SCENE - June 2026

CALGARY’S GUIDE TO GOING OUT FREE • JUNE 2026 • ISSUE #68

JAZZYYC SUMMER FESTIVAL MACLEOD TRAIL PUB CRAWL WILMER ABURTO Q&A QUEER ARTIST SPOTLIGHT WHERE CHEFS EAT

SUN’S OUT,FUN'S OUT FESTIVAL SEASON TAKES OVER CALGARY WITH SOUNDS AND SIGHTS FOR ALL THINGS TO DO MUSIC ART

PLUS

FOOD

SLED ISLAND GUIDE INSIDE

©JarrettEdmund

MON

1

WED

10 MON - TUE

15-16 WED

17 SAT

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NIHM: Library Opening Ceremonies CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY

3 – 5 p.m.

Celebrate Indigenous culture through music, dance, food, and connection.

SUN

21

6 – 9 p.m.

Open Exhibit, Documentary THE CONFLUENCE

9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Registration Required

Movement as Medicine: A Celebration of National Indigenous People’s Day led by the Matriarch Movement

Speak Up! Exhibit at Studio Bell

HERITAGE PARK

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

TUE

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

An energizing, all-levels fitness experience inspired by pow wow dance and movement.

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Join Matriarch Movement for a powerful gathering that honour’s Indigenous identity through movement, culture and connection.

Indigenous trailblazers featured in this annually updated exhibit.

Powwow Fit

1 – 3 p.m.

Ceremonial face painting and documentary screening.

A two-day workshop for emerging Indigenous photographers.

Limited space.

CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY HERITAGE PARK

10 a.m - 5 p.m.

Performances by throat-singing duo Tudjaat, DJ set by sean beaver, Indigenous vendor market, and more.

Telling Our Own Stories

NATIONAL MUSIC CENTRE

A panel of Indigenous Placemaking Artists share their experiences and moments of “Indigenous Joy.”

NATIONAL MUSIC CENTRE

Experience the Red Carpet, Indigenous Cuisine and Love at the Library.

HERITAGE PARK

1 – 3 p.m.

CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY

OHSOTO’KINO: Indigenous Peoples Day at Studio Bell

Sweet Summer Powwow (film) CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Indigenous Joy Panel

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Lunch and Learn: Powwow Special CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY

12 – 1 p.m.

Learn about the Powwow Trail etiquette and how to be a good visitor.

Bring Your Kokum Scarf - Sober After Party HERITAGE PARK

6 – 11 p.m. | Ages 18+

Think Native EDM festival afterparty energy mixed with culture, fashion and nightlife, built for connection, joy and community.

SUN

21

Walk for Reconciliation THE CONFLUENCE

8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

A walk in solidarity, reflecting on our shared history.

THUR - SUN

25-28 SUN

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Echoes of the Land WERKLUND CENTRE Various Times | Ticket Required

Immersive land-inspired sound bath experience.

Authentically Curated Makers Market and Fashion Showcase WERKLUND CENTRE 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Indigenous makers market and fashion show in the Jack Singer Concert Hall Lobby.

Thank you to our Supporters

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

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Classic Flavours.

Local Ingredients.

Timeless Setting.

Book your table today!

selkirkgrille.ca

CONTENTS

Cover art: Gus Rendell

22 BAR SCENE

June

Publisher Käthe Lemon, klemon@redpointmedia.ca Editor Nathan Iles, niles@redpointmedia.ca

Join The Scene for a pub crawl through some of Macleod Trail’s finest dives.

Editorial Assistant Evelina Pak, epak@redpointmedia.ca Events and Listings Editor Catrina Bowles, cbowles@redpointmedia.ca Founding Editor Mike Bell Designer Kris Twyman Print/Digital Production Manager Mike Matovich CONTRIBUTORS Lissa Robinson, Cam Hayden, Krista Sylvester,

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the deadly sKulls + G.U.S.H. + medusAs 8pm $10 all ages

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kirby sEwell trIo 6pm $25 all ages

7 11

the smokin toad revival 7pm $20 all ages conscious trAnsformatIon 7pm pwyc all ages

12

hymmmelodies 8pm $10 all ages

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oscill8 coLlEctIve 8pm $10 all ages

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dice dynaSty sEaSon 3 5pm $10 16+

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shibarI: hips, lEgs & rope 7PM $30 18+

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cuRio: a kinky talEnt show 7pm $15 18+

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odditeaSe buRlEsque 7:30PM $15 18+

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off duty baNd 7pm $20 all ages

Gus Rendell, Gabriella Lindland, Isabelle Hon, Adam Keresztes, Kiara Niesz, Chelsea Cavanagh, Kenna Burima Client Support Coordinator Alice Meilleur Senior Account Executive Jocelyn Erhardt Account Executives Nadine Benoit, Vicki Braaten Administrative Manager Shahana Beegum HR Manager Evette Stobo

CEO and co-owner Roger Jewett President and co-owner Käthe Lemon Design Director Steve Collins

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada

science is fIctIon + 25 jon cohen ex (montreal) + suncatjah 8pm $10 all ages

The King’s Head PHOTO: KOJI PHOTOS

We acknowledge the traditional territories and the value of the traditional and current oral practices of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina, the Iyarhe Nakoda Nations, the Otipemisiwak Métis Government of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

The Scene is a member of the Alberta Magazine Publishers’ Association and abides by its professional standards.

Published 12 times a year by Redpoint Media Group. © 2026 by Redpoint Media Group.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher.

11 ART SCENE

26 COMMUNITY SCENE

Get ready for Calgary’s festival season with deep dives on Sled Island, JazzYYC Summer Festival, Reggaefest, and more.

Métis artist David Garneau creates still-life paintings that explore the legacy of colonialism.

Kokom’s Bannock Kitchen and Rainy Chief Trading Post are bringing Indigenous food and wares to the masses.

What to do, see, and hear this month across the city.

10 Q&A Wilmer Aburto’s photography recognizes the strength within vulnerability.

20 FOOD SCENE Find out where some of Calgary’s hottest chefs like to dine when they’re off the clock.

24 PRIDE SCENE Meet just a few of the 2SLGBTQIA+ artists who call the Blue Sky City home.

bowlIne quintet pLays three blInd mIce + free for all 7:30pm $15 all ages

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dRag is for all ages 2pm $10 all ages

redpointmedia.ca 1721 29 Avenue SW, Suite 375, Calgary, AB, T2T 6T7

14 COVER

6 ACT 1, SCENE 1

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28 VENUE Semantics Cafe is a space for Calgary’s creatives to call home.

battlE rIver + heartbReak etceterA 8pm $10 all ages

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queer video gAme night 5:30pm free all welcome

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the chaNdelIers 2pm free all welcome

30 CREATIVE SCENE

wednesdAys!

Performing on a stage is a singularly human experience.

open mIc & acoustIc jam 7pm free all ages

32 Cam Hayden congResscoffeeshop.com/events thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

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ACT XXX1 SCENE SCENE1

What to do in June

BY CATRINA BOWLES

RELIVE YOUR PROM NIGHT, CATCH AN OPEN MIC, AND SHOP AT A PUNK FLEA MARKET

AärdCON Organizers PHOTO: DERRICK BIRKMANN

Queer Prom PHOTO: RON JANERT

QUEER PROM AT THE CONFLUENCE

June 6 | The Confluence | theconfluence.ca Whether you’re graduating this year or you bid adieu to high school long ago, celebrate grad season with The Confluence’s Queer Prom. Dress up in your dream prom outfit and show up as your authentic self to kick off Pride Month. Dance your heart out to the musical stylings of DJs DetourYYC and NZANE and check out drag performances from King Neptune, Posie Pocket and Winah Dinah.

Calgary art collective Loose Ends joins this year’s prom with a corsage building station and upstairs market featuring local queer creators, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to jazz up your ‘fit.

Queer Prom offers pay-what-you-can options with a suggested starting point of $10. If you’ve got the money to spare, purchase a “Pay It Forward” ticket to help support the event’s Free Ticket Program. Each year, Queer Prom offers a limited number of free tickets for those facing financial barriers, supported by the flexible pricing and pay-it-forward tickets.

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THE GATHERING

June 6 | Alcove Centre for the Arts | alcoveartscentre.ca A brand-new concert event featuring local artists is coming to town, with one main mission: connection. Upon arrival at The Gathering, organizers at the door will give you a sticker to cover up your phone camera. Rather than posting on social media, you’ll connect with your fellow concertgoers. Bands to catch include (un)decided, SageThaCat, Taelyn and Beatnik Saints. Between musical performances, be sure to check out the local artist vendors, selling their paintings, clothing and sculptures.

It’s a unique event to check out, and tickets are available for just $17.40.

HELLO, DOLLY!

June 12 to 27 | Pumphouse Theatre | untoldstoriestheatre.com A staple of Broadway and the West End, Hello, Dolly! is a familiar name to every musical theatre lover, and now you’ll get to hear the classic tunes in the comparatively cozy Pumphouse Theatre. The musical follows Dolly Gallagher

Levi, a matchmaker in New York who tries to find a wife for a single “half-a-millionaire.” It’s funny, it’s romantic and tickets are only $27.

AÄRDCON

June 13 | The Scandinavian Centre | aardcon.com Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts in Calgary rolled a Nat 20 on great events this June with AärdCon, a roleplaying game and fantasy gathering. Check out speakers talking about the benefits of roleplaying games and how to create great monsters, or sit in on workshops exploring FX makeup, mini-figure painting, voice acting and more. Join in TTRPG sessions throughout the day and shop AärdCon’s marketplace for all sorts of wonderful and nerdy goodies. Standard tickets to the con cost $12.06 online, while “High Roller” tickets go for $17.04 and get you a set of dice at the door.

