Advertisement

Free skating, naughty but nice & empowered shopping: Calgary entertainment this weekend

We're in the thick of the holiday calendar now, and if your schedule isn't already packed with office parties and children's concerts, there are lots of ways to get into the Christmas spirit this weekend. Here's our weekly roundup to help out.

Naughty but Nice

That's the name of Forte Musical Theatre's holiday show. It's become a bit of an annual affair, and the guild is marking a bit of a milestone this year with its fifth anniversary.

It's basically all your favourite Christmas Carols wrapped in a hilarious romp of a wrapping, including remixed lyrics, hilarious skits and bits, and every other type of theatre trope.

There's something for everyone in the mix to get you laughing with this award-winning production.

Naughty but Nice runs through Dec. 22 at Lunchbox Theatre with 8 p.m. shows daily and 3 p.m. weekend matinees.

Here is more information for you.

Olympic Plaza free skating

CBC
CBC

If you aren't feeling festive, talk a walk through Olympic Plaza with all the lights, music and people skating. It's just magical.

There's free skating from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and if you don't own skates, you can rent them Thursdays to Sundays until Dec. 22 and then daily after that, until Jan. 6.

Skating at the Bowness lagoon starts Dec. 21 at the earliest, freezing weather permitting.

There's also the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary, with public hours almost every day in December except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

But don't forget, helmets are required gear at the Oval.

Here are details on the city's outdoor rinks and the Oval.

CBC Jam for the Food Bank

David Bell/CBC
David Bell/CBC

Got some time Friday afternoon and looking to make a difference?

We've got an opportunity to enjoy some great live music and experience a special broadcast of The Homestretch from Inglewood's Ironwood Stage & Grill from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Musical guests taking to the Ironwood stage include award-winning singer songwriter Troy Kokol, classically trained, opera-turned-blues-singer Jess Knights, jazz-folk-pop-fusion song-writing performer Allison Lynch and our house band, the Kinjo Brothers.

Here's more information on the jam.

She Empowers

Philip Quade/jessknights.com/Mike Tan of Diane + Mike Photography
Philip Quade/jessknights.com/Mike Tan of Diane + Mike Photography

Here's a twist on the holiday market. It's called the She Empowers Christmas Market and it's running at the St. Louis Hotel in the East Village this Friday through Sunday.

Basically it's a holiday market that lets you shop while supporting female entrepreneurs in Calgary.

There are live performances and free workshops, including "making your own winter warmth kit" and "curating a sustainable wardrobe."

Workshop registration is required, and here's what you need to know.