Chinook Blast Festival Guide: Celebrate Winter in Calgary [2025]

The Chinook Blast Festival, Calgary’s signature winter festival, has been held in January and February every year since 2020. Offering a fusion of art, culture, and entertainment, Chinook Blast is one of the best annual festivals in Calgary. But how can visiting and resident attendees optimize their time here? Discover insider tips, hidden gems, and must-see attractions that promise to elevate the Chinook Blast experience.

Highlights of Calgary’s Chinook Blast Festival

• Chinook Blast 2025 will run from January 31 to February 17
• Vibrant winter festival in Calgary showcasing arts, sports, and more
• Features light installations, performances, art displays, and culinary delights
• Located in downtown Calgary at Stephen Avenue and The Confluence
• Offers diverse experiences for all ages with free events and activities
• Festival planners envision Chinook Blast becoming Calgary's premier celebration of the arts

What is Chinook Blast?

Chinook Blast is a lively winter festival celebration showcasing the arts, music, and entertainment in Downtown Calgary. This inclusive event brings together community partners to highlight arts, nonprofit organizations, tourism, and even sports. The festival aims to bring warmth to the winter city, offering a range of activities and experiences for visitors to enjoy.

Chinook Blast was born from a vision to create a heart-warming winter festival that advances cultural and sports offerings while fostering new winter experiences. Formed in November 2019, the festival grew into Chinook Blast by spring 2020, energizing the downtown core.

The festival’s name comes from the warm, dry, westerly wind known as the Chinook, which originates from the Rocky Mountains and is a significant feature of Calgary's winter weather. With plans to continue in future years, Chinook Blast aims to become Calgary's premier winter celebration, welcoming tourists with festivities and a vision to be a vibrant celebration for all.

When is Chinook Blast 2025?

Chinook Blast returns in 2025 with an exciting lineup of winter festivities running from January 31 to February 17. Chinook Blast promises to enchant attendees with various events, including awe-inspiring light installations, captivating performances, interactive art displays, and culinary delights.

Whether visitors seek family-friendly activities, date night ideas, or simply a way to embrace the winter season, Chinook Blast is the place to be in Calgary.

Where is Chinook Blast?

This vibrant festival is held at various locations throughout City Centre Calgary. The two central locations are along Stephen Avenue (between 1st Street SE and 3rd Street SW) and at The Confluence, one of Calgary’s top attractions.

Visitors can easily access Chinook Blast by public transportation, as the festival is conveniently located near CTrain stations and major bus routes. The festival's central location allows attendees to explore the city's downtown while enjoying the festivities.

In addition to the main festival grounds, Chinook Blast extends its winter magic to different parts of the city through satellite events and installations. These satellite locations across some of Calgary’s best neighbourhoods offer unique experiences and activities for visitors, further enhancing the festival's reach and impact across the city.

Whether you're a local looking for winter fun or a visitor seeking a magical experience, Chinook Blast's diverse locations enable a broad range of people to enjoy it.

Events at Chinook Blast

Chinook Blast offers free and fun festivities for all ages. It features art installations, activities, buskers, pop-up performances, a community stage, and an artist pavilion. Attendees can immerse themselves in world-class festivals, outdoor programming, light displays, and cultural experiences. 

The festival's artistic center is located in Downtown Calgary along Stephen Avenue between 1st Street SE and 3rd Street SW. This stretch is transformed into an immersive winter wonderland full of lights, decorations, art, and live performances. The weekend markets at Chinook Blast are a huge draw. They’re held on all three weekends of the festival at The Pioneer. 

The festival’s sports-centric offerings are concentrated two kilometres east at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland in Calgary’s Downtown East Village. Here, visitors can partake in ice skating, cross-country skiing, food, drinks and much more. 

Get Ready for the Chinook Blast Festival

Don't miss the excitement and wonder of Chinook Blast 2025! With exciting events and activities for all ages, this winter festival in some of the best neighbourhoods in City Centre Calgary will surely leave you with unforgettable memories. From stunning light installations to live music performances, you can make the most of your winter by experiencing the magic of Chinook Blast!