What’s Up This Weekend?

March 3 to 5

March 3; Late Night at The GRAND: Professor Bad Trip, spend your night discovering the kaleidoscopic sounds in this program of boundary-pushing works curated by Associate Conductor Karl Hirzer. He leads Calgary Philharmonic musicians in Franco Romitelli’s psychedelic tour-de-force, Professor Bad Trip. Spectral music pioneer Gérard Griséy’s Périodes opens the concert, which includes projections by visual artists to enhance your experience in the intimate setting of The GRAND. Learn more at calgaryphil.com.

March 4, 11am to 1pm; KIDS STUDIO: Experimental Painting with Sabine Lecorre-Moore, led by local artist, Sabine Lecorre-Moore, participants will head into Esker’s galleries to draw inspiration from the artworks in Margaux Williamson’s exhibition, Interiors; then head back into the studio space to make experimental paintings of their own. Learn more at eventbrite.ca.

March 4, 12pm to 2pm; Contemporary Teens: The Self-Portrait Workshop, for youth ages 12 to 18. Free onsite Contemporary Teens programs help inspire young people through the exploration of contemporary art, connecting them to communal, global, and social issues that affect all our lives at Contemporary Calgary. Learn more at prod5.agileticketing.net.

March 4, 2:15pm to 3:15pm; Coding Lab for Kids: Code Your First App, code and create as a family with Swift Playgrounds using iPad at the Apple Store in Chinook Centre. Kids will experiment with code and design an app using the About Me playground. They’ll use Swift code to customize their app with fun fonts, background colors, Memoji and more. Then you’ll work together to bring their app to life. Recommended for kids ages 10 and up. Devices will be provided. Learn more at apple.com.

March 4; Winter Wonderland Guided Hike at Chester Lake, the adventure takes you to a forested trail that leads to an alpine meadow and the lake below Mount Chester. It is 9.7km round trip 424m of elevation gain. Learn more at eventbrite.ca.

March 4, 8am to 10am; Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo – FOCUSED, shutterbugs (ages 16 and older) will have exclusive access to Exploration Asia to capture stunning photography of iconic wildlife – from camels to tigers and everything in between. Learn more at calgaryzoo.com.

March 4 to 5; HOLI HUNGAMA – FESTIVAL OF COLOURS, SPARQ PRODUCTIONS is proud to present the eighth annual Holi Hungama – Festival of Colours! The FESTIVAL OF COLOURS event at the Magnolia Banquet have been memorable nights with Albertans from all backgrounds, ethnicities and walks of life, celebrating the festival as one big family. Learn more at SPARQPRODUCTIONS.COM.

March 4 to 5; Women’s History Walking Tour, get ready for International Women’s Day with a guided walking tour of the lands around Fort Calgary. You’ll discover some of the hidden histories of women who made an impact — learn about the important role of women in Indigenous winter camps, get to know the women who aided (and opposed!) the North West Mounted Police, and find out why women have long been overlooked in stories about the lands of Fort Calgary. Learn more at fortcalgary.com.

March 5, 2pm to 4pm; Michaels Make Break: Sheroes Banner, Michaels runs Make Break, for kids of all ages to enjoy crafting fun. With some of the crafts, an additional purchase will add fun to it, but all supplies are included for these free crafts at participating Michaels stores. Learn more at canada.michaels.com.

March 5, 3pm to 4:30pm, The Calgary Philharmonic Presents Beethoven Lives Upstairs, young Christoph is quite upset when the composer Beethoven moves into his late father’s upstairs office. Being completely deaf, Beethoven is neither aware of nor cares about the noise he creates, and Christoph writes his uncle concerned about the ‘madman’ living upstairs. Through their letters, we learn about Beethoven as he works on his ninth symphony. Come early for the Instrument Discovery Zoo at 2pm. Program and artists are subject to change without notice. Learn more at calgaryphil.com.

March 5, 3pm to 4pm; Music Lab for Kids: Making a Theme Song, create a theme song for your favorite show, book or game using GarageBand on iPad at the Apple Store Chinook Centre. We’ll cover rhythm basics and kids will get hands-on with experimenting with Smart Drums, adding pre-recorded loops and remixing their theme song. Bring your iPad or one will be provided. Recommended for ages eight to 12. Learn more at apple.com.

Until March 5; Rock the Nation, The National Music Centre presents Rock the Nation at Studio Bell, a rousing theatrical production celebrating and honoring Canada’s remarkable musical legacy. Experience it all live on stage, and journey through the decades. Learn more at studiobell.ca.

Until March 5; ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championship, the championship takes place at WinSport. Experience the annual event of young skaters from around the world competing for the world junior titles in men’s, ladies’, pairs and ice dance.  Learn more at winsport.ca.

March 5; HAA and PJ Library Community Purim Carnival, Halpern Akiva Academy and PJ Library hosts a Community Purim Carnival full of family fun complete with carnival games, tickets, a bouncy house, prices, treats, food for purchase and more! Learn more at eventbrite.ca.

