Dorian Hotel
Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival
Full of wine, beer, spirits and a mix of sweet and savoury snacks, the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is just as fun and delicious as it sounds. Back for its 26th year on Oct. 13 and 14, this event at the BMO Centre draws foodies from around the city and beyond. This year’s lineup of vendors includes Japanese desserts from Pablo Cheese Tart, beers from local breweries like Citizen Brewing Company, spirits from Two Rivers Distillery and more. Along with an admission ticket, guests will need to purchase sampling coupons at the festival in order to try the tasty sips and bites.
For tickets and more information, visit rockymountainwine.com
The Dorian Hotel
If you’re looking for somewhere to book a weekend staycation or just enjoy a night out dining on the finest downtown has to offer, may we suggest The Dorian Hotel?
Not just because the hotel, itself, “defines the best the city has to offer” — the rooms are incredible, the restaurants spectacular — but also because it is now a certified safe space and an inclusive and welcoming destination for all.
The boutique hotel, located 525 5 Ave. S.W., has announced it has now been given the Rainbow Registered seal of approval.
“Rainbow Registered is a national accreditation for 2SLGBTQI+ friendly businesses and organizations. The accreditation is a commitment and assurance that The Dorian has met a set of stringent standards to ensure 2SLGBTQI+ customers and associates feel safe, welcome and accepted,” the hotel said in a release.
It’s fitting, of course because, “The Dorian is designed as a tribute to the life and works of Oscar Wilde … (who) was persecuted for his sexuality, and today The Dorian is committed and proud to be a safe and welcoming space for everyone while honouring Wilde’s zest for life and making it a reality.”
Three Dimensions
It’s not very often that art gallery attendees get to be part of the art they’re witnessing, but that’s certainly the case at Three Dimensions, a multidisciplinary exhibition by Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins on display at Contemporary Calgary from Oct. 19, 2023 to March 17, 2024. The exhibition offers three installations that encourage viewer participation: Balancing Act, with a large-scale claw crane game that participants control to create sculptures of their own; ABCD, which explores realities with mediums like virtual reality and artificial intelligence; and THX2020, which uses an interactive headset, narrative video and paintings. However you take part, this interactive installation promises a fascinating exploration of culture, reality and the
digital age.
For more information about the exhibition, visit contemporarycalgary.com
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll
& Mr. Hyde
Vertigo Theatre takes on a gothic classic this month with its adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Running from Sept. 30 to Oct. 29, the play’s small-but-mighty four-person cast transports audiences to London as they bring Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde’s struggle of good versus evil to the stage.
For tickets, visit vertigotheatre.com
The Dark Lady
Who is the Dark Lady that Shakespeare describes in his sonnets? Lunchbox Theatre and The Shakespeare Company aim to explore just that in their co-production of The Dark Lady by Jessica B. Hill. This is only the second-ever production of The Dark Lady, which imagines the titular character as Emilia Bassano, the first published female poet-musician in England. The Dark Lady runs from Oct. 10 to 29.
For tickets, visit lunchboxtheatre.com
Dracula
Workshop Theatre’s upcoming adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula might just be the perfect Halloween theatre experience. The company’s 2023-24 season opener follows the infamous Count Dracula and the London residents he pursues. Catch the show at Pumphouse Theatre from Oct. 27 to Nov. 4.
For tickets, visit workshoptheatre.ca
The Sleeping Beauty
A classic fairy tale comes to life in Alberta Ballet’s rendition of The Sleeping Beauty. In an inspired local touch, this production transports beloved fairy-tale characters to a Canadian Rockies setting, and it’s all set to the incredible score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Don’t miss the short yet sweet Calgary run of this production, on at the Southern Alberta jubilee Auditorium from Oct. 26 to 28.
For tickets, visit albertaballet.com
2023 World Ringette Championships
From Oct. 29 to Nov. 4, talented ringette players from around the world will assemble in Calgary for the 2023 World Ringette Championships. Calgary’s role as host city is particularly exciting given that 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the ice sport’s invention. Get your tickets to watch teams battle it out for the title of World Champions at WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre.
For more information, visit winsport.ca
Local Music
In late September, the annual YYC Music Awards were handed out during the modest, albeit Calglammy gala at at the Grey Eagle Casino in the city’s southwest.
Yes, there were performances by regionally successful acts such as Brother Bicker Band, Sinzere and Esteban Herrera & Gisela Romero, but the evening was mainly about the awards (in 27 different categories), and taking those bragging rights back to your bio writer.
The YYCees (that’s now a thing; embrace it) are, according to some industry folk, a barometer of what is the best of the local bunches, and who to watch out for.
Mayhaps.
But at the very least, it offers an opportunity to put a spotlight on those making music in this city, artists who are excelling, at least on a local level, in an industry that doesn’t even chew them up, just swallows them whole and horks them right out.
Music is an invaluable gift that’s rarely rewarded its worth.
With the YYCees, you can recognize the artists, not recognize them, at the very least you can allow the awards to be a sherpa helping navigate you into a remarkably vibrant local music scene.
Here are the big winners you need to watch out for, performing soon at an live, local venue near you: The Royal Foundry, who were awarded the Alternative Recording, Group and Single of the Year awards; cowboy Kyle McKearney, who took home the Country Recording and Solo Artist of the Year accolades; and hip-hop artist Sinzere, who won her second consecutive Music Video of the Year Award, along with the Rap Recording of the Year trophy for the song Tabula Rasa.
For the full list of winners and artists you should have on your radar please go to yycmusicawards.com.
