Plaza Palooza
Celebrate, get festive and have fun! Plaza Palooza
Get together outdoors with your friends, family and fellow Calgarians to check out four weekends of free festival fun at Olympic Plaza.
Location and dates
Olympic Plaza
Friday to Sunday, various weekends
Entertainment and activities
Join us for the family-friendly fun on offer including:
- Special guest from the North Pole, Santa Claus, on the final weekend
- Live entertainment on stage every night - local community groups and artists on Fridays and Sundays, and Battle of the Buskers on Saturdays
- DJs spinning tunes for the Plaza Palooza dance floor
- Live ice sculpture carving demonstrations
- Roving performers – stilt walkers, living statues, fire breathers and more
- Calgary '88 Winter Olympics video courtesy of the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Translated event poster
This weekend's stage performers
Dazzling lights and photo opportunities
Enjoy exploring the plaza, which will be decorated in dazzling festive lights along with spectacular light art displays – we’ll even have a roving photographer to snap & share pics of you and your crew. Featuring:
- The DOOR(S) and The ARRAY by Big Art
- Forest Guides by Ken Hacke
- Prairie Fire, and Koda and Aurora by True North Absurdities
- Light-up igloos for the kids to explore
- Roving photos from Hip Image
- Selfie photo station
Battle of the Buskers
On Saturdays, watch some of Calgary’s best local buskers take part in a friendly “battle” on the Plaza Palooza stage. The winner will be announced at 8 p.m. on December 21st and will take home the ultimate title prize – a paid performance spot at The City’s 2025 Canada Day celebrations!
We are incredibly excited to announce our top 3 finalists, who will perform at the Battle of the Buskers finale on Saturday, December 21!
Finale performances start at 5 p.m. on Saturday and the winner will be announced at 8 p.m.
*Please note that the schedule may change due to cold and/or snowy weather. Please check this page for the latest updates.
Interested in becoming a busker? Visit calgary.ca/busking for information about how to obtain a busking ID.
Battle of the Buskers competitors
December 7:
- Honey Sturdy
- Chartier and Checora
- Enoc Mendoza
- Paul Godard and Son's Flea Circus
- Billy & Leon Bi
- Eason Li
- Zamil Mijares
- YYC Small Ensemble Collective
- Alex & Maya
- Elijah Buchanan
- Erik Bezpalko
December 14:
- Poncho & Pearl
- Maya “Shredzies” Nandagiri
- Sisterli Strings
- Authentic Fool
- Cas Rebitt
- Kassandra Dick
- Richard Ryan
- Connell Campbell
- Duke Domino
- Karen Elliott
Carnival games
Test your skills and challenge your fam and besties to our onsite games:
- Box Hockey
- Cornhole
- Mini Golf
Staying warm
Winter evenings can get chilly, stay warm and cozy at Plaza Palooza:
- Enjoy onsite fire pits to warm your hands and toes.
- Craving’s Bistro will be open from 5 – 9 p.m. and Huggabowl will be open from 4 – 9 p.m. each evening where you can purchase warm food and drinks.
While you're downtown, check out all the fun and exciting things to do! Visit calgary.ca/exploredowntown to plan your adventure in the heart of our city and for info on more opportunities for winter fun throughout Calgary, visit calgary.ca/winteractivities.