Free This Week

Check out book launches, screenings, tours and more this week

  • Price: Free

Alright Calgary, who’s ready for a busy week full of great, and free, arts events? There’s tons to check out including book launches, tours and more. Here’s what we’re hitting up:

CIFF Pop-Up Piano Series

September 28, 2016, 5:30 & 8:00pm
Eau Claire Market (Second Level, 200 Barclay Parade SW)
Free

Join Downtown Calgary and the Calgary International Film Festival for special pop-up performances including sexy tunes just in time for Hump Night at CIFF.
calgarydowntown.com

ProArts@Noon Presents Flamenco at Noon

September 28, 2016, 12:10pm
Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (604 1st St. SE)
Free

Although there isn’t a Calgary International Flamenco Festival this year, you can still get a taste with Flamenco at Noon. Presented in collaboration with the festival, the concert features Flamenco dancer Anastassiia Moussatova, Flamenco guitarist David Matyas and pianist Mark Limacher.
proartssocitey.ca

TALES Calgary Presents Stories Forged in Fire

September 28, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW)
Free

Share your own story or simply enjoy, join TALES Calgary for an evening highlighting lives that have been changed by fire.
facebook.com

The Prison in Twelve Landscapes

September 28, 2016, 7:00 – 10:30pm
Gallery Hall, Taylor Family Digital Library, University of Calgary (410 University Ct. NW)
Free for students or with a food bank donation

Movies That Matter kicks off its season with this internationally acclaimed film about prison and its life in the American landscape. Admission is free for students with ID and for the community with donation (cash or non-perishable foods) to the food bank. Seating is limited so please arrive early.
facebook.com

Face Meets Fiction: A Literary Double-Header

September 30, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW)
Free

Hear creative nonfiction writer David Leach (Chasing Utopia, Fatal Tide) and novelist Angie Abdou (Between, The Canterbury Trail, The Bone Cage) read from their recent books at this literary double-header. The evening will include a lively conversation and Q&A about turning real life into stories, the fine line between fiction and nonfiction, the importance of journeys to literature, and more.
facebook.com

The Print It Yourself Festival

September 30 & October 1, 2016
Multiple locations
Free

Join Alberta Printmakers for its sixth annual Print it Yourself Festival. There’s a free day of printmaking workshops as well as an additional demonstration day at the City of Calgary’s Culture Days Block Party.
albertaprintmakers.com

Pop-Up Art Show: Art and Inspiration

October 1, 2016, 10:00am – 6:00pm
Phil & Sebastian, Simmons Building (618 Confluence Way SE)
Free, family-friendly

Join six local artists this week as they gather to show and sell work that’s full of colour, texture, experience and imagination. Come to historic Simmons Building and browse the artists’ contributions to this pop-up show and sale.

Open Hearts Public Art Unveiling & Community Celebration

October 1, 2015, 12:00 – 3:00pm
Legacy (65 Legacy Mount SE)
Free

Join the residents of Legacy for the grand unveiling of the Open Hearts Public Art Sculpture. Special guest and sculptor Jane Seymour will be on hand and you can bid on an original work of art in support of a local charity.
legacylife.ca

Multilingual Book Fair

October 1, 2016 12:00 – 6:00pm
Eau Claire Market (200 Barclay Parade SW)
Free

Looking for books in an a different language? Then you need to check out this sale hosted by the Calgary European Film Festival. On sale will be Bulgarian, German, Slovak, Czech, Polish, French Spanish, and Romanian books and DVDs for all ages, with funds raised going back to support this festival.
facebook.com

Steve Patterson

October 1, 2016, 1:30pm
Pages on Kensington (1135 Kensington Rd. NW)
Free

Join Steve Patterson, award-winning comedian and host of CBC’s The Debaters, for an in-conversation event celebrating his new book, The Book of Letters I Didn’t Know Where to Send.
facebook.com

Animals In Art

October 2, 2016, 12:30 – 4:30pm
Pages on Kensington (1135 Kensington Rd. NW)
Free

This event celebrates all creatures great and small with a mini art walk between Pages Books, Kienna Cafe, and Essentia. See work from a wide variety of artists including photography, painting, soapstone carving, pottery, and woodworking. Free admission and raffle.
facebook.com

Bus Tour to the Canadian Museum of Making

October 2, 2016, 1:00 – 5:00pm
Esker Foundation (1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free, registration essential

Join the Esker Foundation on an intimate and rare tour of The Canadian Museum of Making, located near Cochrane. This private museum features a collection of machinery and tools that were used from 1750 to 1920 in Canada, Britain, and the United States. Bus transportation to and from the museum will be provided.
eskerfoundation.ca

Culturefest 2016

October 2, 2016, 1:45 – 5:30pm
Genesis Community Wellness Centre (7556 Falconridge Blvd. NE)
Free

Get a taste of the colour of cultures with this free, family-friendly event featuring Bollywood and bhangra dance performances, a fashion show, live singing, Korean drummers and much more.
culturefest.ca

Water Witching Workshop for Wonderers (and Walkers)

October 2, 2016, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Remington YMCA at Quarry Park (108 Quarry Park Rd. SE)
Free, registration required

Join two local artists for an afternoon exploring the tools and techniques of dowsing in the community of Quarry Park. Alana Bartol and Sarah Nordean will guide you through the art of dowsing or ‘water witching’, a form of divination used to locate ground water, oil, and information. Supported by the City of Calgary’s Public Art Program, all are welcome, even the skeptics!
facebook.com

The Log Driver’s Waltz – A Party in Plaid

October 2, 2016, 6:00pm
Sunalta Community Centre (1627 10th Ave. SW)
Free

The Quickdraw Animation Society is excited to announce the return of the Log Driver’s Waltz, its free, family-friendly party in plaid. And celebrate Quickdraw’s new home in Sunalta, they’ve teamed up with the Sunalta Community Association to present an evening of classic National Film Board animations, animated activity stations, hot cocoa and cider, and more. Put on your best plaid and celebrate classic Canadian animation.
quickdrawanimation.ca

New West Symphony & Chorus

October 2, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Calgary First Church of the Nazarene (65 Richard Way SW)
Free

Join Calgary’s New West Symphony & Chorus for its first concert of the year for free and get a taste of things to come for its 2016/17 season.
facebook.com

An Evening with Lauralyn Chow

October 4, 2016, 7:00 – 8:30pm
Fish Creek Library (11161 Bonaventure Dr. SE)
Free, registration required

Join NeWest Press as it launches is the second book of its fall 2016 season, Paper Teeth by Lauralyn Chow. Full of fun, funny, and heart-warming journeys about the pursuit of identity and the crafting of home, don’t miss your chance to read this debut collection. Book signing to follow.
events.calgarypubliclibrary.com

Poetry Reading: Henry Beissel’s Sightlines

October 4, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW)
Free

Join Shelf Life Books for a poetry reading from Henry Beissel’s latest work. Sightlines is a celebration of the world in all its richness and offers an exciting take on the human condition from this award-winning poet, playwright, essayist, translator and editor.
facebook.com