Hey Wanderers!
May is officially here, and Calgary is not easing into it. This first weekend of the month is genuinely stacked, we’re talking circus competitions, 200+ breweries under one roof, Thomas the Tank Engine at Heritage Park, chihuahua races, a ballet that might not come back for years, and an adults-only penguin dinner at the zoo. All in the same three days.
Below is everything worth doing in Calgary from Friday May 1 through Sunday May 3, 2026, broken down by day so you can actually plan your weekend instead of spending half of it deciding. Whether you’re after a big night out, a family Saturday, or a low-key Sunday, there’s something in here for you.
Friday, May 01, 2026
Circo Festival Canada
📍 The GRAND (608 1st St SW, Calgary, AB)
📆 May 01 – 03, 2026
💰 $19+
⏰ Fri: 1:30pm – 8:30pm / Sat: 9am – 7:15pm / Sun: 9am – 5:15pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click Here
Want to see something amazing?! Circo Festival Canada is coming to Calgary. Check out this Western Canadian Competition for aerials, acrobatics, dance, and a variety of circus acts.
Calgary International Beerfest
📍 BMO Centre (1912 Flores Ladue Parade SE, Calgary, AB)
📆 April 24 – 26, 2026
💰$10+
⏰ Fri & Sat: 10am – 7pm / Sun: 10am – 5pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Nothing brings people together like great food and drink. At Calgary International Beerfest , it’s all about celebrating together. With over 200 breweries, distilleries, cideries, plus delicious bites from 30+ local restaurants, you’ll truly get a taste of the city.
Brad Williams: The Tall Tales Tour
📍 Grey Eagle Event Centre (Grey Eagle Dr, Tsuu T’ina Nation 145, AB)
📆 May 01, 2026
💰 $40+
⏰ 7:00pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Brad Williams’ latest stand-up special, Starfish, has gone viral on YouTube with over 7.5 million views, cementing his place as one of the sharpest, most original comedic voices working today.
Bow Habitat Station Trout Pond Opens
📍 Bow Habitat Station (1440-17A Street SE, Calgary, AB)
📆 May 01, 2026
💰 FREE
⏰ Sunrise to sunset
🔗 Learn more here: Click Here
The Bow Habitat Station’s Trout Pond is open for the season from May 1 to September 30, 2026. This pond is stocked with rainbow trout raised in the fish hatchery for you to catch and release. The Trout Pond is free to use, and fishing equipment is available for rent starting on June 3. It’s a fun and easy first fishing experience!
Please note that personal equipment is not allowed, and there is a bait ban in effect. Barbless hooks are required. Plus, anyone aged 16+ fishing or helping a child with casting/reeling must hold a valid Alberta Sportfishing license.
Free Soccer Fridays
📍 Location vary’s by date
📆 May 01, 2026
💰FREE
⏰ 4:30pm – 5:45pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Free Soccer Fridays, sponsored by Servus Credit Union, invites kids to a FREE, unstructured, drop-in soccer opportunity. This is a chance for youth of all ages and abilities to play and enjoy the sport. There is no cost, but parents do need to sign a waiver.
Alberta Ballet: Notre Dame de Paris
📍 Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (1415 14th Ave NW, Calgary, AB)
📆 April 30 – May 02, 2026
💰$50+
⏰ 7:30pm / May 02: 2pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
An unexpected fusion of dance, fashion, and theatrical brilliance sets this production apart. Petit’s choreography captures Quasimodo’s struggle and Esmeralda’s spirit. Enhancing this legendary work are costumes designed by Yves Saint Laurent, inspired by Notre Dame’s stained glass. Rich jewel tones and striking silhouettes bring medieval Paris to life, complemented by Maurice Jarre’s evocative score.
Notre Dame de Paris is a theatrical gem with its sweeping drama, exquisite design, and powerful choreography. Witness the grandeur and artistry of this extraordinary production—one that may not return for years.
Wildwoman
📍Martha Cohen Theatre (215 – 8th Avenue SE, Calgary, AB)
📆 April 21 – May 10, 2026
💰 $29+
⏰ Tues – Fri: 7:30pm / Sat: 2pm & 7:30pm / Sun: 2pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Based on the shocking true story that inspired Beauty and the Beast, WILDWOMAN dives into the lives of three powerful women as they fight for survival, influence, and legacy within the treacherous walls of a royal court.
Calgary Book Sale
📍 Crossroads Market (1235 26 Ave SE, Calgary, AB)
📆 April 30 – May 03 & May 08 – 10, 2026
💰$0+
⏰ 10am – 5pm / April 30th : 3pm – 8pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
The Calgary Book Sale is back again this year at Crossroads Market. It’s the perfect chance to find some great reads at a great price all while supporting RESET Society of Calgary.
2026 JazzYYC International Jazz Days Festival
📍 Various Venues, Calgary, AB
📆 April 27 – May 02, 2026
💰Price varies
⏰ Times vary
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Six days of live jazz music featuring Calgary high school bands and international jazz trombone sensation Karin Hammar. A celebration of youth in jazz presented by CADME (Calgary Association for the Development of Music Education) in partnership with JazzYYC.
Saturday, May 02, 2026
Taste the Market
📍West & South Calgary Farmers Market, Calgary, AB
📆 May 02 & 03, 2026
💰 $1+
⏰ 11am – 5pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Call your friends and join us at Taste the Market, a new Calgary Farmers’ Market Signature Event where you can sample the best of everything the market has to offer in a festival-style atmosphere!
Modelled after some of the world’s most popular culinary tours, Taste the Market will offer snippets of everything, from delicious bites to take-home treasures, as well as demonstrations and interactive activities. All with a complimentary backdrop of exciting in-market entertainment from an exclusive lineup of bands, DJs, performers, kids’ entertainers and more!
