First Thursdays / Arts & Dining Guide – Listings and Contact Information

Listings and information for First Thursdays should be submitted online through the ArtsMart website. Visit ArtsMartCalgary.ca/Submissions to access the online submission form.

The Cultural District also publishes an Arts & Dining Guide twice a year. The next edition will be published in late August 2009. Details on advertising opportunities and company / event listings will be available shortly.

A new staff person (Marketing Specialist) responsible for the Cultural District will be joining the Calgary Arts Development team in mid-June and will be the new contact person for First Thursdays and other Cultural District membership and promotional activities. In the meantime, please contact Calgary Arts Development with any questions, suggestions and feedback. Email info@culturaldistrict.ca or call the Calgary Arts Development office at 403.264.5330.

Programming in Olympic Plaza

Questions about booking an event at Olympic Plaza should be directed to Beth Gignac, Manager of Arts & Culture at The City of Calgary. Email beth.gignac@calgary.ca or call 3-1-1.

Programming at the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts

For programming inquiries, community events and to be added to a list of artists available for events and for hire at the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts, please contact Jennifer Johnson, Director, Booking and Programming. Email jjohnson@epcorcentre.org or call 403-294-7455 x1455

Programming along Stephen Avenue Mall

Artists, festivals and other event producers interested in presenting activities along Stephen Avenue Mall should contact Janet Jessiman, Pedestrian Mall Manager for the Calgary Downtown Association. Call 403-215-1570 or visit the Downtown Association's website.

About Calgary’s Cultural District

Calgary’s Cultural District is located downtown and is home to dozens of arts and culture hotspots like galleries, museums, theatres, concert halls and outdoor festival space, plus excellent shopping, dining and nightlife in the heart of the city. It’s all within walking distance of downtown transit lines, several major hotels, Stephen Avenue Walk and Olympic Plaza, a key Calgary landmark that served as the medal ceremonies site for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. This vibrant neighbourhood is filled with one of the highest concentrations of arts and culture venues in Canada, including the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts, the recently restored Grand Theatre, Vertigo Theatre, the Glenbow Museum, the Art Gallery of Calgary, Cantos Music Foundation and ArtCentral, along with many other galleries, music venues and festivals.

About Calgary Arts Development

Calgary Arts Development was created in 2005 to lead long-term, strategic development of the arts sector in Calgary, guided by the 2004 Civic Arts Policy. Calgary Arts Development invests municipal arts funding of $3.75 million annually in 160 local arts organizations, provides support to the arts community, private developers and public and private sector funders engaged in arts space projects and engages in strategic marketing initiatives to increase arts participation and raise awareness of Calgary’s arts sector locally, nationally and internationally. Visit CalgaryArtsDevelopment.com for more information about our activities and initiatives.