Calgary to hold 6-week Chinook Blast mid-winter roundup

Mayor Naheed Nenshi announces Calgary will be home to the Chinook Blast, a six-week arts and culture festival running from mid-January to the end of February.

Calgary — In an effort to support the tourism, arts, sporting and non-profit sectors, Calgary will host the inaugural Chinook Blast, a six-week mid-winter roundup in January and February, Mayor Naheed Nenshi announced Monday.

Nenshi says they’ll be building on extraordinary winter events by creating a new tourism opportunity and a chance for all Calgarians to celebrate.

The event will be put on by 55 partner organizations in the various sectors, including Calgary Arts Development, Tourism Calgary, the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation and Calgary Downtown Association

“We’re hard at work behind the scenes, looking for more partners and establishing funding from the provincial and federal government. “ said Nenshi, adding how awesome Calgary is during winter in relation to many places across the country.

“Chinook blast is a real opportunity for Calgarians to send a message to those who wanting to visit our city, it’s just as great in the short winter days and those long winter nights as it is on these long summer days.”

The arts, tourism and sporting sectors in Calgary have been hard hit by closures and health orders related to the COVID-19.

"Research shows that 93 per cent of Calgarians engage with the arts in one way or another – and that was pre-COVID," said Calgary Arts Development president and CEO Patti Pon.

"We also know people are really leaning on the arts during the pandemic, whether it's picking up that dusty old guitar or attending an online concert. Chinook Blast is something we all need – a great opportunity to participate in a festival of arts and sports programming in a safe way in the heart of downtown."

Venues across the city will be transformed for the festival, with hubs located at a number of locations. There will be both paid and free events for both locals and visitors to experience.

More details will be released as planning progresses.