I hope you’re all rested up and ready to get out there this weekend, because there is no shortage of fun and interesting things to do in Calgary (as we all well know)! Here’s a not-very-shortlist of some of the excitement in store for you!
Thursday: Block Heater 2020 begins! Over 30 artists taking part in concerts and collaborative sessions at five venues this weekend including Bella White, Amy Nelson, Marlaena Moore, Sam Lynch and more tonight! Joshua Smith plays the Off Cut Bar on the Music Mile, Wordfest presents Desmond Cole and his book The Skin We’re In at Memorial Park Library, and Mark Cassano performs at Gravity Espresso & Wine Bar.
Friday: The Unbashed Magazine Launch takes place at Christine Klassen Gallery, and Handsome Alice Theatre presents Between Us at Vertigo Theatre. Block Heater sees Wyatt C. Louis, Amelie Patterson, Hannah Georgas and more playing all over, Findlay Napier and Leaf Rapids play the Dalhousie Community Centre, the CPO presents Respect! Honouring Aretha at the Jack Singer, and over at Tubby Dog on 17th it’s Dead Pixel with Wesley Wilson and the Ghosts, Science is Fiction and Fox Opera at 9 p.m.!
Saturday: More Block Heater! Laura Hickli, 36?, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar, Chad VanGaalen … so many acts to take in! Over at The GRAND you can catch Unganisha: Explore. Connect. Dance. which is a dance theatre show bringing together five genres with roots on the diverse continent of Africa. Ferraro play The Gateway and the Kinkonauts present Much Ado From Nothing at the Rose Room, Alexandra Centre.
Sunday: The Kensington Sinfonia present Beauty of the Word at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, improvised soap opera Dirty Laundry: The Next Generation takes place at Lunchbox Theatre, and it’s my birthday! Do something fun then have a nap in my honour.
Monday: Snowblind is presented by Lunchbox Theatre and is part of Old Man: The Napi Project, a co-operative artist-in-residence program with Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society. Go see it!
Tuesday: The Organized Crime Duo, two talented, funny, irreverent young woman plus Canada’s largest church pipe organ equals this performance at Knox United Church on Tuesday. The Burning Pestle by Scorpio Theatre runs at the Pumphouse Theatres, and Atmosphere – The Whatever Tour with Lioness, Nikki Jean and DJ Keezy happens over at Mac Hall, U of C.
Wednesday: Tales from Africa and the Diaspora is presented over at Shelf Life Books in celebration of Black History Month, and Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited will be throwing down (seriously, I just said that) the album Selling England By The Pound at the Jubilee.
There is so much more going on in this city than you can imagine. Check out all of the listings to plan your week ahead!
Kari Watson is a writer and former Listings Editor of FFWD Weekly, and continues to work within the Calgary arts & culture scene to promote the city’s numerous and varied events. Contact her at kari@theyyscene.com.
