What should there be more of in Calgary: concerts, festivals, public art, music lessons, places to make things? The City is asking now, and the answers will shape spending for a long time.

The City of Calgary is updating its Cultural Plan, last written in 2016. The new one sets a 30-year vision for arts, culture, music and the creative economy: where the City invests, what it partners on and which policies it changes.

Two ways in

Everyone: the public survey, from October 24. The City opens a survey for all Calgarians on Saturday, October 24. It'll be on engage.calgary.ca. It's the easy one: answer it at home, in your own time.

Arts groups, studios, venues and businesses: October 17 to November 21. If you run or represent something creative (a dance or music school, a choir, a gallery, a theatre group, a maker space, a cultural association), you can join an in-person workshop for your sector, a virtual workshop, or fill in the organization survey (one response per organization).

Partner workshops and survey →

What the City wants to hear

The City has six draft focus areas and is asking whether they're right and what's missing:

  • Arts and culture are available to everyone.
  • Indigenous and equity-deserving communities help shape Calgary's cultural future.
  • Arts and culture strengthen community belonging.
  • Everyone understands the value of arts and culture.
  • Calgary is known for exceptional arts, culture and events.
  • Artists and creative professionals can build successful careers here.

Why it's worth ten minutes from Signal Hill

Most of Calgary's arts venues and festivals are downtown or in the inner city. If you'd like more on the west side (performances at the rec centre, public art along the pathways, music programs your kids don't need a 30-minute drive to reach), the survey is where that gets counted. The third focus area, culture that builds community belonging, is the work community associations do every week.

What happens next

The City will publish a What We Heard report and a draft plan over the winter. There's a second round in spring 2027 to check the draft and choose priorities, and the final plan goes to Council in fall 2027.

Questions: call 311. To get a reminder when the survey opens, sign up for project updates.