CALGARY REPTILE EXPO

June 13 and 14 | Genesis Centre | albertareptiles.ca Snakes, lizards, and turtles, oh my! Check out these scaly friends and more at the Calgary Reptile Expo, Canada’s largest not-for-profit reptile expo. Hosted by volunteers from The Alberta Reptile and Amphibian Society, the

Calgary Reptile Expo has everything a reptile lover could want. You’ll also find various creepy crawlies like tarantulas and scorpions, and terrarium-safe plants to decorate animal enclosures. Check out the local artists showcasing at the expo to pick up some reptile or amphibian-themed art and jewellery to proudly display your love of cold-blooded critters. Tickets are $9.99, and kids five and under get in free.

PUNK IN THE PARK: FLEA MARKET

June 17 | Tomkins Park | prfmyyc.com If you’ve ever felt like you can’t find anything that’s really you at conventional markets around Calgary, then the Punk Rock Flea Market is where you’ll want to be. Check out vendors hocking unconventional art, vinyl records, vintage clothes and various little oddities and collectibles you aren’t likely to find anywhere else. There’s no entry fee to the market, so just bring the cash you want to spend.

THE PLAYBOOKS

June 19 to 27 | 215 14 Ave. S.W. | thetheatre.com Calgary’s newest black-box theatre, simply called the theatre, debuts a new play this June: The Playbooks. The script follows the

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

CJSW June Charts Direct from your radio pals at 90.9 FM, here is a snapshot of the current artists & albums topping the charts at CJSW. Tune in, turn it up and enjoy.

1.

Coven Arts Collective PHOTO: JENNIFER DICKINSON

real-life figure Hallie Flanagan, an American theatre producer and director who ran the Federal Theatre Project, established during the Great Depression. It was created as a relief program to help theatre artists survive.

The Playbooks captures Flanagan’s littleknown efforts and the fight to keep artists employed.

ONE – A DANCE SPECTACLE

June 20 | Jack Singer Concert Hall | sparqproductions.com The 15th annual ONE spectacle presents over 250 of Alberta’s greatest dance performers in one jaw-dropping performance. Expect an evening of visually striking performances showing the diversity of dance as an art form. Featuring circus performers, belly dancers, hip hop, Bollywood, and more, you’ll go on an adventure across the world through a variety of cultural dances. Tickets to ONE are $37 for the dress circle and $42 for orchestra and mezzanine seating, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Canadian Transplant Association to support organ and tissue donation awareness.

SHREK 25TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING

June 27 | The GRAND | thegrandyyc.ca We hate to remind you of the endless march of time, but certified meme legend and hit DreamWorks animated comedy Shrek turns 25 years old this year. Celebrate the occasion at The GRAND for this special anniversary screening

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

and relive the childhood classic. Uncle Faith’s Pizza is slinging slices in the lobby ahead of the show, so come hungry. Tickets are just $15.

MANE ATTRACTION: A HORSE GIRL DRAG SHOW

June 28 | Burn Block Social Club | eventbrite.com Giddy-up on over to Burn Block Social Club for another edition of The Gay Agenda, a monthly drag show hosted by local drag queen Divina Diefor. Get in the Stampede spirit with Mane Attraction, a show featuring Lola Jett, Anne Xiety and Jerriana. Tickets are $11.98, and bring a few extra bills to tip the performers.

COVEN ARTS COLLECTIVE WITCHING HOUR OPEN MIC

June 29 | Theatre 1308 | covenartscollective.com New Calgary theatre collective Coven Arts Collective first took to the stage back in January with the Coven Cabaret. Now they’re back with a brand new open mic series, Witching Hour, where artists of all kinds are welcome to share their crafts. Show off your guitar skills, debut that spoken word poem, or share a story you’ve been working on; all art forms are welcome.

Tickets to the event are $15 for both performers and the audience. Grab yours to support local, witchy theatre!

Find even more Calgary events on The Scene’s new online events calendar at thescenecalgary.com

Mike Tod** - Four Wheeled Wagon; or, A Dark Day in the West (Self-Released) Rémi Bolduc* - Le Bolduc Groove Quintet (Self-Released) 3. Sunglaciers** - Spiritual Content (Mothland) 4. Polyvinyl - Where This Ends (Self-Released) 5. Various Artists - Tokyo Pulse: Japanese Funk, Modern Soul and City Pop from The Tokyo Scene1974-88 (Wewantsounds) 6. Motorists* - Never Sing Alone (We Are Time) Kue Varo** - How Everything Feels and Other Lies (Small Fry Music) 8. Surfbort - Reality Star (TODO) 9. Sea Of Lettuce** - Open Doors (Self-Released) 10. Mikaela Davis - Graceland Way (Kill Rock Stars) 11. Tom Phillips and The D.T.s** - Live on The Music Mile (Self-Released) José González - Against the Dying of the Light (Mute) 13. Charlotte Cornfield* - Hurts Like Hell (Merge) 14. Audrey Ochoa* - The Sorceress (Chronograph Records) 15. Local Menace** - Your Friendly Neighbourhood (Self-Released) 16. Dominique Fils-Aimé* - My World is the Sun (Ensoul Records) Flore Laurentienne* - Volume III (Secret City Records) 18. Mise En Scene* - Drive Through Confessional (One More Passtime) 19. Body Shop - Sex Body (Future Shock) Meredith Bates* - The Observer Effect (Phonometrograph) Intermontane Superterrane** - Back in the Direction Home (Self-Released) Cadence Weapon* - Forager (Six Shooter Records) Quit Music** - Monopoly (Self-Released) Atsuko Chiba* - Atsuko Chiba (Mothland) White Fence - Orange (Drag City) Fleur de Peau* - Parachute (Indica Records) Choncy - Trademark (Feel It Records) Charley Crocket - Age Of The Ram (Lone Star Rider) Anthony Joseph - The Ark (Heavenly Sweetness) 30. tofusmell* - All My Time (Hardly Art) * Canadian ** Local (Calgary area)

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ACT XXX1 SCENE SCENE1

Onstage in June

BY NATHAN ILES

ONE-MAN PUNK CHAOS, OLD NORSE COMPOSITIONS, CLASSIC JAZZ DITTIES, AND MUCH MORE

Bob Log III

Napalm Death

Medusas PHOTO: JELENA JAKOVLJEVIC

BOB LOG III You’ll be shocked at the racket a one-man band can make. Clad in a stunt jumpsuit and wearing a helmet rigged with a telephone mic, Bob Log III’s explosion of bluesy fuzzpunk greatness is a can’t-miss experience.

Bug Swallow and Bog Bodies are on deck to open! June 10, 7 p.m. at The Palomino, thepalomino.ca.

NE-YO & AKON

ALUNA Check out the recently renovated Commonwealth downstairs space when Aluna brings her synth-pop dance party to the prairies.

Please note, this is a solo set by Aluna Francis.

June 26, 10 p.m. at COMMON/UNDRGRD, commonwealthbar.ca.

LOU BARLOW

TOM PHILLIPS AND THE D.T’S Calgary’s “honky-tonk hero” is a walking local music legend, with 30+ years of country songwriting under his belt. Catch him while downing a po’boy at the new Blues Can — we’re fans of the popcorn prawn. Every Tuesday night at The Blues Can, thebluescan.com.

NAPALM DEATH

CALGARY BEATLEMANIA

Grindcore and extreme metal wouldn’t be the same without the blastbeaten influence of Napalm Death. Sixteen albums later, they are still going strong and heading to Calgary this spring. Arrive early and catch Primitive Man, Dying Remains, and Culled. June 13, 6:30 p.m. at The Palace Theatre, thepalacetheatre.ca.

Unless you have a time machine, The Liverpool 4 is one of the best ways to experience Beatles songs live in 2026. “Get Back” to the Werklund Centre and “Let It Be” a good night (typing that out was an editorial crime). June 22, 7:30 p.m. at Jack Singer Concert Hall, werklundcentre.ca.

Calgary Jazz Orchestra takes you on a curated journey through Peterson’s vast catalogue of jazz compositions, which encompasses blues,

Mice and Free For All. June 26, 7:30 p.m. at Congress Coffee, congresscoffeeshop.com.

Millennial-era R&B at the ‘Dome? Don’t mind if we do. The “Nights Like This” tour stops in Calgary this June, and both Ne-Yo and Akon are bringing the party. June 20, 8 p.m. at the Saddledome, scotiabanksaddledome.com.

From Dinosaur Jr. to Sebadoh, Lou Barlow is a pioneer and legend of lo-fi alternative rock.

For this gig, he’s all acoustic and baring his heart, with Edmonton’s Cassia Hardy (formerly of Wares) opening. June 12, 5 p.m. at Modern Love, modern-love.ca.

OSCAR PETERSON’S CANADIANA SUITE

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bebop, ballads, and more. June 14, 7 p.m. at Bella Concert Hall, calgaryjazzorchestra.com.

BOWLINE JAZZ QUINTET Fraser Calhoun and the Bowline Quintet have been performing a monthly jazz series at Congress since March. This edition features tunes from two Art Blakey albums, Three Blind

MEDUSAS + GUESTS DIY promoters Black Ice present yet another loud gig on the outskirts of downtown. Local riot grrls Medusas headline, with support from Danger Box from Nanaimo, pop punk band Vexed, and Tuesday Uprising. June 26, 7 p.m. at Loophole Coffee Bar, loopholecoffeebar.ca.

ADONIX Vietnamese‑born and San Diego‑bred, ADONIX breaks genre rules with his signature “hoe music” that blends techno, trap, and hardstyle. This one starts late and goes later, so crush a sugar-free Monster before hitting the dance floor. June 27, 10 p.m. at RumuR, rumur.ca.

SKILLIBENG This Jamaican singer-songwriter has worked with the likes of DJ Khaled, Nicki Minaj, and French Montana. Don’t miss the chance to

PHOTO: COLIN JOHNSTON

catch some dancehall trap excellence when the “Badman She Love” tour lands in Calgary.

June 28, 7 p.m. at the Arrowhead, thearrowheadcalgary.com.

METRIC + BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE + STARS A show has never had a more appropriate name. The “All The Feelings” tour brings three Canadian indie rock legends to the Jube stage, which means your aged millennial knees don’t even have to stand the entire time.

June 28, 6 p.m. at the Jubilee Auditorium, jubileeauditorium.com.

