Free This Week
Make the most of July with these free events
Explore the best free offerings from Calgary’s art community this summer, from markets to music to theatre to visual art. Take a look below at this week’s roundup and be sure to get on out there!
Shakespeare on the Go
Until August 6, 2023
Various venues
Free to attend
Theatre Calgary’s traditional Shakespeare by the Bow program is once again be going on the road as Shakespeare On The Go!, with a cast of seven emerging artists presenting an adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
theatrecalgary.com
Tiffany Thomas
July 19, 2023, 12:10 – 1pm
Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (604 1st St. SE)
Free to attend
Tiffany Thomas is a songstress, theatre maker, community builder. She believes the divine is intertwined with all of us and will present a collection of hymns and and originals titled: In Praise of Water: Hymns to bring us home.
proartssociety.ca
Music in the Plaza
July 19, 2023, 6 – 9pm
Heritage Park (1900 Heritage Dr. SW)
Free to attend
Discover free live music in Calgary all summer long from the city’s best emerging artists! Watch from the Selkirk’s patio as you enjoy dinner, or explore the shops before you set up your lawn chair and enjoy the show with popcorn in hand!
heritagepark.ca
Farmers & Makers Markets: Beltline & Sunalta
July 19 & 22, 2023
Central Memorial Park & Sunalta Community Association
Free to explore
Check out the Farmers & Makers Market at two locations this summer — on Wednesdays at Central Memorial Park and Saturdays in the Sunalta neighbourhood. Each week, you’ll find local farmers and producers, ready-to-eat food, live music and their free, drop-in kids arts & culture program.
farmersmakersmarket.ca
Deep See Curatorial Tour
July 20, 2023, 6 – 7pm
Esker Foundation (4th floor, 1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free to attend, registration required
Join Esker Foundation curator Shauna Thompson for a tour of Pulse of the Planet, a major solo exhibition by Paris/Sydney-based artist Mel O’Callaghan that synthesizes several years of collaborations and ways of knowing.
eskerfoundation.com
Bridgeland-Riverside Farmers Market
July 20, 2023, 3:30 – 7:30pm
Bridgeland-Riverside Community Association (917 Centre Ave. NE)
Free to attend
Check out this weekly outdoor farmers market featuring over 30 vendors, food trucks, live music and kids activities. This year they are also presenting the Locally Grown Concert Series featuring awesome local bands.
brcacalgary.org
The Power of Transformation!
July 21, 2023, 7 – 9pm
Bù Vintage Shoppe (110 3rd Ave. SE)
Free to attend
As a part of The New Gallery’s The Next Generation Emerging Artists programming, grab a seat and some refreshments in Calgary’s Chinatown to watch some films by emerging video artists and be ready to be transformed.
thenewgallery.org
Wagonstage Theatre: The Little Forest
July 21 & 22, 2023
Various venues
Free to attend
UCalgary Wagonstage Theatre presents The Little Forest by Clem Martini, where four siblings in a treeless neighbourhood embark on a mission to bring nature back to life. Join them on their journey at a neighbourhood near you!
arts.ucalgary.ca
Book Signing with Jay Newman
July 22, 2023, 1 – 3pm
Owl’s Nest Books (815a 49th Ave. SW)
Free to attend
In Jay Newman’s premier novel The Killing Farm, the characters face their own moral dilemmas in a government-run facility that offers terminally ill patients an opportunity to die on their own terms. Join him at Owl’s Nest Books for a Saturday signing.
shop.owlsnestbooks.com
First Sound, Last Sound
July 22, 2023, 2 – 2:30pm
Esker Foundation (4th floor, 1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free to attend
At the centre of the exhibition Pulse of the Planet by Mel O’Callaghan is a performance, First Sound, Last Sound, featuring two large-scale tuning forks. Performers and audience members are called into awareness of their own somatic rhythms.
eskerfoundation.com
Summer Beer Garden
July 22, 2023, 3 – 8pm
cSPACE Marda Loop (1721 29th Ave. SW)
Free to attend
Join cSPACE for live music, refreshing brews and unique craftsmanship at their public beer garden event! Get ready to rock out with the electrifying swamp rock of Shona Rae and the Bona Fides, and groove with the sunny folk-rock vibe of Back Pocket.
cspacemardaloop.com
Night Markets at Heritage Park
July 22, 2023, 3 – 9pm
Heritage Park Historical Village (1900 Heritage Dr. SW)
Free to explore
On Saturdays this summer, Heritage Plaza and promenade in the front parking lots will be taken over by vendors. Shop their local vendors, explore the shops in the Plaza, grab a bite to eat and be entertained!
heritagepark.ca
The Afro-Caribbean Food Festival
July 22 & 23, 2023
C-Square, East Village (508 7th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
Check out a weekend celebration of the Caribbean, African, and everything in-between through food, culture and music taking place downtown in East Village. The event also features live music by Leela with the Shadoplay band on both days.
acfoodfestival.com
Hello Neighbours
July 23, 2023, 1 – 4pm
St. Patrick’s Island (1300 Zoo Rd. NE)
Free to attend, registration required
Hello Neighbours is a project in art and social engagement that invites Calgarians to meet a more-than-human neighbour—somebody (another species) that they share space with to see themselves as part of a larger ecological community.
eventbrite.ca
Music Matters YYC
July 24, 2023, 11:30am – 1pm
Harmony Park (115 4th Ave. SW)
Free to attend
Music Matters YYC is an eight-week outdoor concert series this summer in the heart of the city. Check out their family-friendly weekly programming and and see for yourself just how much Music Matters!
stagehand.app
Summer On 17th
Ongoing
Tomkins Park (17th Ave. & 8th St. SW)
Free to attend
From movies in the park to live bands, theatrical performances and fitness classes, the 17th Ave Business Improvement Area is pulling out all the stops to ensure this summer is epic. Visit the website for details.
17thave.ca
Summer Songs on Stephen Ave
Ongoing
Stephen Ave (8th Ave. SE)
Free to attend
Support live local music on Stephen Ave this summer, supported by the Calgary Downtown Association. Check out the Stagehand website for the full schedule as well as other free concerts around the city!
stagehand.app
Have a free event that’s not listed? Email us at events@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or fill out this form.
