Calgary's Chinook Blast winter festival poised to return for 3rd year
Calgary's annual winter festival — dubbed Chinook Blast — is poised to launch later this month, promising outdoor concerts, winter sports, night markets, theatrical performances and even rallycross racing.
Weekends will showcase particular events, while outdoor skating, music and art installations featuring local artists will be part of the celebrations throughout the three-week festival, which runs Jan. 27 to Feb. 12.
"We are excited that a majority of our programming is put on by local artists, musicians and businesses," said Patti Pon, president and chief executive of Calgary Arts Development and chair of Chinook Blast, in a release.
"We want to make Chinook Blast a global event while supporting local."
Full details of events and locations can be found at chinookblast.ca.
Organizers say this year's event is the biggest and most diverse lineup that Chinook Blast has put together.
Popular festivals such as Big Winter Classic, High Performance Rodeo, Calgary Folk Festival's Block Heater and Ethnik Festivals are back again.
At Stampede Park, Nitro Rallycross, where elite drivers will race electric cars over a course of snow and ice, will also be a part of Chinook Blast celebrations this year, as well as snowboard's FIS Snow Rodeo World Cup.
For aspiring boarders, the Mini Shred Park will be set up in Olympic Plaza on Feb. 4-5. Certified coaches will pull kids aged three to 10 around the shred park on a snowboard with handles.
After two years of COVID cancellations, The Great Canadian Kilt Skate is back on Feb. 12 at Olympic Plaza.
The atrium at City Hall will also host a series of night markets over the festival's three weekends.
The Four Winds Indigenous Showcase & Market will be featured opening weekend from Jan. 27 to 29. The Asian Heritage Foundation will be bringing the Asian Market back on the weekend of Feb. 3 to 5. Market Collective will close things out on the weekend of Feb. 10 to 12.
The Calgary Central Library will host the TD Artists Pavilion, featuring pop-up performances from local artists.
"Chinook Blast showcases the best of winter and our city," Mayor Jyoti Gondek said in a statement.
The city introduced Chinook Blast in 2021, saying the festival would provide a banner for the promotion of pre-existing winter events like the High Performance Rodeo, Chinese New Year, Block Heater and sporting events.
