Canadian Rockies Festivals and Events

Canadian Rockies festivals and events happen throughout the year.

Most of the major WINTER events take place at local ski resorts, including a variety of ski and snowboard competitions that make for great spectator viewing. At Lake Louise, a half pipe and jump are constructed right in front of the day lodge for this specific purpose. In Banff and Lake Louise, SNOWDAYS is a mid-January two-week celebration that features ice sculpting, lots of children’s events, tours, and skijoring down Banff’s main street. JASPER IN JANUARY is a two-week celebration that includes discounted lift tickets at Marmot Basin, canyon walks, restaurant and lodging deals, and all the activities associated with winter. The CANMORE NORDIC CENTRE hosts cross-country skiing and biathlon events throughout the winter, including World Cups.

While locals play hockey on ponds and rinks scattered throughout the Canadian Rockies, things get a little more serious at home games of the CANMORE EAGLES and CRANBROOK BUCKS. These two teams play in Junior A hockey leagues, which is the highest level of any team in the Canadian Rockies.

In SPRING, in the Columbia Valley, the migration of migratory birds is celebrated with WINGS OVER THE ROCKIES the second week of May. One long-running spring event is the SLUSH CUP, which takes place at Sunshine Village in late May. Events include kamikaze skiers and boarders who attempt to skim across an almost-frozen pit of water.

During the second week of June, the BANFF WORLD MEDIA FESTIVAL attracts the world’s leading television directors, producers, writers, and even actors for meetings, workshops, and awards, with many select screenings open to the public.

To kick off SUMMER, July 1 is CANADA DAY. Celebrations of this national holiday occur across the country. In the Canadian Rockies, the biggest gathering is BANFF’S CANADA DAY event, with a full day of fun and frivolity throughout the town. Canada Day celebrations in Jasper begin with a pancake breakfast and progress to a flag-raising ceremony and a parade along Connaught Drive. On the first weekend of August, Canmore hosts the CANMORE FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL, and one month later is the CANMORE HIGHLAND GAMES, a day of dancing, eating, and caber tossing culminating in a spectacular and noisy parade of pipe bands throughout the grounds of Centennial Park.

FALL is a quiet season in the Canadian Rockies, but it’s busy in terms of festivals and events. First of the fall events, the mid-September celebration CANMORE FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND CREATIVITY features arts-oriented festivities, including workshops, displays, and walking tours. On the last Saturday in September, MELISSA’S ROAD RACE  attracts more than 2,000 runners. One of the year’s biggest events is the BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL, held on the first weekend of November. Mountain-adventure filmmakers from around the world submit films to be judged by a select committee. Films are then shown throughout the weekend to an enthusiastic crowd of thousands.