About Chinook Blast

Chinook Blast is Calgary’s winter festival celebration that brings together partners from the arts, nonprofit, neighbourhood, tourism, and sports communities to create an inclusive event that showcases the best of our city.

How We Began

From the Gust of an Idea to Chinook Blast

Our vision is to create a heart-warming, must-visit, annual winter festival celebration in Calgary that advances existing cultural and sports offerings and fosters new winter experiences. We’re proud that Chinook Blast can bring some warmth to our winter city for all to enjoy!

The Formation

In November 2019, the gust of an idea formed to create a major initiative that would bring Calgarians together in the midst of winter.
By spring 2020, that gust had grown into Chinook Blast, an event created where:

Community spirit and pride would be fostered
The downtown core would be energized
The arts community would be celebrated
And tourism would grow

Our 10 founding partners brought to Chinook Blast to life to take place in January and February, showcasing the best of Calgary’s art, music, theatre, sport, and recreation.

At its core, Chinook Blast was created to be an inclusive winter initiative that positioned our city as a vibrant place to live and visit.

What is a Chinook?

“A warm, dry, gusty, westerly wind that blows down the Rocky Mountains into the mountains’ eastern slopes and the western prairies. The chinook, an Indigenous word meaning “snow eater,” is most distinctive and numerous in the winter, when the unseasonable warming it brings differentiates it from the normal cold winter weather. ”

— The Canadian Encyclopedia

The Prevailing Wind

Just as planning began to ramp up in spring 2020, so did the COVID-19 crisis. With the help of our amazing partners, Chinook Blast persevered through two years of the pandemic and provided people the chance to get outside and enjoy the festivities.

Chinook Blast will continue to grow and become Calgary’s premier winter festival, welcoming Calgarians and people from around the world.

The Future

Chinook Blast will continue in future years. Together, we will weather the storm and, when allowed, gather to welcome tourists to the city we call home with an inclusive, vibrant winter festival.