Chinook Blast Winter Festival: Art, entertainment, vendors and more
Karra Smith, Staff Writer
The Chinook Blast Winter Festival is back this year, over three weekends starting Jan. 30, and is packed with many exciting attractions, performances and vendors.
Jeff Hessel, senior vice president of marketing and destination development for Tourism Calgary and a member of the executive committee for the Chinook Blast, says the festival’s location change has expanded the event, making the festivities more centralised and accessible.
“We are doing more programming than ever this year compared to previous years, just because we’re on this new location,” Hessel says. “[We] really want to just make sure that there are tons of things for people to do, and it’s all free.”
With Eau Claire Plaza hosting the event this year, attendees can expect a range of art installations from creators based in the city and around the world..
“Bringing this international talent to Calgary, to meet with our local artists, will only help our local artists get to this platform and this level,” says Paul Magnuson, one of the guest curators.
As a warm light in the depths of dark winter, Chinook Blast aims to connect
Calgarians in the cold. Photo courtesy of Chinook Blast
“You’ll see a lot of light art, as the Chinook Blast is known for. And in the international works, you’ll see what I would consider three of the most popular touring artworks in that vein,” he says.
Magnuson also explains that the experience is about more than just having interactive pieces for the duration of the festival — but rather creating artwork that “encourages play and invites light into an otherwise dark and gloomy week, or several weeks.”
Some of the installations that will be present at the plaza include:
- “Tic-Tac-Tote(s)” by B!g Art, which combines the childhood game of tic-tac-toe with an interactive three-by-three tote sculpture.
- “Electric Grove” by Biolumia, which stands out as several 10-foot-tall LED trees with hand-sculpted features.
- “Crystal Wishes” by Mapperz, which encourages individuals to wish at the wishing well and watch as projections react to their voices.
However, the physical sculptures are not the only art that will be present at the Chinook Blast, as a variety of performers will also be providing entertainment for all ages.
One of the most notable events taking place is “Drag On Ice 4,” which will be headlined by drag queen Joey Jay from the reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race and Karla Marx from The Cabaret Company.
For Jay, this performance provides an extra bit of nostalgia and an opportunity to show off their skills.
“I grew up a competitive figure skater, and so now we’re gonna take figure skating and the drag performance and artistry and mesh them together,” says Jay.
Stepping on the ice in full drag is an easy task. However, Jay says it’s the ice that adds a certain element that you can’t get at a typical venue.
“You can take something more emotional or closer to the heart, or you could even do something without any lyrics and still give a breathtaking performance,” Jay says.
Along with “Drag On Ice 4”, there will be live shows from people such as Cedric Lightning, a Cree/Stoney Nakoda drummer and his collaborator, songwriter and musician Kris Demeanor, as well as the group L’Omelette, Blue Jay Session: Amped Up and more.
The festival will also include a market inside the Chinese Cultural Centre, roving performers on stilts and in costumes, a beer garden, food trucks and local establishments, and “The Dome”, a new art installation by B!g Art that gives attendees a place to warm up.
Hessel encourages anyone looking for more information to check out the Chinook Blast Winter Festival website and social media.
The Blast starts Jan. 30 at Eau Claire Plaza and is free for all ages.
