GlobalFest closes out its run at its new Spruce Meadows home with fireworks and a 600-drone show, the last outdoor slide day of the season lands Sunday, and a T. rex is still holding court at TELUS Spark. This is the final weekend before school goes back.
Twelve things worth doing in Calgary, with times, addresses and what each one costs.
GlobalFest
Festival
GlobalFest has moved to Spruce Meadows this year after years at Elliston Park, and the extra room shows. More than 20 cultural pavilions, 30-plus food trucks, an artisan night market, and the part everyone comes for: international fireworks plus a 600-drone display billed as the largest in Alberta. Sunday is the closing night. The venue change means the old Elliston parking knowledge is useless, so give yourself far more time than you think, and check the gate time on your ticket rather than the fireworks time.
When: Thursday, August 27 to Sunday, August 30
Where: Spruce Meadows, 18011 Spruce Meadows Way SW
Cost: General admission from $39 adults, from $15 for kids 3 to 12
Last Ride Down the Thunder Slide
Family
Village Square Leisure Centre sends off its Thunder Slide for the season on Sunday, and closing day at a city pool is a genuinely fun, cheap outing. It runs the full day, so go late morning if you want a shorter lineup, because the after-lunch crowd is what turns a five-minute wait into twenty.
When: Sunday, August 30, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Village Square Leisure Centre, 2623 56 Street NE
Cost: Standard admission, see website
SUE: The T.Rex Experience
Family
SUE is the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever found, and the touring exhibition built around her is at TELUS Spark into the autumn. It is the strongest indoor option in the city right now for kids who are dinosaur-obsessed and not quite ready for the drive to Drumheller. Buy timed entry online, because walk-up on a long-weekend afternoon is how you end up waiting.
When: Saturday and Sunday
Where: TELUS Spark Science Centre, 220 St Georges Drive NE
Cost: See website
Where Dark Things Dwell
Adventure
Heritage Park turns its grounds into what it calls Calgary's largest outdoor escape room, running through to Halloween. It is a proper walk-and-solve experience across a historic village rather than one locked room, which makes it work for a group. Worth knowing it leans spooky, so gauge it against younger kids before you book.
When: Saturday and Sunday, check session times
Where: Heritage Park Historical Village, 1900 Heritage Drive SW
Cost: See website
Now Boarding: Open Aircraft Days
Family
The Hangar Flight Museum opens up its aircraft so you can climb in rather than read a placard beside them, and it runs to September 7. This is one of the most underrated family outings in Calgary and it is never as busy as it should be. Ask which aircraft are open the day you go, because the roster rotates.
When: Saturday and Sunday, through September 7
Where: The Hangar Flight Museum, 4629 McCall Way NE
Cost: See website
Sunday Safari Brunch at the Calgary Zoo
Family
Brunch with a view into the animal habitats, which is a soft sell for getting everyone out the door early on a Sunday. Book ahead, because it is a set seating rather than a drop-in, and pair it with the zoo itself first thing while the animals are at their most active in the cooler morning air.
When: Sunday, August 30
Where: Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, 210 St Georges Drive NE
Cost: See website
Millarville Farmers Market
Market
Half an hour southwest of the city and worth the drive, this is one of the best rural markets in the province and it runs Saturday mornings into October. Late August is peak Alberta produce. Get there early, both for parking in the field lot and because the good baking is gone by mid-morning.
When: Saturday, August 29, morning
Where: Millarville Racetrack, 306097 192 Street West
Cost: Free to enter
Louis Riel's Diary and the work of David Garneau
Culture
This one closes Sunday, so it is now or not at all. The Military Museums pairs Louis Riel's diary with contemporary work by Métis artist David Garneau, and it is a more thoughtful hour than the venue name suggests. The museums themselves are worth the admission on their own if you have never been.
When: To Sunday, August 30
Where: The Military Museums, 4520 Crowchild Trail SW
Cost: See website
Behind the Stampede: An Insider Tour
Heritage
A guided look at how the Stampede actually gets built and run, from the Sam Centre on the grounds. Going in the off-season is the point, because you get the story without the July crowds standing in it. Good for visitors who keep hearing about Stampede and have never seen the grounds empty.
When: Saturday and Sunday, check tour times
Where: Sam Centre, 1410 Olympic Way SE
Cost: See website
Beyond the History Books at The Confluence
Heritage
The site formerly known as Fort Calgary, retold from the perspectives the fort version left out. The programming here has been rebuilt from the ground up and it is now one of the better places in the city to understand how Calgary actually came to be. The riverside parkland is free to walk even if you skip the indoor exhibits.
When: Saturday and Sunday, to October 8
Where: The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland, 750 9 Avenue SE
Cost: See website
Secret Impro Show
Comedy
Loose Moose has been Calgary's improv home for decades and the Secret Impro Show is exactly what it sounds like: the cast does not tell you the format in advance. Tickets are cheap by any standard, and it is the easiest low-commitment night out on this list.
When: Saturday, August 29, check showtime
Where: Loose Moose Theatre, 1235 26 Avenue SE
Cost: See website
Downtown Walking Tours
Free
Calgary Public Library runs guided walks from Memorial Park through to late September, and they are free. It is the cheapest way to learn something about the city you live in, and the Memorial Park starting point is the oldest library building in Alberta, which is a decent opening act. Register ahead, because spots are limited.
When: Through September 24, check schedule
Where: Memorial Park Library, 1221 2 Street SW
Cost: Free
Editor's Pick: GlobalFest on Sunday for the closing night. The move to Spruce Meadows gives it far more room than Elliston ever had, and a 600-drone show plus international fireworks is not something Calgary gets twice a year. Leave early and treat the drive as part of the plan.
Know an event we missed? Tag us @culturealberta or email hello@culturealberta.com.
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