Chinook Blast to celebrate winter in downtown Calgary

Chinook Blast is returning in 2023 to turn winter in downtown Calgary into a snowy celebration of music, theatre, Indigenous crafts. culture and fashion, not to mention slopestyle, halfpipe and even a rally cross event that will take over Stampede Park on the first weekend of February.

With a hub offering free programming alongside the outdoor skating rink at Olympic Plaza, the festival kicks off Friday, January 27, with a live concert featuring Sunglaciers, K-Riz and the Rondel Roberts Band.

On Jan. 28 and 29, Sport Calgary returns to the ice rink with demonstrations of speed skating, synchronized skating and more ice activities.

That's the kickoff to three separate winter weekends that will include the High Performance Rodeo, the Block Heater Festival, the Four Winds Indigenous Showcase & Market, and on Feb.11, Drag on Ice, a drag show on skates.

Throughout the festival, there will be a collection of top DJs dropping beats for people to enjoy while skating, including DJ Michelle Spice, DJ Sonidef,  DJ Reno (Beats on the DL), DJ Fatrok, DJ Matt Swan, DJ Gaysnakes, who is a founder of several queer night clubs across the city, and award winning DJ BLKFT from Siksika Nation.

And on Feb. 12, the festival will offer a Kilt Skate, which will include free hot chocolate, highland dancers and bagpipes.

Chinook Blast 2021 (Photo courtesy Neil Zeller)

Feb.3 will feature a lantern festival presented by the Asian Heritage Foundation and One Yellow Rabbit, where everyone is welcome to participate  in an event held in the city hall atrium.

RALLYCROSS AT STAMPEDE PARK

If extreme sports are more your jam, on Feb 4-5, the Nitro Rallycross will be at Stampede Park, featuring adrenalin-charged motorsports, and top drivers all competing on snow and ice.

From Feb 6 to 12, the High Performance Rodeo will give way to the Snow Rodeo, when FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) snowboard slopestyle and halfpipe world cups come to Olympic Park.

The Exposure Photography Festival will also take place throughout the festival, and the TD Artists' Pavilion at Calgary Central Library will be the scene of various fashion events, in addition to showcasing Black and Indigenous culture at a variety of events.

On the final weekend, Feb.10 to 12, the Market Collective will offer another one of its pop-up events, just in time for Valentine's Day.

Chinook Blast runs from Feb. 4 to 27 with a variety of live events occurring in the downtown core. (YouTube/Chinook Blast)

"Chinook Blast is about fostering new winter experiences and supporting our local artists and businesses so that Calgary can be seen as a vibrant city to visit during the winter season," said Patti Pon, Calgary Arts Development president and CEO and chair of Chinook Blast in a release.

"We are excited that a majority of our programming is put on by local artists, musicians and businesses," Pon added. "In addition, the organizations and artists we are working with are the most diverse we have ever had in the lineup. We want to make Chinook Blast a global event while supporting local."

Chinook Blast opens Jan. 27 and runs through Feb.12. Learn more at www.chinookblast.ca