JIMMY EAT WORLD A chance to hear “The Middle” in a non-stadium setting? The Scene says hell yeah. And as a bonus, tickets also include entry to Spruce Meadows itself, in case you want to pre-game the show with horse jumping. Very punk rock.

July 3, 6 p.m. at Spruce Meadows, sprucemeadows.com.

SKÁLD This is a rare show to catch in Calgary. SKÁLD utilizes traditional instruments and Old Norse lyrics to bring Scandinavian Viking history roaring back to life. A drinking horn is optional (actually, it’s not. Don’t bring one to Dickens, they have plenty of glasses).

July 6, 7 p.m. at Dickens, dickensyyc.com.

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

CELEBRATE

THU-SUN, JUNE 25-28, 2026

SUN, JUNE 28, 2026

Various Times | Ticket Required Big Secret Theatre, Werklund Centre

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Free Jack Singer Concert Hall Lobby, Werklund Centre

Echoes of the Land

Authentically Curated Makers Market and Fashion Showcase

Produced by Ghost River Theatre, Echoes of the Land invites audiences to immerse themselves in a transcendent auditory journey rooted in the spirit and rhythms of the land. Designed as a sound bath to engage the senses, audiences will lay flat on the floor, blindfolded (these will be provided), or with their eyes closed, fully immersed in a meditative realm of discovery and deep reflection.

Immerse yourself in Indigenous culture, fashion, and artistry.

The Makers Market runs from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and features the creations and traditions of Indigenous artists and artisans from Treaty 7 and beyond. Cultural performances take place at noon and 1 p.m., and the Fashion Showcase takes place at 2 p.m., featuring local Indigenous designers who are merging contemporary with traditional.

werklundcentre.ca/connections

Q&A

Power in Vulnerability

PHOTOGRAPHER WILMER ABURTO FINDS VISIBILITY AND STRENGTH THROUGH EXPRESSION

BY EVELINA PAK

W

hen his family had their immigration photos taken before moving from Nicaragua to Canada, Wilmer Aburto became fascinated with the camera. Soon after, he began photographing friends and family members, eventually making it his career.

Today, he’s an established artist whose works have been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, featured on the cover of Freq Magazine, and selected for the Italian publication Imago Mundi, exhibited alongside the Venice Biennale art exhibition. He celebrates bodies, culture, vulnerability, and queer identity.

Beyond photography, Aburto has become a visible force in Calgary’s queer community, serving as creative community lead for the Calgary Queer Arts Society and curating Alphabet Mafia, a celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ art, dance, and culture.

In conversation, Aburto reflected on his artistic evolution through early photographs and stories behind some of his works. Growing up, he was often told to be stronger, more masculine. Instead, he has become a fighter on his own terms.

Q: What were your early photographs like, and how did you find your artistic voice?

A: “When I got my first camera, I was 10. I used to take pictures of my little cousins and family members. I’d choose their outfits and basically direct the entire photo shoot. It was a 110mm [film] camera, and the negatives were tiny.

“What inspired me most was photographing people. It always reminded me of the first time I had my own photo taken. Before moving to Canada, we went to a studio to get immigration photos done, and I remember that experience feeling magical, like I was invited into something special. That’s what planted the seed for my fascination with photography. It makes people feel seen.

“Now I see that same vision evolving through representation, visibility, and equal

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opportunities for communities that have historically been underserved.”

Q: Why are nude portraits such a central part of your work?

A: “It comes down to visibility and recognizing the strength within vulnerability. Being nude is a very vulnerable position, but what could be a moment of vulnerability turns into a moment of power for the person in front of the camera.

“I’ve been honoured to witness that transformation during photo shoots, moments where people step fully into themselves, into their world, through the experience.”

Q: Did you face criticism for your work?

How did you navigate it?

A: “It definitely has happened before, and it still happens.

“I would encourage anyone experiencing oppression to remember to care for themselves and approach those moments with compassion.

We can navigate those situations however we feel we need to at that time.

“I also believe it’s important to speak up. I’ve dedicated my entire career to speaking openly about my experiences in the arts and hoping those conversations would resonate with people. And when we speak up collectively, there’s power in that.”

Q: What makes it difficult for people to feel confident in themselves artistically today?

A: “From my experience, there have been systems that prevent people from accessing opportunities and resources equally.

“As a child, my perception of Calgary was deeply multicultural. But when I entered art school, I suddenly found myself in spaces that felt very different. I experienced injustice, mistreatment that happens when we don’t all look the same or that we’re not all part of one group.

“That was tough. I realized I wasn’t always welcomed, and I still find that I’m knocking on doors. But I’m creating a path to open those doors and to bring my voice into those spaces.”

Q: What is the best way to open those doors?

A: “Art. It carried me through some of the most challenging periods of my life. And I think that’s true for many artists.

“Creativity is the force that allows us to

“I’VE BEEN HONOURED TO WITNESS THAT TRANSFORMATION ...

MOMENTS WHERE PEOPLE STEP FULLY INTO THEMSELVES, INTO THEIR WORLD, THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE.” WILMER ABURTO Altar I PHOTO: WILMER ABURTO

bring our voices into spaces where we haven’t always been invited.

“The biggest message I have for the community in Calgary is this: the more we understand that we’re all working toward the same outcome, the stronger we become.”

This Q&A was created in collaboration with Werklund Centre.

See Calgary Queer Arts Society Presents, an exhibition curated by Wilmer Aburto at the +15 Galleries, and celebrate it at the June 25 Art Party. werklundcentre.ca/visit/galleries/ plus15-galleries

FUN FACTS

What piece of your work are you most proud of? “I feel like the best creation I’ve made as an artist is my own voice.”

What’s your favourite queer project in the city? “Vogue YYC.” What are you hoping to explore next in your work? “I’m excited to keep exploring the creative potential in this city and collaborating with the amazing people here.

Together, we can be such a force.”

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

Between Witness and Object

ART SCENE

DAVID GARNEAU’S DARK CHAPTERS AND READING THE RUINS

BY LISSA ROBINSON

A

fly rests on a glistening, voluptuous orange peeled apart. A tin can with a string leans toward a jagged red rock. A bison skull is shrouded in clear bubble wrap. Books sit in stacks or stand alone, bound tightly with strings or a chain. A Métis sash is wrapped tautly around a Winchester rifle once issued by the North-West Mounted Police, surrounded by swirling bead-like dots.

Unsettling juxtapositions like these run throughout David Garneau’s two-part exhibition, Dark Chapters and Reading the Ruins.

Across these interconnected paintings, Garneau reclaims the still life as a critical art form, one capable of holding the weight of Indigenous histories, colonial violence, and cultural persistence. His paintings place everyday objects alongside sacred objects, such as the Métis sash, burning sweetgrass, bison bones, and grandfather rocks, as well as artistic ones like brushes, paint tubes, and gallery plinths.

Garneau’s Métis heritage informs this vast project. Indigenous artists have long repurposed European trade materials — glass beads, silver, wool, buttons — into culturally specific forms shaped by continuity, adaptation, and survival. Garneau extends this lineage in paint, reconfiguring the visual language of the European still life and bending its familiar arrangements toward Indigenous ways of seeing.

DARK CHAPTERS

In Dark Chapters, Garneau introduces a cast of recurring characters that carry symbolic weight.

Rocks, often referred to as “Grandfathers,” represent Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. They function as quiet knowledge keepers, anchoring the compositions in a worldview that predates and exceeds colonial frameworks. In contrast, books appear as emblems of Western academic authority, repositories of institutional knowledge that have historically excluded or misrepresented Indigenous voices.

Tension between forms is a central drama within Garneau’s paintings. In works such as Dark Chapter, books are stacked, bound with twine, and rest upon ruins, evoking an

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

Garneau reconfigur[es] the visual language of the European still life and bend[s] its familiar arrangements toward Indigenous ways of seeing. archaeological dig. Amongst the pile are bones, bricks, and handcuffs. In other paintings, books are clamped in vices or suspended by a string, symbolizing colonial violence through the constraining or controlling of knowledge. These are not neutral objects; they are its ruins.

In Garneau’s paintings, cultural artifacts such as the Métis sash, sweetgrass, stone tools, and bison bones are frequently juxtaposed with symbols of colonial modernity, such as bricks, chains, and bubble wrap. These create compositions that feel at once rooted and unstable. The effect is not just contrast, but entanglement.

Indigenous and colonial histories are shown to be inextricably linked and in tension.

Institutional containment is both visual and conceptual. Objects appear carefully arranged yet constrained, as though held within invisible systems of control and violence. And yet, Garneau resists any reading of these works as purely oppressive. His use of vivid light and luminous colour imbues the compositions with a sense of vitality. Even in scenes of tension, there is resilience, beauty, and continuity.

READING THE RUINS

Reading the Ruins expands the frame outward.

In this exhibit, Garneau engages directly with historical artifacts from the era of the NorthWest Mounted Police, developed in collab-

oration with archival collections. By painting buttons, insignia, and uniforms associated with this period and displaying them alongside the actual objects, he strips them of their institutional authority, leaving them in ruins.

The effect is striking. Museum artifacts, often presented as neutral carriers of history, are revealed instead as instruments of colonial control. This is particularly evident in Garneau’s treatment of the buffalo coat, a garment worn by the North-West Mounted Police. Rendered with heavy, tactile paint, the coat becomes a symbol of contradiction: a tool of colonial enforcement made from bison hides, an animal central to Métis and First Nations culture and nearly eradicated through colonial policy.

Such monumental losses are explored in other works, such as The Troubling Ability to Paint During Genocide, where Garneau confronts the uneasy position of an artist to create in a world marked by ongoing conflict. By referencing contemporary crises in places like Ukraine and Palestine, he questions the ethics of aesthetic production amid such despair and destruction. His own ruins serve as a memento mori, a reminder that all empires, no matter how powerful, eventually collapse. But other works, such as Future Portrait of the Artist (a skull on a plinth) and Visiting a Relative in the National Gallery (a large display case shrouded in a white cloth), also remind us that ceremony, knowledge-keeping, and mourning play a significant role in moving forward as artists or global citizens.

