Chinook Blast set to return in 2026 in new location at Eau Claire Plaza

Chinook Blast is returning to Calgary in February in a new location.

The sixth edition of the popular winter festival, which blends art, performance, music, food and sports, will debut on Jan. 30 at the newly-renovated Eau Claire Plaza.

This year’s festival will feature 14 art installations created by Calgary artists alongside a number of international works.

One of those is a 13-metre geodesic light-up dome that glows, sitting alongside two Winter City Design Competition winners, Out from Under the Shadows3 and Luminisona.

There will also be Electric Dandelions, a series of 28-foot-tall firework sculptures from California and The Cloud Swing, an illuminated swing that lights up as you move.

The festival, which runs from Jan. 30 through Feb. 16, 2026, features an assortment of performing artists, including Drag on Ice 4 featuring Joey Jay from RuPaul’s Drag Race and Calgary’s own Karla Marx, an open-air electronic music showcase and the Blue Jay Sessions, a Valentine’s Day event featuring some of Calgary’s best singer-songwriters performing a collection of love songs and heartbreak anthems.

Other Calgary arts organizations will also partner with Chinook Blast to bring a variety of artists to the RISE UP Calgary Outdoor Community Stage, including an opening night performance on Jan. 30 from Cedric Lightning and actor, singer, and writer Kris Demeanor, Calgary’s first-ever poet laureate., who will appear as part of the 2026 High Performance Rodeo.

The Calgary Folk Festival’s Block Heater Festival will also present two acts on opening day, including art rockers L’omelette and the Tribe Artist Society, an Indigenous-led hip hop and arts collective dedicated to mentorship, empowerment and creative expression.

At the end of Chinook Blast, the Ethnik Festival will help bring the vibes on Feb. 16 with Afropop artist Skinny Blaizfaya and singer-songwriter Ray Val to help celebrate Family Day.

There will be markets at the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre on First Street S.W., where visitors can experience Authentically Indigenous and Seconds Collective, and there’s even a beer garden at Eighty-Eight Brewing Co., where they’ll serve craft brews, mulled wine, Baileys and other things.

“What began as a way to brighten the coldest months has become a winter tradition that celebrates the artists, performers, and community builders who make Calgary what it is,” said Patti Pon, Chair of Chinook Blast Executive Committee and President and CEO of Calgary Arts Development.

“This year, we’re welcoming a handful of international creators to join our amazing local talent for a festival that is sure to excite, inspire and delight.”

For more about Chinook Blast, go here.