The annual family-friendly festival lights up Calgary downtown with fun and interactive light installations, fire pits, concerts, ice skating, dancing, and more.
Glow Downtown Winter Light Festival, or Glow Fest, is a favourite for many Calgarians. Stephen Avenue transforms into a magical light street full of winter fun during February’s second and third weekends.
Music performances and dancers lift your mood immediately. Take a walk to explore interactive art installations, warm up by fire pits, grab a snack at food trucks or have hot chocolate at cafΓ©s.
The year 2023 will mark the 5th year of the Glow Festival in Calgary. The year 2022 was truly epic, and we visited both weekends. Itβs a fun way to spend the coldest month of the year, and our little boy had a blast with all the colourful lights.
Visitors of all ages had a lot of fun in 2022!
Best light installations at Glow Festival
1. Shadowbox by Gurkaran
2. Circle of Dancers by Tiffany Wollman
3. Domino effect by Ingrid Ingrid
4. Windhouse Trio by Sylvie Roussel-Janssens
5. Crocker Land by Rob Furr
6. Boxes with changing colours
7. Waving bear
Info about visiting Glow Festival in Calgary
- Dates: Check out Glow Fest for 2023 dates
- Location: Stephen Avenue/8 Avenue SW (from 3 St SW to Olympic Plaza), Brookfield Place, Bow Valley Square, and Harley Hotchkiss Gardens
- Time: from 6 pm to 11 pm
- Admission: free
Useful tips about Glow Festival in Calgary
- Pick up a map of all installations at Glow Info Booth (8 Ave SW & 1 St SW)
- Visit the Glow Booth to get a $5 coupon to different cafΓ©s and try a special hot chocolate available only during the Hot Chocolate Festival every February
- Washrooms are available at 3 locations as marked on the map
- Several food trucks are lining 8 Avenue, and the cafes and restaurants are open
- Public skating is available at Olympic Plaza, and skate rental is free
- Each art installation has a QR code with more info about the piece and its author
- Downtown has free parking on weekends after 6 pm or park for free in Bankerβs Hall parking lot (only during the festival)
Winter activities in Calgary
- Tips for visiting the Calgary Zoo
- Outdoor ice skating in Calgary: a breakdown of all options
- Ice bikes & ice skating at Bowness Park
- Cross country skiing in downtown Calgary
- 10 Best trails for cross country skiing in Calgary & beyond
- Discover 26 amazing murals in Calgary with our map
- 30 best outdoor movies and adventure documentaries
Family-friendly winter activities in Calgary
- Amazing penguin walk at Calgary Zoo
- 40 Awesome things to do with kids in Calgary
- Lions Festival of Lights
- Zoolights in Calgary
- 10 Best indoor playgrounds in Calgary
- Family trip movies
Will you be visiting Glow Festival in 2023? See you there!
Spread the word! PIN this to your Pinterest board.
I think my daughter will love this! Hopefully I’ll have a chance to take her here next year!
We saw kids of all ages have fun!