Annual Events & Festivals
Annual Events & Festivals
HO HO HO - CHRISTMAS MAGIC IN THE MOUNTAINS STARTS IN CANMORE DECEMBER 1st!
2nd Annual Festival of Trees, December 1-4, 2011
Presented last year for the first time by the Rotary Club of Canmore, this event has quickly become popular with all ages. A magical forest of decorated trees and lights sets the scene for a variety of events over 4 days to bring together families and people from Canmore, Calgary and area. Groups of school children visit for special Christmas crafts and entertainment, curlers take part in a Festival bonspiel, families come to see the trees and experience the enchanting atmosphere, seniors join us for tea, and the adult highlight of the weekend is a Saturday night celebration of food, drink and music amongst the trees. Throughout the event we are lining up continuous entertainment of many genres.
Special events for families include Christmas crafts and Breakfast with Santa.
The entire event is hosted at the Canmore Golf & Curling Club. Canmore Rotary welcomes tree sponsors, event sponsors and attendees alike!
Further information available at the Festival website: www.gogographics.ca/festival_of_trees
Festival contact: Sally Garen, sgaren@gogographics.ca
- The 24 Hours of Adrenalin is a mountain bike race series spanning North America, with annual stops in Canmore. The race consists of hundreds of solo or team riders competing to ride as many laps as possible within a 24-hour time frame, on a challenging 16 km circuit at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
- The Canmore Ice Climbing Festival, is an international event held each December. The main feature is an 18-metre (60-foot) manmade icewall constructed on Canmores downtown fringe from chicken wire, scaffolding and long hoses. Events include an exhibitor tent, climbing clinics, and renowned guest speakers.
- The Rocky Mountain Ski Challenge is an annual ski marathon hosted by the Canmore Nordic Ski Club.
- The Rock and Fossil Show is co-presented by CMAGS and APEGGA. Anyone can bring their rock or fossil find to have it evaluated by a professional geologist. The event is usually held in October.
- The Canmore Bar Crawl is an annual event where participants are required to go to every bar in Canmore and have at least one pint before moving on to the next one. This is repeated until there is one person left standing. This has been won 6 years in a row by Sarah "The Iron Liver" McIntosh. She narrowly beat Cracky El Crackison as Sarah only lasted an extra 4.68 seconds after Cracky passed out.
- Mozart on the Mountain is an outdoor concert presented annually by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
- The Canmore Folk Music Festival is held annually on the Heritage Day long weekend in August at Centennial Park on the Stan Rogers Stage. The festival has played host to the likes of Ry Cooder, Stan Rogers, Arlo Guthrie, The Arrogant Worms, The Paperboys, The Rankin Family, Moxy Früvous, Oscar Lopez and many other notable artists. The Canmore Folk Music Fesitval is the longest running music festival in Alberta, and in 2007 celebrated its 30th year.
- The Canmore Highland Games are presented annually by the Three Sisters Scottish Society on the September long weekend. They are in their 17th year. The games host a, heavy lifting competitions, piping and drumming, and highland dance events.
- The annual Festival of Eagles is a celebration of the Golden Eagle autumn migration over Canmore and the Bow Valley. The weekend celebration, currently in its 13th year, includes guided hikes, bird walks, interpretive displays, theatrical performances and guest speakers. Spotting scopes are set up at Canmore Collegiate High School.
- The Vic Lewis International Band Festival is held every November. It is in its 11th year. The festival hosts up to thirty-two concert bands, wind ensembles and jazz bands from across Alberta who play for some of the most well-known band directors in North America. Previous directors have included Tim Salzman, Paul Read, Gillian Mackay, and Tommy Banks. More than 800 students in junior high and high school bands perform for adjudicators, participate in workshops, listen to faculty recitals and give public performances during the two days and two nights of the festival. The festival takes place at Canmore Collegiate High School and the Canmore Recreation Centre with evening gala performances at the Oh Canada, Eh?! Theatre.
- The annual Canmore Children's Festival is a two-day event providing an array of children's entertainment, including acrobats, magicians, jugglers, music, theatre, storytelling, crafts, stilt-walking, dancing, face painting, and clowns.
- The Canmore ArtsPeak Arts Festival is held in June and celebrates Canmore's artistic spirit by featuring performing artists, artists and artisans, an art walk, a literary festival, film screenings, and street performers.