Most profoundly, across both exhibitions, the rock persists, not only as grandfathers but as witnesses. Silent and enduring, they observe the cycles of violence that define both past and present struggles. In this way, Garneau skillfully transcends the still life’s apparent stillness. These are temporal works, holding multiple histories in repose and unrest. What emerges is an extraordinary body of work that will engage profoundly and viscerally with truth and reconciliation.

Dark Chapters and Reading the Ruins are on view at the Founders’ Gallery until August 30, 2026. Find out more at founders.ucalgary.ca.

BEAUTY FROM SACRIFICE, 2025

DARK CHAPTER, 2024

THE TROUBLING ABILITY TO PAINT DURING GENOCIDE, 2025

11

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COVER

Sledding Through The Years CALGARY’S WEEK-LONG MUSIC PARTY CONTINUES TO EVOLVE 20 YEARS LATER

BY GABRIELLA LINDLAND

I

t has always been hard to explain Sled Island to anyone who has not spent a June night bouncing between Calgary venues, chasing a band they know and stumbling into three they do not. The festival has always been built around discovery, but nearly two decades in, what people discover at Sled has changed.

Since launching in 2007, the Calgary music and arts festival has grown from a more indie-rock-rooted event into a broader, harderto-pin-down festival that spans experimental music, hip hop, electronic, metal, punk and ambient sounds. But even as its programming has expanded, Sled Island has stayed tied to the things that made it distinct in the first place: local artists, small venues, affordability, and community.

For Maud Salvi, Sled Island’s executive and artistic director, one of the festival’s original purposes is still central today.

“Sled was created to give local artists opportunities,” says Salvi.

Now the festival has expanded to bring national and international acts.

“A vast majority of the artists that we bring have never played in Calgary before,” Salvi says.

The festival has always booked artists from outside Canada, but this year’s lineup includes a record number of non-Canadian artists who applied through the festival’s submission process.

Kurtis Gregor, Sled Island’s marketing and communications manager, says the shift is evident in the programming, especially as Sled Island has worked to diversify its lineup beyond its early indie-rock roots and to make space for more genres, scenes and audiences.

“I think it was 2017 when Flying Lotus was the guest curator, and that was probably the first time that there had been an electronic guest curator,” Gregor says. “Then everything kind of shifted, and people were like, ‘Whoa, this isn’t just an indie rock festival anymore.’”

Since then, Sled Island has continued to push outward rather than settle into one sound. This year’s guest curator, clipping, brings an experi-

14

Sled Island 2025 PHOTO: MICHAEL GRONDIN

mental hip-hop lens into focus for the 2026 edition.

For longtime attendee and Sled Island Board Director Emeritus Arif Ansari, that widening of sound is part of what keeps Sled worth returning to. Ansari has attended since the festival’s first year, and says Sled Island’s focus on discovery has become one of its greatest strengths.

“It’s just a really great way to discover bands that are new to me,” Ansari says. “I tend to get a wristband, and I tend to go pretty hard. I’ll usually hit a couple of venues, and it’s just a really great way to discover brand new bands I’ve never heard of that I just fall in love with.”

The model also benefits Calgary’s local scene, especially smaller bands who get the chance to share bills with more established acts.“This can really kind of be life-changing for bands,” says Ansari.

Even as Sled Island has grown musically and internationally, it has not outgrown its local scale. Shows still happen in familiar rooms like the Palomino, Dickens, the Ship & Anchor and the Legion, keeping audiences close to the stage and close to each other.

“We’re big enough that there are a lot of

“ T H I S C A N R E A L LY KIND OF BE

LIFE-CHANGING F O R B A N D S .”

ARIF ANSARI, SLED ISLAND, BOARD DIRECTOR EMERITUS

different options for people to enjoy, but we’re also still at human scale,” Salvi says.

That shows up in the way people move through the week. By day two, Salvi says, attendees start running into the same faces at different venues. Even if they do not know each other, those repeated encounters create a sense of connection.

Gregor says that sense of community is one of the things he hopes first-time attendees notice about Calgary.

“A lot of artists come here, and they’re like, ‘Wow, we had no idea Calgary was like this.’”

Gregor says.

While festival costs continue to rise, Salvi says keeping passes affordable is still a priority.

“Affordability has always been very important to us,” Salvi says. “That’s really a primary concern because it’s part of what keeps the festival accessible.”

There have always been free events at Sled Island to help people get a sense of the festival without buying a pass right away.

“The Ship & Anchor is always free. The main floor of the Palomino is free, which is great for people who just want to see what’s up, and hopefully they will want to experience more shows,” says Gregor.

As Sled Island nears two decades, Salvi says the audience is still anchored by longtime supporters, with about 20 per cent attending for more than a decade and 11 per cent coming since the beginning. But new faces keep arriving, too.

For first-timers, Ansari’s advice is simple.

“Get out of your comfort zone,” he says.

“You’ll discover things that are wonderful.”

Sled Island is scheduled for June 17 to 21.

Check the lineup over at sledisland.com.

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

Groove for the Masses

COVER

SUMMER FESTIVAL BRINGS JAZZYYC TO THE PEOPLE

Blue” and Kristin Kobb Trio’s “Sweet Dreams” offer easy access points into the conventions of jazz performance, other artists, like Brasstastics from Edmonton, headliner Mark Lettieri based out of Texas, and Calgary-based, Chilean-born Oliver Miguel, will have any music fan burning a hole in the dance floor.

BY GUS RENDELL

S

ummer Festival is JazzYYC’s flagship event, and this year is going to be the biggest yet in terms of the number of shows.

Taking place in intimate clubs, restaurants, and concert halls, the festival boasts an impressive line-up of both Canadian and international artists and offers something for the casually jazz-curious and the true heads alike.

Summer Festival’s diverse lineup appeals to those who love live music as a whole, even if they may not consider themselves “jazz people,” a preconception that artistic director Kodi Hutchinson says often stems from not knowing how vast a genre jazz can truly be. “I’ll catch people coming out of shows saying ‘I don’t like jazz, but I LOVED that’ and I don’t have the heart to tell them they kinda like jazz,” he says.

Headliners Hiromi’s Sonicwonder purvey an absolutely electrifying brand of contemporary and forward-thinking music led by Hiromi’s virtuoso piano playing, while tributes to masters like John Coltrane (Isaiah Collier’s “Collier Plays Coltrane”) and Miles Davis (Ron di Lauro Sextet’s “Kind of Blue”) offer a chance to appreciate classic catalogues with a tinge of modern taste and musicianship. Kristin Kobb Trio’s “Sweet Dreams” offers a reinterpretation of the Eurhythmics pop-songbook, while Iceland’s ADHD perform some of the most arresting, kinetic, swallow-you-up-whole music you’re ever likely to hear in person.

Beyond those offerings, recent Blue Note (the famous New York-based jazz label that has put many artists on the map, such as Coltrane and Davis) signee trumpeter Brandon Woody and Canadian singer Elysia Biro are two contemporary performers whose individual talents promise to leave those who missed out to opine, “You got to see them live?”

MAKING JAZZ ACCESSIBLE

A frequent topic of my chat with Kodi Hutchinson circled around accessibility, not just to jazz as a genre but to Summer Festival as an event as well.

When it comes to getting anyone in the door,

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

CALGARY’S JAZZ LANDSCAPE

Raul Midón

Elysia Biro PHOTO: K. MIDÓN

Isaiah Collier

PHOTO: K. MIDÓN

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

PHOTO: JOHANNA BRINCKMAN

PHOTO: MITSURU NISHIMURA

“ I ’ L L C ATC H P EO P L E CO M I N G O U T O F S H OWS S AY I N G ‘ I D O N ’ T L I K E JA Z Z , B U T I LOV E D T H AT ’ A N D I D O N ’ T H AV E T H E H E A RT TO T E L L T H E M T H E Y K I N DA L I K E JA Z Z .”

KODI HUTCHINSON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, JAZZYYC

ticket prices can be a barrier that even astounding musicianship cannot overcome. JazzYYC has implemented various strategies to broaden access to the fest. For example, tickets can start at around $20 for those under 25. But Hutchinson encourages anyone who may be a little tight on funds to consider such tickets, while prices

for headliner shows generally sit around $40.

Festival wristbands offer the best value for those who are looking for their fill of the festival’s offerings, venues of varying size and style (the Bella Concert Hall all the way to Sandman’s hotel bar) and a free outdoor show at Tomkins Park.

While shows like Ron di Lauro’s “Kind of

Calgary’s own artists populate the festival lineup, with Mexican-born, Calgary-based vocalist Gisela Romero leading a seven-piece ensemble made up of some Calgary jazz staples like David Lavoie and the recently Calgary-based again Jeff Gammon at the Ironwood. The rest of the Alberta artists will perform throughout the festival in the “Late Night at the Sandman” showcases, with an open invitation to those wishing to join improvised musical excursions.

These kinds of shows offer an opportunity to witness the raw spontaneity and inspired interplay that jazz jams are known for, up close and personal. You may catch a festival headliner stretching out in an impromptu tune or witness any of Calgary’s own up-and-coming talent exchanging musical chops with an international-level performer.

According to Hutchinson, Summer Festival has set ticket sales records over the past two years and continues to grow, having just secured a major funding partner in MissionWealthAdvisors.

In the future, Hutchinson hopes to bring back the multiple outdoor stages that drew large crowds in years past and provide more opportunities for people to discover what JazzYYC Summer Festival has in store for them, with sights set on the new Olympic Plaza in 2028.

The festival closes every year with a free outdoor JazzWalk event that serves as a sampler for the festival and the programming yet to come.

“The goal is that maybe you didn’t go see a [ticketed show] but you go check that out and think ‘Hey, this isn’t so bad, I’m going to [check this out] next year,’” says Hutchinson.

Summerfest takes place from June 22 to 28.

More information at jazzyyc.com.

