Festival, Events & Protests - How to Find Them

Sometimes people ask me how I know about the events I photograph. For the most part, many of them are events that I go to every year. Then there are sources I subscribe to either by email or on Facebook to keep me informed.  Plus there are friends who tell me about events or festivals I might not have heard about. Which is entirely possible. Calgary has become really diverse and I can barely keep up with all the cultural celebrations that pop up.

If you can't find a weekend festival, then you are not looking. I'm always looking. If there's a fair, festival, pow wow, protest, or cultural celebration that you'd like to share add a comment.

I thought that I had already made a blog of my event sources, but apparently not. So here are lists of a few events I like to photograph and resources.

Festivals & Events

For festival and event lists try these:

• The Visit Calgary website
• Events in Calgary Facebook page, 
• Downtown Calgary website - can sign up for weekly email notification.
• Avenue magazine - sign up for free e-newsletters.
• Swerve Magazine - Events page or follow on Facebook.

Some of my favorite festivals/events:

• Calgary Comic Expo Parade of Wonders - It's always fun photographing the cosplayers and people who just want to be comic book characters. 

• Lilac Festival - My festival season warmer-upper.

• Canada Day - This year is Canada's 150th anniversary and there are a ton of things happening in downtown Calgary, and tons of things (musicians, pow-wow dancers, people, show cars, fireworks...) to photograph. If you want something a little less hectic, just south of Calgary is the Canada Day Millarville Races. 

• Calgary Stampede - Whether you go to the parade, pay to stroll Stampede Park, or catch the freebies on Stephen Avenue, the Calgary Stampede is a dream to photograph.

• Inglewood Sunfest - Street performers, musicians, and local shops put on a pretty good show.

• Calgary Carifest - After a taking a break last year, looks like Carifest is back and active on Facebook.

• Calgary Pride - Feel the love! Although the actual festival is more than a week long, I usually only go to the Pride Parade, which keeps getting bigger every year, and the party that follows.  This year the parade route has changed and the party has moved to Princes Island Park.

• Zombie Walk - Totally gruesome fun, usually the second Saturday in October.  With only a Facebook page, the annual Zombie Walk is totally grassroots organized.  This one is touch and go (or run) for me, depending on if I have to work.  I just discovered a Calgary Zombie Survivor, an obstacle course run that's happening in August at the Millarville Racetrack. Not sure, but I think this is the one that started in Cochrane.

• Beakerhead - Science and art, how cool is that!

• Remembrance Day - Ceremonies take place in a few key areas in Calgary, notably Memorial Park, Museum of the Regiments, and the Field of Poppies (Memorial Drive west of Centre Street Bridge).

Protests:

Protests are different than festivals in that some are annual, like Earth Day in April, or spur of the moment, like the Women's March or the March for Science that happened as a reaction to Donald Trump becoming president. A few you can mark on your calendar, while others you will need to connect with activist sites to stay informed.

Activist Facebook sites to follow:

• Calgary Social Change Events & Action
• Calgary Raging Grannies
• Take Back the Night Treaty 7 
• Calgary Idle No More Next Steps

Annual activist events:

The United Nations has a list of International Days commemorating various causes. Here are a few that I have covered in Calgary.

• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (a weekend close to March 21)
• 4/20 (April 20) - An international rally to legalize marijuana. Although with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau soon to make pot legal, I'm not sure where this group is going in Canada. Here is the Calgary chapter.
• Earth Day (April 22)
• Calgary Pride Parade (first Sunday in September)

Notable Links:

For when you want to get out of the big city, take a look at these websites.

• Travel Alberta or Travel Alberta Rodeos
• Alberta Pow Wows
• Government of Alberta Department of Agriculture and Forestry: Fairs and Exhibitions
• CAFE Calendar of Fairs

Something "uplifting"

Out of the blue some friends invited me out with them to the Friday night High River balloon glow.  I was planning on doing something local, but since I had a really bad day at work, I decided I needed to do something "uplifting." :)  I love synchronicity.

Links:

• Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival 

Alberta Roadtrips - Wetaskiwan County

Road trips down the back roads of Alberta has got to be something photographers should try, even if they don't like shooting landscapes (like me). The drive alone is inspirational (if not calming).  Getting lost is bonus -- even if it's one hour before sundown, storm clouds moving in,  and you're driving alone in a car with an iffy gas gauge.

These were taken just south of the city of Wetaskiwan, in Wetaskiwan County. (Hover mouse over photo to activate navigation arrows.)

