Hands placing a black cut out paper image on a white backgroundErika De Freitas, "the pause and mirrored peaks," 3:21 minutes. Single channel video, no sound, 2018. Courtesy the artist and Christie Contemporary, Toronto.

Free This Week

  • Price: Free

February is filled with arts, culture and winter fun! This week, Chinook Blast continues with a jam-packed lineup, Nickle at Noon explores Syrian art as resistance, and Free First Thursdays at Contemporary Calgary kicks off the Exposure Photography Festival. Whether you’re celebrating Black History Month, getting creative with poetry and music or diving into interactive workshops — there’s tons to enjoy!

Chinook Blast

Until February 17, 2025
Stephen Ave, The Confluence and various venues
Select events are free to attend

Check out the first week of Calgary’s Chinook Blast winter festival as it highlights the best of Calgary’s art, music, theatre, sport and recreation. Enjoy free programming including art installations, live performances, recreation opportunities and more! Read our Chinook Blast preview to find out more about all the special events and exhibitions taking place during the festival.
chinookblast.ca

Nickle at Noon: Syrian Art and Creative Expression as Resistance

February 6, 2025, 12 – 1pm
Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary (410 University Ct. NW)
Free to attend

Join Dr. Ghada Alatrash as she explores how Syrian artists used creative expression to document and resist dictatorship during the 2011 revolution. Her research examines Syrian art as a form of defiance, challenging Western narratives through an anti-colonial and feminist lens.
events.ucalgary.ca

Jam Session

February 6, 2025, 7 – 9pm
Alcove Centre for the Arts (244 7 Ave. SW)
Free to attend

Thursday Night Jams sessions are a welcoming space for musicians, poets, singers and attendees to play non-stop music with one another in an open circle, living room setting. If you don’t jam, Alcove has a variety of art supplies so you can get crafty during the show.
alcoveartscentre.ca

Free First Thursdays x Exposure Opening

February 6, 2025, 5 – 9pm
Contemporary Calgary (701 11 St. SW)
Free to attend

Join Contemporary Calgary for Free First Thursdays! Dive into the dynamic world of contemporary art as you explore the gallery exhibitions, enjoy the opening of the 2025 Exposure Photography Festival and take part in a drop-in art-making session.
contemporarycalgary.com

Artist Talk with Erika DeFreitas

February 8, 2025, 5 – 6pm
Esker Foundation (4th floor, 1011 9 Ave. SE)
Free to
attend, registration required

Join artist Erika DeFreitas for a talk about her upcoming solo exhibition: and that break is the one that shows (to shift, a curve, to quiver). Erika DeFreitas’s interdisciplinary practice includes performance, photography, video, installation, textiles, drawing and writing.
eventbrite.ca

Black History Month at the Library

February 8 – 24, 2025, 3 – 4pm
Various Calgary Public Library locations
Free to attend

Visit the library this February to recognize Black History Month. Explore the history of Black cowboys with Chinook Country Historical Society, watch performances from JazzYYC, or participate in a special storytime with 2023 – 2024 Poet Laureate Wakefield Brewster.
calgarylibrary.ca

Contemporary Kids: Translation of the Environment into a Medley

February 9, 2025, 1:30 & 3pm
Contemporary Calgary (701 11 St. SW)
Free to participate
, registration required

Join Contemporary Calgary for a fun and interactive kids’ workshop with the imaginative musician Ado Nkemka (A.N.)! This playful workshop allows kids to discover more about Mia + Eric’s exhibition, In a Strange Place, while exploring relationships, interactions and the surrounding environment.
contemporarycalgary.com

Poetry Under the Blue Sky

February 11, 2025, 6 – 8pm
Alcove Centre for the Arts (244 7 Ave. SW)
Free to participate

Join the Art for Social Change Network: Calgary Hub for an interactive workshop exploring Calgary’s identity as a Blue Sky City through poetry, storytelling and visual art. Guided by artists Gayathri Shukla and Shannon Hutchison, connect, create and envision a future shaped by equity, belonging and possibility.
eventbrite.ca

Campbell & Corner

February 12, 2025, 12 – 1pm
Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (604 1st St. SE)
Free to attend

George Campbell and Wayne Corner have been playing together for years now. They play old string music that has great stories and deep grooves. Their concerts are a gumbo of songs about love, natural disasters, the occasional hanging, hope and despair. Don’t miss their ProArts@Noon concert!
proartssociety.ca

Marigold Santos and Bianca Miranda in conversation w/ Muriel N. Kahwagi

February 12, 2025, 5:30 – 7pm
Contemporary Calgary (701 11 St. SW)
Free to attend

How does our mother tongue inform our sense of self, but also our sense of place? Join Contemporary Calgary for a conversation with artist Marigold Santos and performer Bianca Miranda about the role that writing plays in both of their practices; the poetics of translation; and the limitations of language.
contemporarycalgary.com

Have a free event that’s not listed? Email us at events@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or fill out this form.