Day Out With Thomas
📍Heritage Park (1900 Heritage Dr SW, Calgary, AB)
📆 May 02 & 03, 2026
💰 $33+
⏰ 9am – 4:30pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Everyone’s favourite blue engine, is coming to Heritage Park and bringing all his favourite musical instruments!
Day Out With Thomas is a fun-filled family event taking place at Heritage Railways across the world. Each ticket includes a train ride with a life-sized Thomas the Tank Engine as well as access to a full day of activities for all to enjoy.
Activities include live entertainment, photo ops with Sir Topham Hatt, lawn games and shopping at the pop-up gift shop for exclusive Thomas swag. Then, keep the beat going at the Music Corner, packed with lawn games, hands-on activities, and music-inspired fun that’ll have the whole family dancing!
Calgary Bike Swap
📍Vivo for Healthier Generations, East Arena (11950 Country Village Link NE, Calgary, AB)
📆 May 02, 2026
💰 $0+
⏰ Consign: 8am – 2pm / Donate: 8am – 5pm / Sale: 2:30pm – 5pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Need some new wheels? Visit the Calgary Bike Swap Sale to buy, sell and donate bikes. Sellers pay $15 (AMA members get $5 off!) to list their bikes for sale; buyers get a new bicycle for a great price! This is a safe place to buy, sell, and or donate a bike. Every bike is checked out, and its serial number is recorded to confirm the bike hasn’t been reported stolen. They also work with groups that receive donated bikes.
Stage West for Kids: Little Red Riding Hood
📍Stage West Dinner Theatre (727 42 Ave SE, Calgary, AB)
📆 May 02 – June 06, 2026
💰 $43+
⏰ 11am
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Join Stage West for the children’s version of the dinner theatre. Dining out and kids don’t always go together like fries and gravy, but throw in some singing, dancing and musical theatre, and your whole family will have fun. For starters, an incredible “kids buffet” complete with all the favourites … hot dogs, pizza, ice cream and much more. The buffet is then followed by a live child-oriented performance with plenty of humour for parents.
Asian Heritage Month at Studio Bell
📍Studio Bell (850 4th St SE, Calgary, AB)
📆 May 02, 2026
💰 $20+
⏰ 1pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Kick off Asian Heritage Month at Studio Bell with a blend of traditional and contemporary Chinese music, in partnership with the Chinese Artists Association of Alberta. The event features performances by GCB, a band that uses music as a universal language to explore themes of identity, migration, and shared emotion.
Calgary Maker Faire 2026
📍Acadia Rec Centre (240 90th Ave SE, Calgary, AB)
📆 May 02, 2026
💰 $8+
⏰ 10am – 5pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Get inspired at the Calgary Maker Faire which brings together curious minds to showcase their projects, passions, and experiments. The Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth, this is a family-friendly celebration of creativity, innovation, and hands-on inspiration.
Wild After Hours: Penguins (18+)
📍Calgary Zoo/Wilder Institute (210 St George’s Dr. NE, Calgary, AB)
📆 May 02, 2026
💰 $130+
⏰ 5pm – 9pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Wander into the unknown with this adults-only evening experience at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo . Your ticket includes after-hours access to the Penguin Plunge habitat, a four-course dinner at Safari Lodge, and a captivating presentation on penguins.
10th Annual Century Downs Chihuahua Races
📍Century Downs Racetrack and Casino (260 Century Downs Dr, Rocky View AB, Calgary, AB)
📆 May 02, 2026
💰 FREE
⏰ 12:45pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Catch the 10th Annual Century Downs Chihuahua Races for live harness racing and the 152nd Kentucky Derby. Who is going to make it across the finish line? Only one way to find out!
Free Comic Book Day
📍Participating comic book stores
📆 May 02, 2026
💰 FREE
⏰ All day
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Do you have a comic book fan in your family, or perhaps a reluctant reader who might enjoy the world of comics? May 2, 2026, is Free Comic Book Day, where participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give you a comic book for absolutely FREE. Every comic shop has its own rules, and selection may vary.
Sunday, May 03, 2026
Calgary Pro Musica Presents Sleeping Beauty
📍 Rozsa Centre, University of Calgary (206 University Ct NW, Calgary, AB)
📆 May 03, 2026
💰$15+
⏰ 1pm – 3:30pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
On May 3, 2026, Calgary Pro Musica and Green Fools Theatre invite you to Sleeping Beauty. This program is recommended for children aged 5 to 12, but the entire family will enjoy this classic..
Top Tier: Threelogy 3.0
📍 Grey Eagle Event Centre (Grey Eagle Dr, Tsuu T’ina Nation 145, AB)
📆 May 03, 2026
💰$88+
⏰ 6:30pm
🔗 Learn more here: Click here
Catch OPM icons — ERIK SANTOS, JONA, and CHRISTIAN BAUTISTA — joined by special guests, Global Pinoy Pride, AGT Grand Winner JESSICA SANCHEZ and The Voice USA Champion SOFRONIO VASQUEZ as they take over Canada for an experience you’ll never forget!
That’s your weekend sorted, Wanderers. From circus aerials to chihuahua finishes, this city is really showing up for the first weekend of May, and we hope you do too.
Making it out to any of these? Tag us in your stories at @WanderingInYYC, we genuinely love following along and seeing how our community spends their weekends in Calgary. We drop a new weekend events guide every week, so bookmark this page or follow along so you never have to wonder what’s on again.
Because we believe we are all made to wander, and this weekend in Calgary is giving us a lot to work with. ✨
Shabina + Adi
