GlobalFest on the move: Fireworks festival will now be held at Spruce Meadows, not Elliston Park

GlobalFest will return this summer, though the international fireworks festival won’t be where you might expect. (File)

GlobalFest will return this summer, though the international fireworks festival won’t be where you might expect.

The event, a staple of Calgary’s Elliston Park since the early 2000s, is moving to Spruce Meadows.

The GlobalFest website lists the dates of the event as Aug. 27-30.

“GlobalFest is back, brighter and bigger than ever,” the GlobalFest website states.

This past December, GlobalFest said it was suspending operations as it worked to secure financial support.

It cited unprecedented financial pressures as well as global geopolitical constraints and economic uncertainty as the main reasons.

It also said 2025 was a difficult year with 11,000 fewer people attending.

On Wednesday, GlobalFest chief operating officer Ken Goosen told CTV News the event is back “because the community came together to make it possible.”

“After more than two decades, the festival needed a stronger, more sustainable foundation from which to continue moving forward,” he said.

“Rising costs, increasing complexity and a limited amount of workable space at Elliston Park required in order to incorporate new strategic programming led to needing to find a more sustainable solution.

“With a new home at Spruce Meadows and the continued support of sponsors, funders, cultural partners, volunteers and the community, GlobalFest is entering a new chapter.”

Goosen said that “new chapter” is one that “protects what people love while creating space to grow and innovate.”

He said it also comes with ample parking and a CTrain link.

The International Avenue Arts and Culture Community isn’t happy about having to turn the page.

“A festival rooted and created in the heart of east Calgary for over two decades intends to relocate from Elliston Park to Spruce Meadows with an announcement planned for tomorrow (Wednesday),” the IAACC said Tuesday in a release.

“This move has not been in consultation with local groups who are saddened and disheartened by the news.”

While the IAACC’s release preceded GlobalFest’s announcement by a day, the GlobalFest website already reflected the move.

In Tuesday’s release, Alison Karim-McSwiney, IAACC director and founder and International Avenue BRZ executive director, called the move “a significant threat to the local arts scene.”

Karim-McSwiney said it would be “a loss of vitality to the neighbourhoods and groups who benefit from this event.”

“Furthermore, local businesses—which typically see a significant surge in sales during the festival—will face a loss in revenue, as will property owners who benefit from parking and exposure,” Karim-McSwiney said.

Goosen said Elliston Park “was the birthplace of GlobalFest” and “served as a wonderful launching platform.”

He said GlobalFest is “grateful for the hospitality offered over the years.”

In Tuesday’s release, the IAACC said it is “very thankful to GlobalFest for the work they have done to better our community and the support over the years.”

It said it understands “excessive costs have made it difficult to operate in the city” and that it welcomes “the opportunity to take part in any further conversations regarding this matter.”

Further announcements about this summer’s GlobalFest are anticipated in the weeks to come.