15

COVER

Heat, Beats, and Budgets

HOW CALGARY REGGAEFEST AND OTHER INDEPENDENT FESTIVALS ARE SURVIVING THE SQUEEZE

BY KRISTA SYLVESTER

E

very summer, the city’s parks and streets transform into community destinations bursting with vendors, entertainment and food as more than 100 festivals capture the attention of Calgarians.

And that number might be a modest estimate, says Calgary Arts Development president and CEO Patti Pon, who believes Calgary has earned its reputation as one of Canada’s most active festival cities.

“We know Calgarians enjoy taking part in festivals. They like the atmosphere. It’s a chance to come together,” Pon says, adding that a recent Citizen Engagement Report reflected that 74 per cent of Calgarians believe the city has a strong and vibrant festival scene.

“Local community festivals are one of the primary ways people take part in the arts. They rank above live theatre, musical theatre and art galleries. We know festivals are a powerful way to attract people to the arts.”

Pon says Calgarians should be proud of the quality of festivals the city offers.

“It’s important that we promote local as much as we can because the strength of these festivals that we support is incredible, and Calgarians should be proud of that.”

BEHIND THE SCENES

For audiences, festivals often appear effortless, but behind the fanfare, the music, the food and the fun, many organizers juggle increasingly overwhelming financial demands.

“People see the finished product of a festival,” says Calgary ReggaeFest organizer Leo Cripps.

“What they don’t see are all the stressful moments to present the event. The burnout factor, the frustration, the ‘Why do we still keep doing this?’ moments.”

That dichotomy between public celebration and private struggle increasingly defines Calgary’s festival ecosystem, says Pon, who acknowledges the precarious financial burden on the city’s festival community.

“Arts organizations don’t get any special

16

“ W E K N OW F E S T I VA L S A R E A P OW E R F U L WAY TO AT T R AC T P E O P L E TO T H E A RT S .”

PATTI PON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CALGARY ARTS DEVELOPMENT

discounts because they’re an arts organization.

Rent is rent. Utilities are utilities. Groceries are groceries. The cost of living is the cost of living,” Pon says. “When those costs go up for organizations already working on very thin margins, things get tighter. Stretching that dollar further becomes more and more challenging.”

PRESSURE AND PAIN

While attendance remains strong and Calgary’s appetite for cultural events continues to grow, many organizers say rising costs, infrastructure limitations and uncertain funding have made survival more complicated than ever.

For Calgary ReggaeFest, years of mounting strain and financial pressures turned what was supposed to be a brief pause into a seven-year hiatus.

“We were not willing to operate in the negative,” Cripps says, adding the festival’s return in 2025 wasn’t guaranteed.

Organizers initially hoped another group might step in to carry the torch. Instead, they kept hearing the same question from the community: When is ReggaeFest coming back?

“We really didn’t realize the void that was left on Calgary’s festival landscape without ReggaeFest,” Cripps says, a reminder that cultural festivals often fill roles larger than just entertainment.

“Calgary is a destination city for performers, and scoring A-list reggae acts comes with a

Luciano PHOTO: COURTESY CALGARY REGGAEFEST

price,” Cripps says, adding talent is only one piece of the financial equation.

“There are no outdoor venues in the city with permanent infrastructure, so for every event, everything has to be brought in,” he says.

That means organizers are paying for stages, lighting and sound systems from scratch each time.

“The smallest stage, alone, will cost upwards of $10,000,” Cripps says.

GRANTS, GRANTS, GRANTS

ReggaeFest, like many independent events, relies heavily on grants.

Ticket sales often fail to cover production costs, while vendor revenue contributes only a fraction of what’s needed.

“To keep this event affordable, we have to keep tickets at a reasonable cost,” Cripps says, adding that without grants and subsidies, the event wouldn’t happen.

Dependence on public funding creates its own uncertainty as competition for grants intensifies across an increasing number of events.

“I think we are oversaturated with festivals.

Grant funding can only go so far,” Cripps says.

Pon says that Calgary Arts Development receives more applications than it can fund.

“On average, our grant success rate is about

33 per cent, meaning about a third of applications receive funding,” Pon says.

“We’re one of the most successful granting organizations in the country, and even then, demand far exceeds available support.”

PIVOT AND PERSEVERE

Despite those challenges, many festivals are adapting rather than disappearing, says Pon. “Festivals are constantly reinventing themselves, ensuring they resonate with the community and finding ways to create more access,” she says. “Artists are incredibly adaptive. I don’t know many people who are better at stretching a dollar than artists and creatives.”

For ReggaeFest, survival meant rethinking what success looks like, and organizers shifted their focus to creating an experience that audiences return for regardless of the lineup.

“We now focus on presenting a festival where folks will come for the event, not who is appearing,” Cripps adds.

Asked whether starting ReggaeFest from scratch in today’s climate would be possible, Cripps doesn’t hold back: “The simple answer is no.”

Calgary Reggae Fest runs August 28 and 29 on St. Patrick’s Island. Learn more at reggaefest.ca.

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

UPDATED EXHIBIT OPENS JUNE 17

JUNE 21 | FREE ADMISSION

Indigenous Peoples Day Honouring trailblazing Indigenous voices in music. 2026 artists include Andrea Menard, Stoney Park Singers, Jerry Alfred, Tudjaat, and Crystal Shawanda.

2026 MARKET

Performance by throat-singing duo Tudjaat, a DJ set by sean beaver, and more.

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Celebrating the global pop icon’s sound, style, and fearless reinvention.

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COVER

Even More Festivals

KEEP THE SUMMER PACKED WITH STREET MARKETS, INDIE THEATRE, NEW SOUNDS, AND MORE

BY EVELINA PAK

FEST WITH THE REST

B

eyond the big-name, Calgary’s smaller arts festivals are also heating up with the weather. From experimental theatre and underground shows to contemporary sound art, these festivals offer a different kind of experience, with a little more room to stumble into something unexpected.

Get your calendar app ready; summer 2026 is absolutely packed!

Calgary Ukrainian Festival June 6 and 7, Acadia Recreation Complex

Lilac Festival June 7, 4th St. S.W. from 12th Avenue to Elbow Drive

Country Thunder

IGNITE! FESTIVAL

BY SAGE THEATRE

June 3 to 6 | Pumphouse Theatre Launched in 2005 by Sage Theatre, IGNITE! Festival offers emerging artists mentorship, support, and the chance to present their work professionally. Over four days, more than 100 artists take over the Pumphouse Theatre with one-act plays, movement pieces, storytelling, multimedia experiments, and genre-blurring performances.

One of this year’s productions is Teach Me How To Fall, directed by Kyle Pacheco and Sylvie Allard. It’s a romantic comedy set in a world of grown-up iPad kids where an attempt at romance spirals into something stranger.

Another is Return, a sci-fi dramedy directed by Chris Mosimann and Mariza Iturbe-Becerril, following the first Mars settlers as they return to Earth and try to readjust to normal life.

The festival is experimental in the best way: messy, unpredictable, and committed to giving the next generation of artists room to take risks. sagetheatre.com; @sage_theatre

COMMUNITY FEST #1

Jun 14 | 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. | BLOX Arts Centre One of the best ways to spend a Sunday night is reliving your younger days at an underground show. Imagine you’re 17 again — except now you can actually afford merch.

BLOX Arts Centre and the Community Music Initiative are making that happen with Community Fest #1: five hours of underground music across two stages, plus food trucks, vendors, and local organizations.

18

June 26 to 28, The Confluence

Badlands Music Festival July 2 to 12, 725 9 Ave S.W. (look for the huge tent)

Calgary Stampede July 3 to 12, Stampede Park

Oxford Stomp July 10, Prince’s Island Park

Fiestaval Latin Festival July 17 to 19, Eau Claire Plaza (NEW LOCATION)

Latitude 49 PHOTO: CHRIS SANTOS

The lineup leans heavily into punk, hardcore, and alternative rock with local acts Glitter Glue, Toxic Fem, Citizen Rage, and Go Away Fast, alongside bands from across Alberta and Saskatchewan, including Soggy Moccasins, Umi Yokai, Reject, and Fist Fight.

The festival is also supported by groups including Rockin’ 4 Dollars, Moments Fest, Alternative Waves Fest, Fear Is Not Love, Duke Lager, and more, adding art and goods to the party.

Tickets are just $20. bloxartscentre.ca; @cmicalgary

SOUND ATLAS FESTIVAL

June 26 to 28 | Contemporary Calgary Experimental composition and mind-bending sound art are back on the menu this summer.

Sound Atlas Festival is back for another season of beautifully strange listening experiences.

Hosted in partnership with Contemporary Calgary, the festival explores experimental

music and the ways in which sound moves across disciplines, histories, and cultures. This year’s edition, Realms of Influence, is divided into three themes: Lineage and Rupture, Altered Currents, and Coalescence.

For three days, composers, performers, and audiences will move through overlapping sonic worlds that challenge traditional ideas of music.

This year’s lineup includes festival founders Latitude 49, internationally acclaimed pianist Holly Roadfeldt, interdisciplinary duo NUM, and several other artists working at the edge of contemporary sound.

The festival is preceded by a free block party on June 24 in the front plaza of Contemporary Calgary, featuring live music, drinks, and a lively preview of the weekend ahead. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and settle into a whimsical and unexpected play of sounds.

Single-night tickets start at $28, while full festival passes begin at $69 through Showpass. soundatlasfest.com; @soundatlasfest

Calgary Folk Festival July 23 to 26, Prince’s Island Park

Inglewood Sunfest July 25, 9th Avenue S.W. between 11 and 14 St.

Taste of Calgary July 30 to August 3, Cowboys Park (formerly Shaw Millennium)

Calgary Fringe Festival July 31 to August 8, Various venues.

Chasing Summer August 1 and 2, Max Bell Centre Festival Grounds

Expo Latino August 14 to 16, Prince’s Island Park

GlobalFest August 27 to 30, Spruce Meadows (NEW LOCATION)

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

Free Admission

ᐃᔨ – Eyes – Shirley Moorhouse Realized as a collaboration between the artist and Rose Bouthillier, Guest Curator. Circulated by The Rooms, St. John’s, NL.

