Unforgettable evenings in Calgary
Get your cowboy hat. Your Rotary pals in friendly Canada are excited to welcome you to signature convention events, including dinner in their homes, a country music jamboree, and boot-stompin’ celebrations of the Western culture in Calgary.
“We’re a big small-town city, and so the hospitality we have, the ticketed events, the experiences — they will be fantastic,” says Mark Starratt, co-chair of the Host Organization Committee for the Rotary International Convention 21-25 June. Buy tickets at rotarycalgary2025.org.
Grandstand Spectacular, 21 June
This night of showmanship includes Indigenous hoop dancing, toe-tapping music, and horseback relay races.
Image credit: Calin Charles
Rockin’ the Big Tent, 22 June
Country music fans and people who want to sample Calgary’s Western charm will enjoy the honky-tonk beats and twangy guitars. The concert is billed as the night “Rotary rocks the roadhouse” in the Nashville North tent.
New Blood with the Calgary Civic Symphony, 22 June
The dance show features Peter Gabriel’s music and explores Blackfoot traditions through the story of a man who survived a government residential school for Indigenous children.
Host hospitality evening, 23 June
For this convention favorite, members invite Rotary visitors to their dinner tables, restaurants, or other venues to “break bread and share in fellowship,” Starratt says.
Western Ranch Showcase, 24 June
You may notice you’re holding your breath from excitement when you watch bronc riding of the “wildest, orneriest, out-of-line” horses. The organizers advise, “Pull down that hat brim and hold on tight.”
This story originally appeared in the January 2025 issue of Rotary magazine.