Heritage Park runs the steam trains all weekend, the Stampeders host Ottawa on Saturday night, the Flames are back at the Saddledome on Sunday, and a night market takes over Central Memorial Park for free. Three days, and Saturday alone has four things worth leaving the house for.
It is the last weekend of summer on the calendar — the equinox lands Tuesday — and most of this list is outdoors. Check the forecast Friday night before you commit to the ones without a roof.
Fifteen things worth doing in Calgary, with times, addresses and what each one costs.
Railway Days at Heritage Park
Heritage
The headline of the weekend if you have kids. Heritage Park turns its whole railway operation into the main event for two days — the steam locomotive running all day, the roundhouse open, railway demonstrations and staff who actually know what they are talking about. It is also one of the last full-operation weekends of the park's season, so this is close to your last chance until spring. Go at opening; the 10 a.m. train is the quiet one.
When: Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Heritage Park, 1900 Heritage Drive SW
Cost: About $27.95 to $39.95
Calgary Stampeders vs Ottawa REDBLACKS
Sports
Saturday evening at McMahon, and September football in Calgary is the good kind — cool enough to want a jacket, warm enough to stay for the fourth quarter. Tickets start around $32, which is the cheapest professional sport in the city by a wide margin. Park at the university and walk in rather than fighting Crowchild.
When: Saturday, September 19, 5 p.m.
Where: McMahon Stadium, 1817 Crowchild Trail NW
Cost: From about $32.30
4th Street Night Market
Market
Central Memorial Park after dark, free to walk into, food and makers and the park lit up. This is the easy answer for a Saturday evening when you do not want to commit to a ticket or a table — turn up, eat, walk a lap, leave when you are done. Parking on 4th is brutal; take the train to Victoria Park and walk the four blocks.
When: Saturday, September 19, evening
Where: Central Memorial Park, 1221 2 Street SW
Cost: Free
Annual East Side Studio Crawl
Art
Artists in Ramsay and Inglewood open their actual working studios for one day — not a gallery, the room where the work gets made. It is free, it is self-guided, and it is the single best way to buy art in this city without a gallery markup. Wear shoes you can walk a neighbourhood in; the studios are spread across both communities.
When: Saturday, September 19
Where: Ramsay and Inglewood, around 828 24 Avenue SE
Cost: Free
Terry Fox Run Calgary
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1499540692200251&set=a.555794786574851
Community
Sunday at The Confluence, no entry fee, no minimum pledge, and walking counts. The route follows the river, which is the nicest it gets all year right now. Register online ahead or sign in on the day. Dogs and strollers welcome.
When: Sunday, September 20, morning
Where: The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland, 750 9 Avenue SE
Cost: Free, donations welcome
Alberta Biodiversity Festival
Family
A day of hands-on nature programming at Bow Habitat Station — games, crafts, the trout hatchery, indoor and outdoor both, aimed squarely at kids who want to touch things. Free to $5 depending on what you sign up for, which makes it the best value on this list for a family of four.
When: Saturday, September 19
Where: Bow Habitat Station, 1440 17A Street SE
Cost: Free to $5
Calgary Police Discovery Day
Free
The Police Interpretive Centre throws its doors open for a free day — equipment, vehicles, demonstrations and the chance for a seven-year-old to sit in things. It is a Friday, so it suits anyone with a day off or a PD day, and it is free, which is unusual for a staffed attraction.
When: Friday, September 18
Where: Calgary Police Discovery Centre, 5111 47 Street NE
Cost: Free
Halloweekends at Calaway Park
Family
Calaway switches to its Halloween programming for the final weekends of the season — decorated midway, costume days, the rides still running. It is the daytime, not-frightening version, so it works for small kids. The park closes for the year in October, so the window on this is genuinely short.
When: Saturday, September 19
Where: Calaway Park, 245033 Range Road 33, west of the city on Highway 1
Cost: Varies by pass
Calgary Flames preseason at the Saddledome
Sports
Hockey is back downtown on Sunday evening. Preseason tickets are the cheapest Flames tickets of the year and the building is not full, which means you can usually move up. If you have been meaning to take a kid to their first NHL-rink game, this is the weekend it costs the least.
When: Sunday, September 20, 6 p.m.
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, 555 Saddledome Rise SE
Cost: Varies by seat
Cavalry FC vs Forge FC
Sports
Cavalry host Forge at Spruce Meadows on Saturday afternoon, and Cavalry against Forge is the rivalry the Canadian Premier League actually has. Tickets from $20, kickoff at 3 p.m., and ATCO Field is a genuinely good place to watch football — small, close to the pitch, and you can hear the players.
When: Saturday, September 19, 3 p.m.
Where: ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows, 18011 Spruce Meadows Way SW
Cost: From $20
Red Panda Pancake Breakfast at the Zoo
Family
Early access to the zoo before it opens, a pancake breakfast, and a private viewing of the red pandas in the redeveloped Asian Highlands habitat. It is 7:30 in the morning on a Sunday and it costs about $79, so it is a treat rather than a default — but an empty zoo at sunrise is a completely different experience to an afternoon one.
When: Sunday, September 20, 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Where: Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, 210 St. George's Drive NE
Cost: About $79
Calgary PMA Fall Harvest Sale
Market
Two days of plants at the BMO Centre for a $5 door charge — houseplants, fall stock, growers selling direct rather than through a garden centre. Go Saturday morning for the selection or Sunday afternoon for the deals, and bring a box. You will buy more than you planned to.
When: Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20
Where: BMO Centre, 20 Roundup Way SE
Cost: $5
& Juliet at the Jubilee
Theatre
Closing weekend of the Broadway Across Canada run, and Sunday is the last performance before it leaves town. It is the what-if-Juliet-lived version, it is broad, and it is designed for people who do not normally go to musicals. If you have been putting off buying a ticket, this is the deadline.
When: Through Sunday, September 20
Where: Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 1415 14 Avenue NW
Cost: Varies by seat
Calgary Ganesh Mahotsav
Culture
The Ganesh festival at the Genesis Centre in the northeast, one day only — food, music, ceremony and a community turnout that fills the building. Worth going to even if you know nothing about it; it is one of the larger cultural gatherings the city puts on in September and the food alone justifies the trip.
When: Sunday, September 20
Where: Genesis Centre, 7555 Falconridge Boulevard NE
Cost: $30 to $45
Calgary Step 'n Stride
Community
A free Sunday-afternoon walk from South Glenmore Park, donations accepted but nothing required. If the Terry Fox Run in the morning is too early or too far east for you, this is the same idea on the other side of the reservoir with a 1 p.m. start.
When: Sunday, September 20, 1 p.m.
Where: South Glenmore Park, 24 Street SW
Cost: Free, donations accepted
Before you go
Saturday afternoon has a traffic problem. Cavalry kick off at Spruce Meadows at 3 p.m. and the Stampeders at McMahon at 5 p.m. Deerfoot south and Crowchild north will both be slow. Pick one end of the city.
Heritage Park is nearly done for the season. Railway Days is one of the last full-operation weekends before the park winds down for the year.
The equinox is Tuesday. This is the last weekend of summer on paper, and the evenings are noticeably shorter. The night market and the studio crawl will both be dark earlier than you expect.
Editor's Pick: Railway Days on the Saturday morning, then the 4th Street Night Market in the evening. One costs money and is worth it, the other is free, and between them you get the two best versions of Calgary in the same day.
Know an event we missed? Tag us @culturealberta or email hello@culturealberta.com.
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