Zadie Xa with Benito Mayor Vallejo Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes: Your Ancestors Are Whales, and Earth Remembers Everything Organized & developed in partnership with The Power Plant, Toronto & PHI, Montréal.

Image: Zadie Xa with Benito Mayor Vallejo, Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes: Your Ancestors Are Whales, and Earth Remembers Everything, 2025. Detail.

@eskerfoundation eskerfoundation.art

THE SCENE’S EVENT CALENDAR

THERE’S SO MUCH GOING ON

Find the what, when, and where at thescenecalgary.com

YOUR GUIDE TO GOING OUT

FOOD SCENE

OFF DUTY EATS WHERE CALGARY CHEFS GRAB A BITE WHEN SOMEONE ELSE IS COOKING

Your average chef spends most of their week cooking for other people.

So when they finally get a day off, they are usually not looking for anything too fussy.

The Scene asked four Calgary chefs to share the spots they actually go to, from tacos at a small taqueria to manousheh from a Mediterranean grocery shop.

Don’t read this if you’re already hungry!

BY ISABELLE HON

FRANCIS MARTINEZ

KATE SYMES

KIAL VENTER

ERIKA ARAUJO

Go-to spot: Amihan Grill + Bakeshop 100, 1011 1 St. S.W. Favourite order: Crispy pork belly, dinuguan, kare-kare, and halo-halo.

Go-to spot: Doughlicious 4140 6. St. N.E. Favourite order: Four staple manousheh, plus BBQ chicken and brisket on weekends.

Go-to spot: Cold Beer & Pizza 102, 1019 17 Ave. S.W. Favourite order: Diablo pepperoni pizza with a craft beer or Japanese-style lager.

Go-to spot: Taqueria El Chefe 2316 27 Ave. N.E. Favourite order: Birria taco and the shrimp taco with cheese.

“I usually come here with friends when I’m off work. It’s a place where we can just share food and unwind. Amihan is a traditional Filipino spot, and the food is super comforting and straightforward. It reminds me a lot of the kind of cooking I grew up with. My dad did most of the cooking when I was young, and dishes like sinigang and kaldereta really shaped what comfort food means to me.

“Sinigang is a sour pork soup with long beans, okra, and eggplant, usually made tangy with tamarind. That balance of sour, savoury, and fresh vegetables is something I’ve always loved. Another favourite is kaldereta, a Filipino-style beef stew with carrots, potatoes, and red bell peppers, always served with rice. It’s one of those dishes that feels like home: simple, hearty, and always better the next day.”

“I lived in the Middle East for a while and fell in love with manousheh, and the ones at Doughlicious are perfect. Doughlicious is one of my weekend favourites. It’s a Mediterranean grocery shop with a big kitchen, and they have four staple manousheh I would start with.

“Of the four staple types, the meat manousheh and four-cheese manousheh are probably the most approachable. Manousheh is eaten open-faced, and because these are larger, they’re cut into four pieces like a pizza. My favourite is the muhammara one, but I also love the labneh and meat one. On weekends, they also do barbecue chicken and brisket. I would definitely try to go on a Friday or Saturday for the barbecue paired with a manousheh. Doughlicious also has a donut shop, Dough Boy, which is worth checking out all on its own.”

“I started cooking with my dad when I was around 11 or 12, and while in culinary school, I was already working with Joey Restaurant Group, where I got to travel, cook in Italy, and even stay in a castle outside Bologna. Since then, Italian food has always stayed with me.

In Calgary, one of my favourite pizza places is Cold Beer & Pizza on 17th Avenue.

“They do Roman-style pizza, including fun flavours like Diablo, with pepperoni, fresh jalapeños, mozzarella, Parmigiano, and hot honey. The space is casual, with a big, long table, plenty of interesting craft beers, and Japanese-style lager. They also keep late-night hours, so it works as an after-work hangout spot. It’s counter-style service, so you can grab a slice, sit down, and keep things easy. After work, I’ll go there with coworkers to hang out, have a beer, and eat something simple.”

“In Mexico, taquerias are often informal, fastpaced spaces where the focus is on the food rather than the setting. They typically offer quick service, a simple layout, and seating that consists of counters or high stools.

Taqueria El Chefe, a small gem located in northeast Calgary, genuinely reflects what a taqueria is meant to be. As a chef, I was particularly drawn to its commitment to fundamentals. There’s a clear respect for the structure and balance of each taco, where every component plays a role.

“What stood out most to me were the birria taco and the shrimp-with-cheese taco.

The birria taco delivers deep, rich flavour, and the tortilla was perfectly prepared. Each bite was satisfying, layered, and true to the dish’s origins.”

PHOTO: JORDAN CRAIG

PHOTO: COURTESY TAQUERIA EL CHEFE

Head Chef at Bonterra Trattoria

PHOTO: COURTESY AMIHAN

20

Chef Instructor at SAIT

PHOTO: COURTESY DOUGHLICIOUS

Executive Chef at SALTLIK

Executive Chef at Jerome’s Appliance Gallery

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

BAR SCENE

Exploring Your City, Volume #2 THE SCENE TAKES YOU ON A PUB CRAWL ODYSSEY DOWN MACLEOD TRAIL

BY ADAM KERESZTES

D

MACLEOD TRAIL

o you ever drive around Calgary, see a bar with a sun-bleached sign, and wonder what’s behind those doors? You’ve lived in the city your whole life and somehow have never set foot into these holes-in-the-wall despite them being around for decades.

Our crack team (aka me, The Scene’s editorial team, and any buddies who want to eat and drink all afternoon) puts feet to the pavement in less-travelled areas. Our mission? To find the hidden gems just beneath the surface of the urban sprawl that is the Blue Sky City.

This time, we explored Calgary’s loudest highway: Macleod Trail. Chain restaurants and big-box stores are staples (and will get their appropriate shout-outs), but there are also many locally owned establishments dotted along the way.

This trip runs from Southcentre Mall to Chinook Mall, landing you just outside the city core if you want to keep the night going.

10 58 Ave Centre St

GLENMORE TRAIL Fisher St

Elbow Dr

71 Ave

9

75 Ave 8 MACLEOD TR Heritage Dr Fairmount Dr

Bonaventure Dr

86 Ave

Elbow Dr

6/7 90 Ave 5 4 94 Ave 3 Southland Dr 2 1

BOSTON PIZZA

10456 Southport Rd. S.W. Let’s start with a dank Canadian classic.

Despite the name, Boston Pizza actually hails from Edmonton. But “Edmonton Pizza” had a decidedly different ring to it.

Yes, this is a chain place. But the Boston Pizza lounge still thrives as a spot to hang out for a few beers in between more obscure stops. This BP’s does indeed have a few dive bar staples: regulars, a pool table, and, soon, maybe even live music with the company’s recently announced Live & Local initiative, which is bringing bands to various locations across Canada.

Once you’ve set a nice base in your belly and got a bit of a buzz off a 21-oz “Boston-sized” pint, it’s time to head north.

HIGHLIGHTS: Good (maybe even great) pizza, big beers, a pool table

STOP #2 SOUTHLAND YARD

135 Southland Dr. S.E. Nestled inside the Delta Hotel is Southland Yard. Once called Boomtown Pub and Patio, it has now become something resembling a neighbourhood bar crossed with your dad’s mancave basement, complete with foosball tables and craft beer in the fridge. Stylized graffiti drapes the walls, and a giant light-up “PLAY” sign adorns the ceiling above a Star Wars pinball machine. The prices and branding might trick you into thinking this isn’t a dive, but the pool table and gaming room speak to the ‘80s watering hole roots of the space. A quick happy hour drink at the bar, and you’ve seen all you need to at this stop.

HIGHLIGHTS: Cornhole, pinball, chefinspired spins on pub food

NOTES FOR YOUR OWN CRAWL: • Plan your walking route in advance.

Calgary isn’t always foot-traffic friendly.

• Assemble the right crew: open-minded and dirtbag enough to appreciate a good dive.

• Keep it to ONE drink per stop. If folks violate this, leave them in the dust.

Time waits for no person.

99 Ave Fairmount Dr

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STOP #1

• This is a walking tour. Wear runners, and don’t drink and drive!

Southland Yard

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

bar is surrounded by a very dusty-looking library section, complete with a knight in armour. If you’re down to listen to a jam band blasting out covers for the aging regulars while slamming a Coors, you could easily kill an entire Saturday here.

HIGHLIGHTS: Live music, another pool table, a library

STOP #6 DUDLEY’S GAMING LOUNGE

The Kings Head PHOTO: KOJI PHOTOS

STOP #3 SMITTYS

9640 Macleod Tr. S. Tucked in between WalMart and Lowe’s is a small location of the breakfast-turned-pubfood chain Smitty’s Restaurant & Lounge.

The first location was actually opened inside Chinook Mall in 1960, so this feels like a fitting detour in our journey.

The lounge is a small room that feels like it hasn’t been touched in 30 years. To the side, there’s even a makeshift stage, possibly for karaoke.

After ringing the bell to summon a bartender, do not try to order any draught beer as the taps behind the counter are just for show. Bottled beer, cheap wings depending on the day, and all-day breakfast are the name of the game here.

Soak in a warm ‘90s lounge experience before stumbling back into the bustling mini mall parking lot.

HIGHLIGHTS: Dive aesthetic, cheap wings, a decidedly retro feel

The massive bar boasts about a dozen seats that tend to fill up quickly on a Saturday afternoon. There’s a pretty solid beer selection, but the star of the show is the weird and wild shots menu. Why not try a Hot Pussy, a John Deere, or an Alien Brain Hemorrhage?

HIGHLIGHTS: Very weird shots, live music, friendly staff, great wings

STOP #5 THE KING’S HEAD

9116 Macleod Tr. S. A quick half-block walk past the vacant lot that was once the old Comedy Cave brings you to The King’s Head Eatery & Music Room. Now fully branded as a music venue, the interior feels like an old-school pub, with a clear focus on the stage. The huge

STOP #4 REGAL BEAGLE

180 94 Ave. S.E. If you’re old enough to remember the amazing buffet restaurant that was Treasures of China, then you’re old enough to drink at the Reagle Beagle nearby. There are knickknacks on every wall, every shelf, every table, and even hanging from the ceiling.

