Aryn Toombs

The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) embarked on an ambitious plan in 2024 to celebrate their 25th anniversary, and one that carried some risk for the organization. With the closure of the Eau Claire Cineplex, the annual film festival was forced to find other venues to host movies. This resulted in a constellation strategy that […]

This year marks a major milestone for Calgary, namely the creation of Fort Calgary by the North West Mounted Police at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers in 1875. Some 150 years later, Calgarians will likely have a different take on the paramilitary force that was formed in 1873 during the government of […]

The Calgary Stampede Parade might be more than five months away but the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth is looking to get community groups involved now in preparations. The Stampede called for more entries from community, cultural, and performing groups on Jan. 21, ahead of the deadline for parade entries on Feb. 15. The goal […]

Until Jan. 31, the Youth Singers of Calgary (YSC) are offering aspiring singers the chance to try out one of their rehearsals, for free, with the goal to get more Calgarians harmonized. Megan Emmett, CEO of Youth Singers of Calgary, said that many people in the city like the idea of singing, but aren’t sure […]

Now in its fourth year, Jupiter Theatre’s Europa New Works Festival is set to continue to help audiences explore new theatrical works well before they hit the stage. Each year, the festival helps to incubate new Canadian theatre productions and help give artists’ audience feedback. But for the first time, the festival is expanding to […]

When the average Calgarian thinks about Calgary city council meetings, theatre is probably not the first word that comes to mind. Sure, spicy hot takes have the more politically-inclined crowd turning into the latest episode of Council Island instead of Love Island, but municipal engagement is not the first take for heady theatrical engagement. Or […]

Calgary’s reputation as a place to not only create films, but live as a filmmaker, has been on the rise. This year the city placed fifth on MovieMaker Magazine’s best places to live and work as a moviemaker in 2025 list, moving up from eighth in 2023, and a dual placement of 10th in 2022 […]

Increased funding for the Alberta Foundation of the Arts (AFA) via the Government of the Alberta is set to lead to larger grants for Calgary’s artistic community. The maximum eligible grant amount of $15,000 for individual artists is set to grow to $18,000. The total amount of funding for the AFA is set to increase […]

A survey of Indigenous tourism operators, done by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), has led to early indications of the fears that firms are having about the impacts of tariffs on their businesses. The survey, which was launched on Jan. 23, and had a high overnight response rate from Alberta based operators, has […]

Alberta’s Indigenous tourism economy is set to grow to over $140 million by 2026, thanks in part to a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Tourism Calgary and Indigenous Tourism Alberta (ITA). The MOU was signed on Jan. 23, at the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino in Tsuut’ina, and reflects a $1 million commitment […]