Calgary is a diverse city with a budding arts and entertainment scene. In this guide you will find recommendations for the best places to eat, catch a theatre performance or live music show in Calgary during your next visit!

CALGARY RESTAURANTS

Alloy is one of Calgary’s best fine dining restaurants. Inspired by the owner’s backgrounds and travels, they work to combine Mediterranean, Latin and Asian flavours and dishes as well as to create an atmosphere that represents a harmonious culinary adventure that leaves a lasting impression. In addition, Alloy heavily emphasises the guest experience, and utilizes only the freshest of ingredients, carefully selected wines, and hand-picked staff.

UNA pizza + wine is a neighbourhood restaurant who aims to provide a place for friends and neighbours to gather in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The menu takes inspiration from a variety of locations including California, the south of Spain, Italy and France. They serve stone deck oven artisan style pizzas which are crispy on the bottom and chewy in the middle, as well as a variety of wines, desserts and coffee.

403 Local Eatery and Bar is Lake Bonavista’s newest local pub. They serve a variety of dishes as well as beer, and make an effort to use the most local products available. The pub was founded by six locals that have grown up in Southern Calgary, and the founders created 403 with the intention to create a hub for sports-lovers to explore elevated dishes and enjoy good beer.

Visit the Calgary Guardian website to find out more about some of the best restaurants in Calgary.

CALGARY THEATRE

Big Secret Theatre is on the second level of the Epcor Centre, located in Calgary’s Arts Commons, and is home to One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre. One of Calgary’s most innovative and creative theatre companies, OYR annually produces many original theatrical works as well as hosts The High Performance Rodeo, Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts. In addition, the centre seats 245 people and is often used for cabaret-style events, such as last year’s ATP’s The God That Comes.

The Vertigo Theatre houses the BD&P Mystery Theatre and Y Stage, and is located at the base of the Calgary Tower in the heart of downtown Calgary. Their artistic mandate aims to expose a broad demographic to theatre, and the elegant venue houses 350 seats as well as an adjustable studio space that is often rearranged for a variety of performances. Gaining popularity, in the 2017/2018 theatre season the centre saw its highest attendance in history, and earned 4 Betty Mitchell Awards at the 2018 award ceremony.

Motel is a black-box theatre owned and operated by Downstage, and is known as the most intimate theatre within the Epcor Centre. The space holds 60 seats, can be transformed into a variety of seating and performance configurations, and has a bar and cocktail area for a small reception after shows.

Visit the Calgary Guardian website to find out more about theatre in Calgary.

CALGARY MUSIC VENUES

The Palace Theatre first opened its doors in 1921, specializing in films, vaudeville acts, and orchestra performances. Today the space has been renovated and is commonly regarded as the most beautiful theatre in Canada, having been declared a National historic site in 1996. The space is currently used for a wide variety of events, including concerts, musical performances, symposiums and corporate events, providing a state-of-the art cinema sound system and in-house catering.

Broken City Social Club is located on the old Electric Avenue, and has been home to rock and roll since its opening in 2004. For over 15 years they have been dedicated to hosting and supporting the diverse arts and entertainment culture within Calgary, acting as a hub for artists to gather and enjoy music accompanied by a delicious menu of food and drinks. In addition to the numerous live bands and musical artists whom they have hosted, they host a series of weekly events including comedy, pub trivia, DJ sets and home-spun karaoke.

The Ironwood is an all-ages music venue in the historic Garry Theatre building in Inglewood which seats 140 people. Nightly artists from many genres perform the Ironwood, however the venue places an emphasis toward folk and roots music, having hosted iconic folk musicians such as Ian Tyson and Art Bergmann throughout its lifetime. The Prime Time Big Band, a popular Calgary based band also performs a regular weekend brunch show.

If you are looking to catch a live show, visit Calgary Guardian website to find out more about bands from Calgary and support some local talent.