The visual treats of Chinook Blast continue this weekend, from the Asian Night Market performers at City Hall, to the roaming dancers, musicians, and DJs of Olympic Plaza and Stephen Avenue.
The Chinook Blast Art and Light Walk, Four Winds Showcase, and Asian Night Market were among the venues giving some of Calgary’s artists a larger stage on which to perform.
The festival was something that a number of artists have said is important to help them get in front of new audiences. On Friday night, that meant getting to perform in front of thousands of Calgarians during the free Art and Light Walk.
“aGoGo is a collective of local artists, and we’ve been practicing for a long time, but I think Chinook Blast is really what’s given us some nice momentum to go out there and do what we love,” said Tracy Marie Wylie, a performer with aGoGo.
“A nice thing about an event like this, and being in the crowds, is that we have the opportunity to reach people who might not otherwise get the opportunity to enjoy this kind of art.”
Cultural groups light up Stephen Avenue
aGoGo was one of a number of performance troupes that took part in performances along Stephen Avenue, including The Little Red Ball Company, Bravo Circus, and Madhuban Performing Arts.
They were joined by DJ Lucy Lynx, while at Olympic Plaza, Drezus headlined the Four Winds Indigenous Showcase following a powwow performance by Tootoosis Crew.
“It’s radically inclusive, it’s open to everybody, and it’s nice to be a part of something that is sharing art in large fashion with everyone,” Wylie said.
For Wylie, the Chinook Blast is one of only two festivals in the city that allow her troupe to get in front of large crowds.
The second, she said, was Beakerhead, which returned in a fuller form in 2022 after being largely cancelled as a result of the pandemic.
“I think that there’s a there’s a lot of similarities in those two festivals, but I do think that they’re quite unique in their own right,” she said.
“Chinook Blast is about winter fun, and Beakerhead is about science, arts, and engineering.”
As for whether aGoGo would return next year, Wylie said it was an emphatic “yes, yes, yes!”
The Art and Light Walk continues on Feb. 4, from 7 to 9 p.m., and again on Feb. 10 and 11 on Stephen Avenue.
The Chinook Blast Asian Night Market also continues on Saturday and Sunday, with performances throughout the day at the City Hall Atrium from 12 to 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 4, and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Feb. 5.
Photos from the weekend two of Chinook Blast
