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Calgary Stampede

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Calgary Nightlife

Calgary's nightlife is better than you might expect of a cowboy and oil town in the middle of the Canadian prairie. Locals are friendly, festive and always ready to put away a big Alberta steak or a few drinks, especially on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. However, during the Stampede, Calgary transforms into a true party city.

Calgary's nightlife is best explored through its various neighbourhoods. Downtown is a fine place for a drink during the day or early evening and the partying continues at bars and clubs dotted throughout the area. If you want your action more concentrated, stick to areas like Kensington (with a diverse range of cafés, bars, restaurants and clubs) or 17th Avenue SW (west of 4th Street), where the pubs have more character and the restaurants veer more towards the ethnic.

In matters of high culture such as theatre or literature, critics often characterise Calgary as an oil-driven cowboy town, inferior to Edmonton (its provincial rival). But Calgary boasts a dynamic programme of theatre, opera and classical music, as well as hosting a renowned literary festival each October.

The city plans to cement its reputation for live music through the building of a new National Music Centre around the historic King Eddy Hotel, which closed in 2004 after decades as a renowned blues venue. Slated to open in 2014, the centre will celebrate all Canadian music, housing a live music venue, performance hall and interactive exhibits.

You can find events and nightlife listings in Swerve, available with the Friday edition of the Calgary Herald (http://swervecalgary.com), in where magazine (www.where.ca/calgary) and in the free FFWD Weekly (www.ffwdweekly.com). You can buy tickets for most cultural performances through Ticketmaster Canada (tel: (403) 777 0000; www.ticketmaster.ca).

Bars in Calgary

Barley Mill

Situated next to Eau Claire Market on the banks of the Bow River, the Barley Mill is a lively bar offering a multitude of draught and bottled beers as well as an impressive selection of whiskies, with a great patio in the summer. Lunch and dinner menus offer sandwiches, burgers and typical hearty pub grub such as pies and fish and chips. There’s the added bonus of free Wi-Fi too.

Address 201 Barclay Parade SW, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 290 1500.
http://www.barleymill.net
Flames Central

This giant sports bar is spread over three floors and promises to show any game, anytime, anywhere, as long as it’s broadcast on satellite TV. The main bar, the vast ‘virtual arena’, seats 150, with a 9m (30ft) HD projection screen and 150 TVs. There are private lounges, a mezzanine area and a restaurant too. Expect the place to be packed on hockey nights, when shuttles carry fans to and from live games.

Address 219 8th Avenue SW, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 935 2637.
http://www.flamescentral.com
The Drum & Monkey

This pub sits alongside a string of other bars, shops and eateries. If you’re on a budget, you’ll appreciate the daily drinks specials and happy hours. Tuck into bar snacks (wings, potato skins etc), a ‘Monkey’ burger or a British-inspired curry. Bamboo next door has live music on Thursdays and DJs on Fridays and Saturdays.

Address 1201 1st Street SW, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 261 6674.
http://www.drumandmonkey.ca

Clubs in Calgary

355 Mansion

Calgary’s former Tantra Nightclub has been transformed into 355 Mansion, a two-storey club with five bars and a central dancefloor. Chandeliers dangle from the ceiling, and upstairs there’s a huge skylight, so you can boogie beneath the stars. DJs play mainstream tunes to a young bunch. There are drinks deals on Friday nights, while Saturday is house party night. Open Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Address 355 10th Avenue SW, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 264 0202.
http://www.355mansion.com
HiFi

You’ll hear different music every night in HiFi, which churns out everything from house to disco to soul to a trendy, early-20s audience. The tiny club doubles up as a live music venue, attracting both local and international acts; Saturday is the night to come for guest DJs or live bands. Check the weekly online calendar for details. Open Wednesday to Sunday.

Address 219 10th Avenue SW, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 263 5222.
http://www.hificlub.ca
West

This swanky three-floor restaurant-cum-bar-cum-nightclub in Calgary’s Scotia Centre is a stylish lunch and dinner spot which pulls in the after-work crowd, then entices them to stay late. At weekends, you can literally dance until dawn. Reminisce on ‘Rewind Fridays’ as music from the 1970s to 1990s blasts out, then cool off and enjoy the view on the usually heaving rooftop patio. Very much a place to see and be seen.

Address 225 7th Avenue SW, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 237 5556.
http://www.westrestaurantandbar.com

Live Music in Calgary

Beat Niq Jazz & Social Club

This is the best spot in Calgary for live jazz, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The award-winning, intimate club attracts an impressive mix of musicians playing to an eclectic crowd. You might hear a local jazz singer or even a flamenco group. Bistro Piq Niq upstairs is a Parisian-style restaurant; you can order small plates and drinks in the jazz club.

Address 811 1st Street SW, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 263 1650.
http://www.beatniq.com
Ranchman's

If you’re in Calgary during Stampede, it’s practically obligatory to party at Ranchman’s, which plays non-stop live music from noon until the small hours throughout the festival. At other times of the year, you can still enjoy this true cowboy bar, whose walls are plastered with rodeo memorabilia. Tuck into steaks and ribs, then work it off in the dancehall (lessons available). Live bands play from Thursday to Saturday. You can even test your rodeo skills on a mechanical bull.

Address 9615 MacLeod Trail South, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 253 1100.
http://www.ranchmans.com
The Palomino

Enjoy a taste of the South at this lively honky tonk bar. Live bands play most Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Sip draught Albertan ale and chomp on pulled pork or Albertan beef - the meat is smoked in Canada’s largest BBQ pit. You can also watch your favourite sport on the flatscreen TVs or sun yourself on the patio.

Address 109 7th Avenue SW, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 532 1911.
http://www.thepalomino.ca

Classical Music in Calgary

Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts

The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (offering classical music, popular symphonic music and a children's programme) performs at the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts. It's a modern arts complex, with five performance spaces at the heart of Calgary's cultural district. The complex is also home to Theatre Calgary, as well as a variety of competitions and cultural festivals, including the Calgary International Children’s Festival.

Address 205 8th Avenue SE, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 294 9494.
http://www.epcorcentre.org

Theatre in Calgary

Lunchbox Theatre

Eat your lunch and enjoy a one-act play at the same time with Lunchbox Theatre, a theatre company which performs short plays for the lunchtime business crowd at the base of the Calgary Tower. The group has been running lunch-hour performances since 1975, producing numerous new works as well as supporting and mentoring up-and-coming directors. You can pre-order a deli lunch bag from the box office.

Address 115 9th Avenue SE, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 265 4292.
http://www.lunchboxtheatre.com

Music and Dance in Calgary

Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

The Jube, as it’s fondly known, is home to resident companies (and regular performers) Calgary Opera and Alberta Ballet. But you’ll also find a whole range of acts here, from visiting dance troupes and international bands to authors and comedians. One week the auditorium will host a kids’ show, the next a Broadway musical. The 2,500-seat venue is also used for awards and presentations.

Address 1415 14th Avenue NW, Calgary, Canada
Telephone: (403) 297 8000.
http://www.jubileeauditorium.com
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