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

9030 Macleod Tr. S.E. (inside the Carriage House Hotel) Across the street is a Calgary staple, the Carriage House Hotel. A quick dip through the lobby and you’ll find yourself inside Dudley’s Gaming Lounge. A gaudy, fully gold bar sits in the middle of a small room surrounded by a dozen VLTs. The rest of the decor fits the ‘80s style, with some plush armchairs and gold-rimmed tables ready for the taking.

Time stands firmly still inside this lounge, but you don’t have to, as the next stop is only steps away.

HIGHLIGHTS: Golden decor, lunch specials, 10(!) video lottery terminals

STOP #7 PEANUTS PUBLIC HOUSE

9030 Macleod Tr. S.E. (inside the Carriage House Hotel) Jaunt (or stumble, depending on how many cold ones you have crushed) across the lobby of the Carriage House Hotel, and you will find Peanuts Public House. Living up to the name, each table gets a “flight” of salted, spiced, and honey-roasted peanuts. Recent renovations include tons of televisions and a strange glass showcase wall with beer kegs behind it.

On a Saturday night, it’s loud and feels like a local hotspot. The beers are cold and varied, but a smidge expensive. After eating peanuts and getting thirstier, it’s time to move on.

HIGHLIGHTS: Peanuts, TV for sports games, lively crowds

STOP #8 JOHN HENRY’S PUB

Regal Beagle

7730 Macleod Tr. S.W. A little further north, and the Tom’s House

of Pizza sign appears, like a legendary spectre of Calgary’s past. Instead of going left into the dining room, opt for the right door and head into John Henry’s Pub, which is attached and shares a menu with Tom’s.

Nothing too fancy about the spot, but that’s completely fine. Who knows? You might even make some new friends with the loyal regulars. Or you could chow down on a C.J.’s Combo pizza completely to yourself. We won’t judge.

HIGHLIGHTS: All-you-can-eat pizza buffet, if you’re there for lunch time

STOP #9 LIMERICKS TRADITIONAL PUBLIC HOUSE

7304 Macleod Tr. A straight shot through some parking lots and Limerick’s awaits. This two-level pub was once a legendary party spot, and if you listen carefully, you can hear the revelry of Calgary bar-hoppers past. The downstairs is usually closed unless there’s a private event going on, so head up the creaky staircase and enter the large room that looks like the textbook definition of an Irish pub. If these walls could talk, they would brag about the troubling amount of Lighthouse Ales drunk and chicken wings eaten back in the day. Grab a couple of Gas Lamp craft beers and marvel at a relic of the past.

HIGHLIGHTS: “Irish” vibes, warm lighting, classic pub fare menu

STOP #10 O’SULLIVANS

5809 Macleod Tr. S.W. Amongst the bakeries and bitcoin vendors just north of Chinook Mall is O’Sullivan’s Restaurant & Bar, proudly shilling cheap wings and good times since 1985. The interior feels like a narrow hallway that leads to a back section, where more seating and a stage await. On Saturdays, this becomes karaoke heaven.

This spot is a true hidden gem staffed by extremely kind servers, making it the perfect place to end this trip through Macleod Trail’s watering holes.

HIGHLIGHTS: Karaoke, multiple wing nights, Calgary dive bar history

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Queer Art in Calgary

PRIDE SCENE

MEET A FEW OF THE ARTISTS SHAPING CALGARY’S NEW CREATIVE WAVE

BY KIARA NEISZ

KAT SIMMERS

O

PHOTO: JEVON BAILEY

riginally from Bashaw, Alta., Kat Simmers is a muralist, author, and multidisciplinary artist who brings bold colour and storytelling to Calgary’s ever-evolving visual arts scene.

An artist since she was young, Simmers first put pencil to paper and later expanded across media during her post-secondary studies. Her knowledge of the arts is backed by a diverse educational background, including multiple majors at Red Deer Polytechnic, Sheridan College, and the Alberta University of the Arts, as well as a semester-long exchange at the Rhode Island School of Design.

While Simmers always knew art was an interest of hers, she didn’t initially imagine herself painting large-scale murals or working across so many mediums.

“Art? Yes. Murals, not necessarily. Comics, not necessarily, but art for sure, I’ve been draw-

ing since I was a teenager,” says Simmers.

With her deep connection to Calgary, Simmers’ work is not only rooted in artistic expression but also in her community. Creating queer art for queer people is a big part of Simmers’ practice and identity, as shown in projects ranging from rainbow murals and pride projects to her graphic novel series Pass Me By. Her mural work has been featured prominently at the BUMP Festival.

“I feel so rooted here, I love my community here, the people and places that make me feel at home here are so important to me that I want to stick around and try my best to make a difference, to make it better for all the people who visit those spots,” says Simmers.

“But it’s complicated being a trans artist in Alberta, for sure.”

See Kat Simmers’ mural work at katsimmers.com.

LANDON KRENTZ

W

ith a specialization in physical theatre and visual vernacular, Landon Krentz creates immersive work that explores the human experience and connects deaf and hearing audiences. Through performance, Krentz explores queerness, Deaf culture, and inclusion to bridge gaps in the community.

“Being deaf has deeply shaped the way I experience language, storytelling, and connection through signed language and Deaf culture,” says Krentz. “Queerness added another layer to that experience, especially around communication, intimacy, vulnerability, and consent.”

Getting started as an artist wasn’t exactly a straightforward path for Krentz, as he didn’t realize that theatre could be more than just attended by Deaf artists. After landing a job at a dance touring company as an administra-

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tive assistant, Krentz realized he was helping fund performances he couldn’t fully access as a Deaf audience member. This kicked off his mission to create Deaf-led work.

“I honestly believed that artists were mostly hearing people, and that Deaf people were meant to support the arts rather than lead them,” says Krentz.

After having experience creating spaces for both Deaf and queer audiences, Krentz hopes emerging artists know there is value in the unique perspectives they bring to their work.

“There are stories, experiences, and ways of seeing the world that only you can bring.

I think the challenge is learning how to fight for your place in the industry while also protecting your peace, your joy, and your sense of self,” says Krentz.

Learn more about Landon Krentz at landonkrentz.com.

A WORLD WITHOUT THEM AT GHOST RIVER THEATRE. PHOTO: MIKE TAN

PHOTO: CY YANG

MIKE HOOVES

B

orn and raised in Calgary, Mike Hooves is an illustrator, animator, designer, and filmmaker who colours outside the lines with every medium they touch.

Hooves has been drawing since childhood, and decided to pursue the arts at a young age.

“In Grade 3, I met a teenager who showed me her sketchbook, and from there I was hooked on drawing. I took art classes throughout school, and I graduated with a BDes in illustration from AUArts. Art is always on my mind,” says Hooves.

After teaching animation to children, Hooves began using cheap markers to connect with the creativity and lack of pressure of childhood.

Alongside illustration, they’ve also brought their playful style to murals, painted with house paints and sprays.

Hooves continues to make art that fully embraces queerness. Their work features soft, androgynous characters, body hair, and moments of queer love and kinship.

“I focus on joy; a gentle queer joy that can be accessed by all viewers,” says Hooves.

Regardless of one’s ability and expectation, Hooves wants people to know that art is a form of communication, and it doesn’t have to be perfect as long as you’re communicating your ideas.

“With the rise of AI, I believe crusty, rougharound-the-edges art is needed more than ever,” says Hooves.

Check out Mike Hooves’ illustrations at mikehooves.ca

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

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SEPT 29 — OCT 25

NOV 26 — DEC 27

FEB 02 — 21

MAR 30 — APR 25

MAY 25 — JUN 20

TICKETS START AT $49 THEATRECALGARY.COM

COMMUNITY SCENE

The Taste and Texture of Culture

FILL YOUR BELLY, GET DECKED OUT FOR THE SEASON, AND KEEP THE PAST ALIVE WITH THESE TWO INDIGENOUS BUSINESSES

BY CHELSEA CAVANAGH

T

KOKOM’S BANNOCK KITCHEN

L TO R: BRIELLE BULL, LESLIE BULL, JOLAINE BULL. PHOTO: CHELSEA CAVANAGH

T

49DZINE - RAINY CHIEF TRADING POST

ucked away in the northeast community of Mayland Heights sits a modest commercial kitchen, brimming with the smells of fresh bannock, a traditional Indigenous bread. The Kokom’s Bannock Kitchen team, which is made up of three generations of family, grandmother, daughter and granddaughter, is hard at work preparing their daily catering orders.

The family-owned business, started in 2017 by Leslie Bull (White Wolf Woman), is an authentic Indigenous catering company specializing in bannock.

“I try not to cook when I’m upset or angry because I don’t want anyone to feel that or eat that,” says Bull. “I know that when I’m mixing up the dough and making the bannock, my energy, my soul is already making a connection with the food.”

Before starting her catering business, Bull spent several years working in childcare. She eventually grew tired of the work and wanted to fulfill a different passion. She took catering jobs here and there before starting her own business. Kokom’s makes an array of Indigen-

ous dishes, from soups and frybread treats to their main-event dish, bannock.

Bull says she and her family work tirelessly in their kitchen, cooking everything from scratch and prepping orders all day, even into the wee hours of the morning.

“Sometimes a customer will want 500 pieces by eight o’clock in the morning, and I’m up at two o’clock. We’ve got two frying pans, and they’re both going. It’s a lot of work,” she says.

For Bull, nothing is more important than her grandchildren. Dedication to her family motivates her to continue serving the community, with the hope of one day passing her business down to the next generation.

“It’s not about the money,” says Bull. “It’s about my presence. And I want to make sure [my grandchildren] remember me. When I go to the spirit world, I want them to remember all the good times and all the good things I’ve given to them. That’s my legacy.”

