Calgary’s downtown Cultural District is excited to announce a name change and a new partnership with Calgary Arts Development, all designed to better promote a vibrant neighbourhood that is home to a high concentration of arts activities as well as outdoor public space, shopping, restaurants and downtown hotels.

In order to better meet the needs of its members the Olympic Plaza Cultural District will now be known simply as the ‘Cultural District’.

“Our members asked for a name that was more reflective of the district as a whole. In the years to come we expect the Cultural District to be a premiere destination for arts and entertainment in Calgary,” said Michael Brown, Board Chair of the Cultural District.

In addition, the newly named Cultural District has signed a new service agreement that will see Calgary Arts Development manage marketing and promotions for Calgary’s downtown Cultural District. With the service agreement comes the hiring of a dedicated staff member to work directly with membership and key community partners like the Calgary Downtown Association, City of Calgary and others.

“The Cultural District Board has engaged Calgary Arts Development to build up overall awareness of the district. We have restaurants and venues that are second to none. This new partnership will result in better awareness of our members and greater activity in East Downtown. We are thrilled to be associated with Calgary Arts Development.” said Michael Brown.

Several activities are underway to promote the Cultural District as a destination for both locals and visitors. Best known is the monthly “First Thursday” celebration presented by district members on the first Thursday of every month, a cultural crawl that includes art events like live music, theatre, dance and exhibitions at popular Cultural District locations, as well as special deals on shopping and dining experiences throughout the District.

“We look forward to working with the Cultural District Board to continue building successful initiatives like First Thursdays,” said Terry Rock, President & CEO of Calgary Arts Development. “We’re also very excited about implementing new strategies to make the neighbourhood more visible and a membership drive to increase awareness and involvement of corporate sector employers and other businesses in the Cultural District.”

The next First Thursday celebration is on July 2 and includes live music and art openings. Also watch for CJSW’s Summer Concert Series in Olympic Plaza, which kicks off on June 6 with free shows on Saturday nights during the summer featuring a variety of local bands like Dojo Workhorse, Jay Crocker, Beija Flor and Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir.

To sign up for news about First Thursdays and other Cultural District events, visit ArtsMartCalgary.ca and click on “Sign Up!” to register for email alerts.

Click here for additional information for Cultural District members and programmers about participating in First Thursdays and organizing events in the Cultural District.

Contact Information

For interview requests and other inquiries about the Cultural District, please contact:

Michael Brown
Board Chair, Cultural District
Phone: (403) 231-5663  
Email: michael.brown@matthewsdev.com

Erica Mattson
Director of Marketing & Communications, Calgary Arts Development
Phone: (403) 264.5330 
Email: erica.mattson@calgaryartsdevelopment.com

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.