Links:

• City of Wetaskiwan
• County of Wetaskiwan
• Siding 16 : an early history of Wetaskiwin to 1930 -- by A. Bert Reynolds

Alberta Pride

Alberta Pride, a photo by Wanderfull1 on Flickr.

A Pride flag flies at City Hall.  It will be up during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.  Russia has anti-gay laws.  Raising the Pride flag (many cities are) is a show of solidarity. Again, very proud of our mayor.

The media photographed the Pride flag only, making appear that it was the only flag hoisted.  At least a few media commentators assumed that it was the only flag up. There are actually four flags; currently they are Canada, Calgary, Alberta and Pride.

I thought it was important to show it as it is, because in spite of the freaked-out redneck comments (especially on the Calgary Herald web site) I think there are more inclusive than exclusive people in Alberta.

Also, I believe "any love is good love" (BTO). Since there seems to be so little love around, any sign of it gives me warm fuzzies.

Even Google got in on the protests by uploading a rainbow Doodle.

This photo was shot quickly during a -30 windchill (I attempted only half a dozen tries). It was cropped and re-sized in camera (Canon G10) and uploaded using a Library computer. Had to... my laptop crashed again! No love there. : (

Links:

• Google News
• Russian Anti-Gay Law - Google News
• LGBT Rights in Russia - Wikipedia
• Google 2014 Olympic Doodle

Pride 2013 demonstrators.

Ancestors and Sunflowers

Bowden SunMaze 2013 - 5, a photo by Wanderfull1 on Flickr.

Yesterday, a friend and I got lost in the Bowden SunMaze which just opened August 6th. Actually, we got lost in their corn maze. The sunflowers, dwarfed by a June hail storm, were mostly buds and a little over five feet tall.  It might be worth going back to in September when it's not so hot.  I think it was 26 Celsius, but it felt like 30.  I didn't take a whole lot of photos, but I did discover that even an extreme f-stop of f40 will not bring a red barn in focus when it's several miles away.

Since neither I nor my friend are great with heat, we wound up not completing the corn maze hike and explored the Bowden Museum instead.  Like most small town museums, the collection is reliant on what families donate.  Someone in Bowden really loved Avon products.  We had a few what-the-heck-is-that moments in the kitchen goods area.  Just before we left, we found some information about my great grandfather who ranched in the area. It sparked the desire to hit more museums along HWY 2a, but it was almost three o-clock. We were short on time and getting hungry.

The museum volunteer recommended Jack's Kitchen, but it was closed for a golf tournament.  Told that the Starlite Diner was pretty expensive, we headed to Olds and had a late lunch at the Chinese restaurant; the one (according to historical information framed on the restaurant wall) that used to be the Public Lunch cafe in 1918.  The food was large in quantity and yummy.  I asked our waitress if she was related to the original owner.  She said her family used to be their neighbors in a village in China.

Highway 2a has always been one of my favorite roads to road-trip, but even so on the way back, after such a large meal and feeling nappy, my mind wandered.  In it's wandering I thought of a way to remember all the places along the 2a between Airdrie and Red Deer.  First I came up with the super easy to remember Harry Potterish "DOBI"; for Didsbury, Olds, Bowden, and Innisfail.  Then I added Cross-Car for Crossfield and Carstairs.  Run it together, Cross-Car-DOBI, add guttural tones, and it almost sounds Klingon.

Today, when I checked Google Maps, I realized I forgot Penhold.  Hmmm.  Cross-Car-DOBIP? Nah.  Cross-Car-DOBI-Pen?  M-m-m-maybe.

Links:

• Bowden SunMaze
• Bowden Pioneer Museum
• Town of Bowden
• Town of Olds
• Unlock the Past
• Roadtrip - Bowden, Alberta - Flickr photos

Grassi Trail, Kananaskis, AB

Grassi Trail, Kananaskis, AB, a photo by Wanderfull1 on Flickr.

Two road trips in one weekend... how lucky is that!

Saturday, I went to Hanna and then Dorothy with some Calgary FlickrMeets people. Explored the ruined roundhouse in Hanna... discovered dead birds, dead vehicles, and lots of bird poop. Then we went to Dorothy and found cows and deer on the way and then restored churches.

Sunday, I went with friends (the long scenic route) to Grassi Trail in Kananaskis. Risked the heights to see pictographs and get this view of the pond.

Both days were extremely hot, as was today. Plus 30 today, I think, which is why I did a quick walk to Prince's Island to scope out the Heritage Day Festivities. Looked like the heat kept the crowds away, so I decided to head back to the coolness of my apartment.