March 5; Guided snowshoe hike – Rummel Lake, the adventure takes you to a forested trail that leads to a beautiful alpine lake. The whole journey is stunning with some amazing views along the way. You will feel refreshed and empowered after this hike. Total distance is just under 12km round trip. This is an intermediate trip that has elevation gain. Learn more at eventbrite.ca.

Until March 5; Broadway Across Canada Presents: Anastasia, from the Tony Award-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family. Learn more at calgary.broadway.com.

Until March 5; The Bright Side Festival, the annual Bright Side Festival explores the theme of progress with five days of music, art, film and philosophy at Theatre 1308. Learn more at theatre1308.com.

Ongoing

Until March 11; Storybook Theatre Presents: Peter and the Starcatcher, Tony-winning Peter and the Starcatcher upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan). A wildly theatrical adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s best-selling novels, the play was conceived for the stage by directors, Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, and written by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Barker. From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores the depths of greed and despair… and the bonds of friendship, duty and love. Learn more at storybooktheatre.org.

Until March 12; Hockey: Faster Than Ever at TELUS Spark Science Centre, it is time to lace up some skates and learn about the technology, anatomy and physics that goes into this Canadian classic. Historical artifacts, including gear used by some of the greatest players of all time, are presented in innovative displays. Learn more at sparkscience.ca.

Until March 12; Tick, Tick … Boom! Before Rent, there was Tick, Tick… Boom!. This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, is the story of a composer and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in theatre. Containing 14 songs, ten characters, three actors and a rock band, Tick, Tick… Boom! takes you on the playwright/composer’s journey that led to a Broadway blockbuster. Learn more at artscommons.ca.

Until March 14; Skate the Olympic Oval, the public is welcome for public skating at the Oval – Calgary’s largest ice surface. Learn more at schedules.oval.ucalgary.ca.

Until March 19; Winsport Tube Park, the perfect activity for a day with family and friends. WinSport’s Tube Park is one of the fastest of its kind in Western Canada. Learn more at winsport.ca.

Until March 19; Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo – Penguin Walk, the 2023 Penguin Walk marks the 11th year of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s penguin walk. During the winter months, the king penguin colony heads out on zoo grounds for a daily enrichment walk to keep their brains and bodies healthy and visitors get to experience the fun. Learn more at calgaryzoo.com.

Until March 25; Jubilations Theatre Presents: Mama Mio, a singing and dancing sensation with music from ABBA, the most popular band of the disco era! With so many movies and musicals celebrating ABBA’s music, Jubilations is taking all the best of the ABBA music and movies and putting them into one classic Jubilations Dinner Theatre parody romp, Mamma Mio. Learn more at calgary.jubilations.ca.

Until March 25; Jubilations Theatre Presents: Freakish Friday, some people don’t like Mondays… but for this family, Fridays are the days you really gotta be worried about. Mom and daughter just can’t seem to see eye to eye. Why can’t each of them really understand what the other is going through? Well… they may want to be careful what they wish for! Learn more at jubilations.ca.

Until March 31; In Full Bloom: A celebration of artwork by and about women, ATB’s Branch for Arts and Culture (BFAC) is hosting an awe-inspiring exhibit titled “In Full Bloom” curated by Calgary-based multimedia artist, Miriam Fabijan. The art display includes pieces from 14 local female artists with diverse backgrounds and is rooted in celebrating the creative practices of women, with an emphasis on female and nature-inspired imagery and narratives. Learn more at eventbrite.ca.

Until April 9; Nightrise, this unique winter activity merges multimedia, storytelling and nature for a new and inspiring perspective at Banff Gondola. Learn more at banffjaspercollection.com.

Until April 16; Howie Tsui: Retainers of Anarchy at the Edison, featuring a 25-metre hand-drawn animation strip, this exciting exhibit brings together martial arts characters and techniques with the social and political realities of present-day Hong Kong. Learn more at glenbow.org.

Until April 16; Stage West Dinner Theatre Presents: Elvis Has Left The Building, in this whacky comedy, it’s December 20, 1970, and Elvis Presley has disappeared. No one, not even his wily manager, “The Colonel”, knows of his whereabouts. But the Colonel is all shook up because he has racked up a secret debt – and with the King himself missing, the only way to pay it off is to find an Elvis impersonator within 24 hours. Learn more at stagewestcalgary.com.

Until April 30; We Were Here: Stories from Early Chinatown, Gasoline Alley Museum welcomes a new exhibit from January 14 to April 30; We Were Here: Stories from Early Chinatown. Bring your family and come learn about Chinese history on the prairies through art and imagination, discover fictional stories written by members of the Chinese community and explore two iterations of Chinatown in Calgary. Learn more at heritagepark.ca.

Mobile Adventure Playgrounds. Join The City of Calgary for a self-directed, drop-in program that uses loose parts and natural materials to inspire active and creative outdoor play, and connect people, young and old, to nature. Visit calgary.ca/free for locations and details.

Calgary AfterSchool. Calgary AfterSchool offers free afterschool programs across Calgary. The programs are offered two to three days a week at various recreation facilities, community centres and community-based partner agencies. Visit calgary.ca/afterschool for locations and details.