City owned and managed facilities
The City of Calgary owns, operates and stewards many buildings and spaces. There are a range of facilities, buildings and spaces in inventory and the availability can change. The Film Friendly Team is here to coordinate with productions and City departments to assess requests for access, understands the goals of your production and look for solutions to make filming possible.
Things to consider when requesting to film in a City facility
- The City’s building portfolio evolves frequently, particularly with vacant buildings. Facility availability is subject to change.
- Some facilities will have specific conditions to allow for filming. The Coordinator will help assess these, guide options analysis and clarify final requirements that must be complied with.
- The use of special effects will require additional permits and approvals.
- Due to the nature of the work carried out in some locations, filming requests may not be accommodated.
Planning Stage - Scouting of City facilities or properties
Location Scouting
Curious about access to a City owned building or public space? Want to tour it before requesting to book?
Scouting inquiries for City properties must be submitted through the Film Friendly Team. This ensures the process is as efficient as possible. DO NOT bypass this intake process even if you have contacts in the City department as they cannot review and approve the request.
Tour scheduling is subject to the operations of that building. Public buildings, vehicles, playfields, lobby’s and mechanical areas require coordination and approval before accessing. Public plazas and parks may be toured without contacting the City.
Email the Film Friendly Team to set up a site tour
Email film@calgary.ca and a Film Friendly Team member will reply within 2 business days to coordinate a tour.
Include the following information in the email:
- Required:
- Address of the location
- Three preferred tour dates and time
- Name of Production Company
- Location Manager contact information (name, email and phone)
- Number of people and departments attending the tour
- Information about the reason for the tour (i.e. Location scouting or technical survey).
- Optional:
- Production Title
- Location or building name
- Any specific areas or features at the location that you are looking to access.
- Information about the scene you are filming that align with this location.
Fees relating to City-owned and managed facilities
All fees are subject to change
Facility rental rates vary based on the impact of the booking on other complex amenities and the length of booking. Approximate daily rates are listed below. Please contact the Film Friendly Team for facility specific costs.
Each recreation facility application will incur a non-refundable $26.25 administrative fee upon processing the application.
A $5.75 risk management fee is applied to all bookings/rentals.
| Recreation facility type | Approximate base fee |
|---|---|
|
Arena – Single surface (ice or dry pad) |
$4,500.00 per day |
|
Arena – twin surface (ice or dry pad) |
$7,800.00 per day |
|
Aquatics – Flatwater (lane pool) |
$1,400.00 per day |
|
Aquatics – Leisure centre (wave pool) |
$3,500.00 per day |
- For most other facilities, fees and security deposits will be negotiated with the location manager and the Film Friendly and Facilities Teams' representatives.
- If access to buildings or grounds is granted, all associated costs including service staff and City security will be charged to the production company.
- We’d like to note that fees associated with facility rentals are for cost recovery only and are not a way to generate revenue for The City.