The Stampeders host BC in their Pink Power game on Saturday, Cavalry chases the CPL Shield at Spruce Meadows the same day, the Saddledome has hockey on all three days, and Calgary's biggest LEGO show fills MacEwan Hall. Add the last weekend of Wordfest and YYC Pizza Fest, a family Halloween movie at The Confluence and two more weekends of pumpkin patches, and it is a full one.
Saturday is the busiest day by a distance, with football at 5, soccer in the afternoon, the LEGO show all day and the farms open late. Sunday is quieter: LEGO again until 4, ParaNorman at The Confluence at 2 and the Flames at 6.
Fifteen things worth doing in Calgary this weekend, with times, addresses and what each one costs.
Stampeders vs BC Lions, Pink Power game
Sports
The Stamps' last home date of the regular season is their Pink Power game, celebrating women in the community and the importance of early breast-cancer detection, so wear pink. Kickoff is 5 p.m. Saturday against BC, and it is the Stamps' last game of the regular season. Tickets start around $32. Park at the university and walk in rather than fighting Crowchild, and bring a toque; it is late October.
When: Saturday, October 17, 5 p.m.
Where: McMahon Stadium, 1817 Crowchild Trail NW
Cost: From about $32
Cavalry FC vs Pacific FC
Sports
The club is billing it as the chase for the CPL Shield coming to ATCO Field: Cavalry host Pacific on Saturday with the race for the regular-season title coming down to the last weeks. Spruce Meadows' little stadium is the best atmosphere for the money in Calgary sport, and a title-race game is when it is loudest. It is a long drive south with no train, so leave early; kickoff time and tickets are on the club site.
When: Saturday, October 17 (kickoff time on the club site)
Where: ATCO Field, Spruce Meadows, 18011 Spruce Meadows Way SW
Cost: From about $27
Hockey all weekend at the Saddledome
Sports
Three games in three days in the Saddledome's farewell season: the Hitmen host Lethbridge on Friday at 7 p.m. and Red Deer on Saturday at 1 p.m., and the Flames take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at 6 p.m. The Saturday Hitmen matinee is the cheap family one, from about $19.75, and it is done in time to get to McMahon for the Stampeders. Flames tickets start around $35. Take the CTrain to Victoria Park/Stampede for all three.
When: Friday 7 p.m. (Hitmen), Saturday 1 p.m. (Hitmen), Sunday 6 p.m. (Flames)
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, 555 Saddledome Rise SE
Cost: Hitmen from about $19.75, Flames from about $35
Brick Roundup LEGO show
Family
Calgary's LEGO fan show moves into MacEwan Hall at the University of Calgary this year: hundreds of builds from fans across Western Canada, a vendor market for minifigures and sets, and Q&As with LEGO personalities. Kids under six are free with a paying adult, and the $40 family pack covers two adults and two kids. Buy ahead online or at the door; the morning is less crowded around the big layouts.
When: Saturday, October 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, October 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: MacEwan Hall, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW
Cost: Adults $15, children 6 to 17 $10, under 6 free, family pack $40
Wordfest's Imaginairium, final weekend
Culture
Wordfest's 31st Imaginairium, which bills itself as Canada's liveliest literary festival, runs to Sunday: 41 shows and 60 writers across the city this week, with the conversation-format shows running an hour and the signing line and a pop-up bookstore after. Single tickets are on sale for the final weekend's shows. Pick an author you have read, then buy the next book at the pop-up.
When: Through Sunday, October 18
Where: Various venues, including Memorial Park Library and the DJD Dance Centre
Cost: Single tickets vary; festival pass $249
Frightful Family Favourites: ParaNorman at The Confluence
Family
The Confluence screens ParaNorman, the stop-motion film about a boy who can talk to ghosts, in its Burnswest Theatre on Sunday afternoon: all ages, a small bag of popcorn included, and admission to the cultural centre thrown in. Doors are at 1:30 and the movie starts at 2. The Confluence asked people to register by October 15 and needs a minimum number to run it, so check that tickets remain before you go. Corpse Bride is next Sunday.
