intend on sharing the definitive agreements once they are ready and all parties are ready to have them publicly available. As with all business agreements, the documents need to be reviewed first for proprietary and financially sensitive details before they can be released. This is ongoing and expected to take a few more weeks.
In the meantime, our Frequently Asked Questions include additional information you may be interested in.
Improvements
Benefits to Calgarians
Downtown recovery
A modern event centre is part of a total package that supports Calgary’s downtown recovery
It complements and supports other projects and programs that are underway, completed, and upcoming, which together, grow and build a successful and vibrant downtown for the next 40 years and beyond:
| UNDERWAY | UPCOMING | COMPLETED |
|---|---|---|
|
Event Centre |
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|
Community Rink |
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Project background
This agreement is the culmination of more than 15 months of work, as well as the lessons learned from the first round of event centre negotiations.
Committee and third party
Event Centre Committee
Event Centre Committee
On Oct. 25, 2022, as part of Council’s Organizational Meeting a new Event Centre Committee (ECC) membership was approved by Council. This Committee will continue the work already underway by the previous Committee’s members. The Event Centre Committee is comprised of five voting members:
Three Members of Council:
- Sonya Sharp; Councillor
- Andre Chabot; Councillor
- Terry Wong; Councillor
Two public members:
- Deborah Yedlin; President & CEO, Calgary Chamber of Commerce
- Brad Parry; President & CEO, Calgary Economic Development
The first ECC was held on April 4, 2022, at which time Councillor Sharp was confirmed as Chair and Deborah Yedlin as Vice Chair.
Third Party
Third Party
The City and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation have agreed to begin formal discussions with a fresh start towards a new event centre. We are pleased to move forward with CSEC with a collaborative approach to identify mutual interests and beneficial opportunities.
This milestone could not have happened without the efforts of the third party, whose team included Guy Huntingford, John Fisher, and Phil Swift, along with The City’s Event Centre Team and CSEC.
We are grateful for the third-party’s efforts, which has fulfilled Council’s original direction and their mandate to determine if there is a path forward to a new Event Centre with CSEC.
Project Partners
