Free family-friendly festival returns to 17th Avenue S.W. with outdoor movies, music

Summer on 17th is a free event taking place in Tomkins Park until Sept. 23, 2023. (17thave.ca)

After a successful launch last year, a family-friendly festival featuring free outdoor movies, live bands and fitness classes is returning to Calgary's 17th Avenue S.W.

Officials announced the return of Summer On 17th on Wednesday.

The three-month-long festival, held in Tompkins Park, begins on June 21 with a kickoff party from 6 to 8 p.m.

This year, organizers are introducing Theatrical Thursdays, a weekly event highlighting the art of stage performers and theatre – as well as Multicultural Mondays, which showcases Calgary's vast diversity.

That's followed by Big Music Fridays, with live performances from various bands. 

On Sunday mornings, you can sweat it out at a fitness class from various 17th AvenueS.W. studios, or listen to classical music in the park in the afternoon.

Throughout the festival, Calgarians can bring a blanket and watch outdoor screenings of 18 movies, including classics Back to the Future and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and superhero favourites Thor and The Avengers.

"Whether you’re looking for a date night out, a family-friendly attraction or you just want to fill up your summer with local and budget-friendly things to do, this jam-packed calendar of events is sure to keep you busy," said organizers in a news release.

In addition to the Summer on 17th events taking place in Tompkins Park, there will also be Canada Day celebrations with live music, line dancing, Indigenous hoop dancing, acrobatics and theatrical performances.

Then, later in July, the area will be bustling during the 2023 Calgary Stampede, with 10 days of live music, a Stampede brunch and outdoor screenings of classic western movies.

For more information on the festival, organized by the 17th Avenue Business Improvement Area, you can visit the Summer on 17th website.