Happy Labour Day Weekend, Calgary! Did you know Calgary and Edmonton’s football teams have squared off 56 times on labour day since 1969? Head to McMahon Stadium this afternoon, cheer on the Stamps for the 57th time and wear black. After that, I recommend swinging by Cabin Brewing for Name That Tune music trivia later in the evening. Tickets are only $10, which covers your first drink!
This is also your last week to check out the pop-up Roller Rink in Southcentre Mall, near Sport Chek. Bring a non-perishable food donation for the Calgary Food Bank, and you and the kids can enjoy half an hour of skating bliss. There’s even a retro-looking “living room” set-up in the middle, which makes for a great photo op. We love that rollerskating is returning to Calgary, especially with SkyCastle Roller Rink opening soon. Read more about that in our September issue.
This Wednesday, Can-Con legend k-os is playing a set of funk and rap at Dickens. You might recognize the openers; Sled Island’s festival manager Hemen Tor-Agbidye’s rap project The Blue, and Calgary’s Transit22 are kicking the night off in style. -insert time and date-
That same day, Inside Out Theatre is opening its production of Static: A Party Girl’s Memoir at the new Erratics Indie Arts Club. This is the debut production of this script from legally blind performer Ashley King, who is also the artistic associate of Inside Out. You can learn more about Static in Sarah Comber’s feature article in this month’s issue of The Scene!
Thursday is amateur night at YukYuks, and as they put it, “The shows can be good, bad, or so bad they’re great.” Tickets are only five bucks, but the laughs are free.
Blue Jay Sessions, one of Calgary’s coolest hidden gems, is celebrating its fifth anniversary on Thursday and Friday with two days of diverse music presented by Craig Senyk Initiatives. This ongoing songwriter series usually occurs at The Prairie Emporium down south, but it will be at the Mamdani Opera Centre this time.
Dandyfest is bringing loud tunes and tasty beers to Ramsay all Saturday long. With two sessions featuring more than 20 breweries and tons of rad local bands like Dial-Up performing, Dandyfest is quickly becoming one of my favourite ways to end the summer. Check Dandy Brewings’ website for details, schedule and more!
Head back to McMahon Stadium over the weekend for Calgary Ribfest, a free, family-friendly festival devoted to smoked meats and good vibes. There’s even a stage where you can catch a Tragically Hip cover band!
Lastly, wrap the weekend up at the Max Bell Centre on Sunday with the 1616 Hyundai HockeyFest, North America’s largest street hockey festival! The festival features games, music, food vendors and interactive games, all supporting the Ladd Foundation, which aims to improve mental health in youth hockey. Attendance is free but fills up quickly, so get there at 9 a.m.! And if you have a street hockey team that’s dying to compete, visit 1616.org to register.
For more events and things to do around the city, pick up the September issue of The Scene, which hits stands this week.
