Your guide to the best Calgary gay bars, LGBT venues and events
Alberta, Canada
If you adore the outdoors, then Calgary, where the prairies yield to the mountains, is the place for you.
Explore the progress of LGBTQ+ rights across the world all in an easy to read charts, graphs, and tables. From public sentiment to protections find it all here so you know when holding hands gets you a look or a sentence.
Visit EqualdexYou might know the city for the Calgary Stampede, a rodeo and festival held every July, but there's so much more! Calgary’s multi-use pathways and trails are perfect for walking and biking—ride a fat bike across that winter snow. Calgary’s proximity to the Canadian Rockies (les Rocheuses canadiennes) makes the city the perfect jumping-off point for outdoor adventure. The Rockies, a vast mountain range in western Canada, extend across the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and southward into the western United States. You might recognize their spectacular scenery from Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain, filmed in the Rockies and in Calgary itself—maybe you’ll find the Jack to your Ennis here! Banff National Park (including Lake Louise) and Jasper National Park are the largest and most frequently visited parks in the Rockies. Look forward to swimming, kayaking, hiking, and ATV riding—and, of course, horseback riding—in the warm, dry summer months. The wintertime brings fresh snow to the Rockies’ peaks, perfect for skiing and snowboarding... and (ethical) dog sledding, called mushing.
Hit the slopes and hit the town! Calgary's LGBTQ+ community nightlife is as active as the rest of the city. Pop-up dance parties and international drag performers put on a fabulous show in Calgary's bars. The Beltline neighborhood on 17th Avenue Southwest (S.W.) is the place to see and be seen. That means daytime shopping, and nighttime karaoke and burlesque shows at one of the Beltway's many pubs! If coffee is your drink of choice, or if browsing cute boutiques is your thing, you'll delight in cafés and shops in the Kensington area just north of the Bow River. Downtown, go for a skate or stroll around Olympic Plaza, and don't worry about parking—the CTrain (Calgary's light rail transportation system) is free along 7th Avenue. If you need a spot to start out for dinner or pre-drinks, try out Bridgette Bar, one of Calgary's top rated gay bars.
Calgary Pride, running from late August to early September, draws a crowd eager to show off the LGBTQ+ community's diversity and inclusivity. Former mayor of Calgary Naheed Nenshi, the first Muslim mayor of a major North American city, has enthusiastically supported pride. Calgary's natural features and welcoming attitude will bring out your best and warmest side, no matter the season.
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