When: Sunday, October 18, 2 to 4 p.m. (doors 1:30)
Where: Burnswest Theatre, The Confluence, 750 9 Avenue SE
Cost: $12 plus fees
Clue the Musical at the Pumphouse
Culture
MisFit Theatre's fall show is the musical version of the board game, and the audience helps decide who killed Mr. Boddy, where and with what, so no two nights end the same way. It opens Friday in the Joyce Doolittle Theatre at the Pumphouse and runs to October 25, with tickets around $28. It is the easy family theatre pick of the season for kids old enough to play Clue.
When: Friday, October 16 to Sunday, October 25
Where: Joyce Doolittle Theatre, Pumphouse Theatres, 2140 Pumphouse Avenue SW
Cost: About $28 plus fees
Beacon Original Art Fall Show and Sale
Free
More than 45 local artists sell directly at the Bridgeland Riverside community hall for two days: painting, jewellery, glass, photography, ceramics, sculpture and textiles, at every price point. It is free to walk in and the best way to start holiday shopping with something that was not made in a factory. Show hours are on the Beacon site.
When: Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18
Where: Bridgeland Riverside Community Association, 917 Centre Avenue NE
Cost: Free
Fall Days and Harvest Lights at Calgary Farmyard
Family
The farm east of the city has two weekends of its fall season left: a corn maze, wagon and tractor rides, zip lines, a tube slide, the goat wall and a pumpkin patch during the day, then Harvest Lights on Friday and Saturday evenings, when the whole farm is lit up and the corn maze becomes a flashlight challenge. Friday and Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sunday 10 to 5.
When: Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (through October 25)
Where: Calgary Farmyard, 284022 Township Road 224, Rocky View County
Cost: About $25.95 to $29.95
Harvest Pumpkin Fest at Butterfield Acres
Family
The working farm on Rocky Ridge Road is the gentle pumpkin outing for toddlers: pick a pumpkin, see the animals, ride the wagon and get the photo in front of the red barn. The festival runs to October 25, so there are two weekends left. Dress for the wind; the fields are wide open.
When: Through Sunday, October 25
Where: Butterfield Acres, 254077 Rocky Ridge Road
Cost: About $16.99 to $19.99
Pumpkins After Dark at WinSport
Family
The lit walk through thousands of hand-carved pumpkins on the hill at Canada Olympic Park: no jump scares, carving demonstrations and food trucks along the path. Entry is timed, and with Halloween two weeks out the weekend evening slots go first, so book the time you want. Dress warmer than you think; the wind finds the hill.
When: Evenings through October 31
Where: WinSport, Canada Olympic Park, 88 Canada Olympic Road SW
Cost: From about $17 plus fees, timed entry
YYC Pizza Fest, last weekend
Food
The annual pizza competition ends on Sunday: participating restaurants each put one original pizza on the menu, you order it during their regular hours and rate it in the app, and part of the proceeds go to Calgary Meals on Wheels. This is the last weekend to get your votes in, so a two- or three-stop pizza crawl is a perfectly good Saturday plan. The list and map are on the festival site.
When: Through Sunday, October 18
Where: Participating restaurants across Calgary
Cost: Price of a pizza
The Huddle at CF Market Mall, last weekend
Free
Market Mall's free interactive football zone, set up ahead of the Grey Cup coming to Calgary in November, closes on Sunday: a throwing-accuracy challenge, kicking and other skill stations, photo spots and giveaways. It is an easy indoor hour with kids on a cold afternoon, and it pairs well with the Stampeders game across Crowchild later on Saturday.
When: Through Sunday, October 18, during mall hours
Where: CF Market Mall, 3625 Shaganappi Trail NW
Cost: Free
SUE: The T. rex Experience at TELUS Spark
Family
The most complete T. rex ever found is at Spark until November 29, with the giant-screen T.REX film in the Infinity Dome and the Impossible Geometries exhibition alongside. All of it is included in regular admission. It is the standard cold-weekend move, which means the lot is full by 11; arrive at opening or after 2.
When: Through November 29
Where: TELUS Spark Science Centre, 220 St. George's Drive NE
Cost: Regular admission
Editor's Pick: Saturday, done as a sports-and-LEGO day. Brick Roundup at MacEwan Hall when it opens at 10, a quick stop at The Huddle in Market Mall across the road, the Hitmen at 1 if the kids still have energy, then the Stampeders at 5 in pink. All of it is on the north side of the city and the LEGO show and McMahon are a short drive apart.
Know an event we missed? Tag us @culturealberta or email hello@culturealberta.com.
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