CALGARY INTERNATIONAL BLUES FESTIVAL
JULY 31 - AUGUST 6
Getting back to the outdoor fests, the CALGARY INTERNATIONAL BLUES
FESTIVAL (page 36) takes place from July 31 to August 6, with main stage
concerts at Shaw Millennium Park and “twilight dance parties” at the Kirby
Centre over the weekend, and other special events happening throughout the
week. This year’s line-up features a long list of respected blues players, like
Muddy Waters’ son Big Bill Morganfield, living legends Bob Hall and Lil’ Jimmy
Reed, and a performance by locals Amos Garrett and his band the Eh! Team who
will be joined by Canned Heat front man Dale Spalding.
ONE LOVE
AUGUST 4
Live Nation is bringing two festivals to the city this summer that take place over
the same weekend at the same venue so that fans of both hip-hop and EDM can
catch everything in one go. ONE LOVE (page 38) is a one-day hip-hop festival
being held on August 4. With artists including Ms. Lauryn Hill, Migos, and
Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals, One Love is the biggest hip-hop event in
the province and is expected to attract more than 23,000 fans.
CHASING SUMMER
AUGUST 5 - 6
Immediately following One Love, music fans can stick around for CHASING
SUMMER (page 36), Western Canada’s biggest EDM festival, stretching over
August 5 and 6 and featuring electronic superstars Tiesto and Zedd as its key
headliners. “Now in its fifth year, Chasing Summer 2017, Western Canada’s
largest EDM festival, features a lineup of world class performers across three
stages,” says Live Nation’s Sandra Merz. “This year’s event is expected to host
over 34,000 electronic music fans from across the region for what promises to
be one of the festival’s best years yet.”
OPERA IN THE VILLAGE
AUGUST 10 - 13, 17 - 20
For something entirely different, Calgary Opera’s annual presentation of OPERA
IN THE VILLAGE (page 38) returns this year over the weekends of August 10 to
13 and August 17 and 20 in Enmax Park. This year’s centerpiece show is Rodgers
& Hammerstein’s South Pacific, a Tony Award-winning musical that explores
racial prejudice on a Pacific island during World War II. The festival is rounded
out with family matinee performances of Cinderella, a one-act show that is an
excellent introduction to opera for first-timers, and free musical performances
throughout the day.
REGGAEFEST
AUGUST 18 - 19
Finally, for one last hurrah, there are few experiences that scream “summer”
louder than REGGAEFEST (page 38), taking place on August 18 and 19 at Shaw
Millennium Park (there are also pre-events on August 17). “Rastagarians” unite
to celebrate Caribbean culture, eat island-inspired cuisine, and, of course, groove
out to some reggae music. As always, the line-up includes an international slate
of performers including Etana from Jamaica, Mexico’s Antidoping, and local acts
like Aktivate and Powerhouze.
JULY/AUGUST 2017
where.ca
23