Peruse the menu and place orders via their Facebook page, or reach out to kokomsbannockkitchen@gmail.com.

he Rainy Chief Trading Post is an Indigenous gem of a storefront in Calgary’s northeast.

This vibrant little shop is part of the 49DZine company, owned and operated by Nathan Rainy Chief.

While 49DZine has operated online since 2016, they opened a Calgary storefront in August 2020, followed shortly by another in Edmonton.

“It’s always been a dream of ours to get to a storefront location,” says Rainy Chief. “Prior to the storefronts, we were trying and trying to get enough capital to open a store, but it just wasn’t quite there, and then it was actually the pandemic that put us in a place to earn the capital enough to open a location.”

Rainy Chief describes 49DZine as a designer-first business. Clients work with their team to create original designs for Indigenous garments, which the 49DZine team then brings to life. The two physical storefronts serve as hubs for folks to purchase materials to create their own Indigenous garments.

Something that sets them apart, Rainy Chief says, is their focus on creating their own designs rather than repurposing.

“When you come to our locations, 80 per cent plus of our offerings are original designs.

We carry that specialty knowledge and really try to focus on identity here, and right away people know that because it’s just that culture piece that we love to have.”

He added that keeping their services affordable is also crucial to the business.

“That’s always been our aspect, where we fit in the market is that we like to be affordable,” he says. “Because again, accessibility shouldn’t be a barrier to people for [their] identity.”

Further expansion of the business is planned for later this year as Rainy Chief prepares to open a third storefront in Winnipeg.

He says he is looking forward to providing services to more Indigenous communities.

“When you go out into the community and see how much of a difference that you’re making, it’s that pride piece of knowing that you’re giving people an identity of who they are,” says Rainy Chief.

“Being able to see that either [people] wear one of our garments or they make their own garment from some of the designs that we come up with; it’s just that special notion that there’s actually a community of 49DZine-ers out there.”

Check out their new spring collection and place an order at rctradingpost.com.

NATHAN RAINY CHIEF. PHOTO: CHELSEA CAVANAGH

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thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

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VENUE

“We just wanted to create a café that we would want to go to. A place that didn’t necessarily exist in this form yet.”

ETHAN ALLEN, FOUNDER, SEMANTICS CAFE

Semantics Cafe COFFEE, BOOKS, RECORDS, AND

A SPACE FOR CALGARY CREATIVES

BY EVELINA PAK

O

pened just over a year ago, Semantics Cafe feels less like a café and more like a cultural hub for downtown creatives. The space hosts everything from open mics and DJ learning nights to rotating art exhibitions.

Partners in business and life, Ethan Allan and Charlize Carriere opened Semantics after losing their jobs. With backgrounds in marketing, graphic design, and event coordination, they built much of the branding themselves.

Inside, Semantics feels spacious and lightfilled. It vaguely recalls Contemporary Calgary with tall windows, industrial accents, and artwork. That may not be accidental, as the pair regularly visit galleries and arts events around the city.

The pair also drew inspiration from a few different places, including Cowdog in Vancouver for its colour palette, and Calgary’s own Loophole Coffee Bar for its live music and grungy vibe. But overall, there was no single

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reference point in mind.

“We just wanted to create a café that we would want to go to,” Allan says. “A place that didn’t necessarily exist in this form yet.”

Despite the raw interior, the space feels warm and lived-in. Some furniture and decorative elements come from Allan’s parents, while the drum kit in the event area was built by his father.

The café also has books and vinyl records.

Some are pristine and new, while others are donated and heavily worn. “A lot of people actually like the beaten-up ones, just for the aesthetic of them,” Allan says. Most are sold for a few dollars.

The newer additions are chosen collaboratively, either through recommendations or out of simple curiosity. “Sometimes we judge it by its cover,” he says.

For the music selection, there is no specific genre they’re leaning towards. Country western currently dominates the shelves, though the collection is gradually expanding into jazz, indie rock, indie pop, and rock records from the ’70s and ’80s.

Semantics regularly hosts art exhibitions and events. The three regular ones are open

PHOTO: EVELINA PAK

mics, zine club meetings, and Controller Club, a DJ learning night where visitors can interact directly with DJs and experiment with equipment themselves. All are free to attend and open to all skill levels.

“We’re fairly open,” Allan says. “Even if it’s not necessarily an artistic medium, if it creates community movement.”

The team plans to expand programming with coffee workshops for entry-level learning.

“It’ll be [about] how to get into coffee, really entry-friendly stuff, just to open up the coffee world to more people,” Allan says.

Alongside that, they’re developing their own coffee line with a playful, personality-based approach. One blend is named “Kevin” for the type of person who drinks coffee after coffee after coffee, while another upcoming blend, “Steve,” is designed to be more relaxed and easygoing.

So far, Allan is happy with how things have developed. “It’s been really cool to see the community grow with us and open our hearts and our doors.”

Looking ahead, he hopes to continue expanding the space without losing the atmosphere that first kept people coming back.

The Semantics’ motto is “Make your own meaning.” It’s a saying that reflects the cafe itself, which is difficult to define with one word.

“I’ve had people try to explain it to others, and they can’t quite figure out how to describe it,” Allan says. “I think it’s just a space you have to experience for yourself. So just come, check us out and hang out for a bit. We’re quite chatty, as you can probably tell.”

SEMANTICS FACTS

Address: 1010 1 St. S.E. Hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and closed on S ​ undays Food: Tasty sandwiches, sausages, and bagels. Breakfast sandwiches are planned for the future.

Drink reccs: Vanilla latte or rooibos latte made with house syrups.

Vibe: Artsy, grungy, and mellow.

A good place to write your next Letterboxd entry, or meet potential new bandmates. semanticscafe.com | @semanticscafeyyc

thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

HOW LIVE DO YOU LIKE IT?

CJSW’s bandroom has a legendary lineup.

Check out the sessions at YouTube.com/@CJSWRadio

CREATIVE SCENE

How We Create: The Stage TO PERFORM ON A STAGE IS TO BE VULNERABLE AND BUILD COMMUNITY

BY KENNA BURIMA

I

t is a particular kind of creature that inhabits the stage. Performing artists yearn for it like a dragon’s tail and are terrified by its need.

Being a performer means doing an enormous amount of unseen work, only to arrive at a moment onstage where all that effort cracks us open and reveals who we are to everyone watching.

PERFORMANCE IS A COMMUNAL ACT

As Werklund Centre’s TD Incubator Fellow this season, I have mentored more than 40 of Calgary’s brightest performing artists. The AMPLIFY series has been the public offering, but it’s the behind-the-scenes that I’ve immersed myself in. AMPLIFY 3, back in March, featured an unforgettable collaboration between queer post-rock band Jed Arbour, classical Hindustani singer Aditya Chaudhuri, and dancer Darya Ivanova. Bandleader Jed Stein crafts a very specific experience for audiences that is both confronting and cathartic.

“To perform is to inhabit a space that can’t exist without community,” says Stein. “Simultaneously make believe and the most real you can feel. It feels like sharing something true, exposing something we all know to be inside but feel too scared to look at or share. There is inherent power, and you yield it, and it opens a window of opportunity for collective change.”

Aditya Chaudhuri shares the sentiment that performance is a communal experience of sharing a deep part of ourselves that captures everyone in a moment together.

“It’s a means to take something from inside and make it real for others,” says Chaudhuri.

“It’s about how you translate emotion, culture, and experience into a form that people witnessing it can feel, even if they don’t understand it.”

Pianist Timothonius Alai of AMPLIFY 4 is fully aware of the opportunity to process things that aren’t so easily conveyed.

“Performing is where I get to do something with emotion that normally doesn’t have anywhere to go,” says Alai. “We humans are al-

30

ways carrying things, unfinished things, things we haven’t had the words for and the music can find that. Do not explain it. Just find it and sit with it. When that happens, the performance stops being about me and becomes something the room is making together.”

PERFORMANCE AS CONNECTION

Performing artists contend with the fourth wall, an imaginary division between the stage and audience. I encouraged artists to toss the concept out, as we are onstage to connect with those witnessing us.

“To me, performance means weaving connection and presence between myself, the crowd, and the environment around us,” says Jed Arbour bassist Kat Handley. “When I’m on stage, I feel nervous and thrilled at the same time, and I feel like I am honouring parts of myself that struggle with being seen.”

Miarlequin agrees. As a core member of the band SHY FRiEND and a solo musician herself, she shared her full self with collaborator Timothonius Alai and singer, producer and DJ Ashley Velvet.

“Performance is a connection to the music, to my heart and emotions, to my bandmates and to the audience,” says Miarlequin. “It is a space of freedom and celebration where some of the most beautiful moments of my life occur.”

PERFORMANCE AS COMMUNICATION

Onstage, we get to share parts of ourselves that we may not be comfortable sharing in our daily lives.

“Performing means expressing a part of myself that is less fed in my day-to-day life,” says Jed Arbour’s drummer, Drew Miller.

“Namely, a part of me that desires recognition. ⁠To demand attention and to impose on others are not values I generally want to foster within myself, but performance calls on a need to be seen and acknowledged, and scratches that itch in an ethical way.”

Ashley Velvet also dug deep in her collaboration and saw the process as a window she both looked out of and through to the audience.

“PERFORMING IS WHERE

I GET TO DO SOMETHING WITH EMOTION THAT NORMALLY

DOESN’T HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO.” TIMOTHONIUS ALAI PHOTO: PHIL CROZIER

“The performance experience reveals a lot of the deeper parts of me that aren’t always visible on the surface,” says Velvet. “Being on stage feels like stepping into a really deep trust within myself.”

Dancer Darya Ivanova of AMPLIFY 3 is an performer and educator who uses performance

to speak out loud what is inside of her.

“Performing for me is a certain form of expression,” says Ivanova. “An open way to share my thoughts in a non-verbal, unconventional language. It’s a unique way of being present with people in the same space, where an exchange of energy happens.”

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CAM HAYDEN

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thescenecalgary.com | 06 | 2026

©JarrettEdmund

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS HISTORY MONTH JUNE 2026