2025 Year in Review: Looking Back, Soaring Forward: A Year of Creativity, Community, and Collaboration

January 6, 2026 | Calgary, EdmoNton, Alberta, Creative Economy

As we wrap up another unforgettable year, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the projects, partnerships, and people that made it all possible. From frosty winter festivals to summer block parties, intimate live music series to city-shaping creative initiatives, this year was defined by collaboration, experimentation, and a shared belief in the power of arts and culture to bring communities together.

This year also marks a major milestone for us: five years since we first took flight! What began in Calgary during the uncertainty of the pandemic has grown into a province-wide practice rooted in connection, creativity, and care for Alberta’s creative economy. Here’s a look back at what we built together in 2025.

Chinook Blast: Five Years of Winter Magic 

This year marked Chinook Blast’s fifth anniversary and our fourth year producing the festival! Five years of lights, art, community, chinooks, and unforgettable moments. From its beginnings in 2020 to its evolution into a cornerstone of Calgary’s winter calendar, the festival has continued to grow, adapt, and champion the city’s arts and business communities.

With Olympic Plaza under construction, Chinook Blast 2025 took on a new shape. In collaboration with our partners, we expanded the festival across four blocks of Stephen Avenue and introduced the brand-new Winter Sports Hub at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland.

Stephen Avenue became home to the RISE UP Calgary Community Outdoor Stage, showcasing electrifying performances by local artists. And when the cold became too much (we can deliver the Blast, but not the Chinook), we seamlessly transitioned indoors thanks to our footprint partner, THE CORE Shopping Centre.

Check out our 2025 blog for all the details.

We’re already planning another big festival for 2026!

Madhuban at The CORE

Three Left Feet at Stephen Ave

Drag on Ice at The Confluence

Growing Alberta’s Music Ecosystem: West Anthem & the Alberta Music Cities Grant Program

This year brought exciting momentum for Alberta’s music scene with the launch of the Alberta Music Cities Grant Program, led by West Anthem.

From youth-led documentaries to live music series, women-in-music industry meetups to masterclass pilot projects, the selected experiments tackle key priority areas identified in municipal music strategies for Edmonton, Calgary, and rural and small-city communities. We were proud to help facilitate the selection of these projects and support innovative approaches to building a more sustainable, equitable music ecosystem across the province.

Learn more about the Alberta Music Cities Grant Program.

Alberta Music Cities Grant Program

Blue Sky City: Art That Reflects Calgary’s Identity

To bring Blue Sky City to life, Tourism Calgary, supported by Calgary Arts Development and RISE UP Calgary, launched the Blue Sky City Creative Challenge. Artists across multiple disciplines were invited to interpret Calgary’s new brand through their own perspectives, resulting in five bold and immersive public art experiences.

These Blue Sky Arts pieces now transform spaces across the city, offering powerful, personal reflections on what it means to live in a Blue Sky City. We were thrilled to manage the callout process and lead the jury for the selection of these installations, helping connect artists with opportunities to shape Calgary’s visual and cultural landscape.

Learn more about Blue Sky Arts.

Rise Up: Stars, Stories and Connections at City Hall

Hinga and Hangin at Central Library

boundless at GlobalFest

Country Music, Across the West: CCMA Country Crawl & CFR Backroads

CCMA Country Crawl – Kelowna

This year, the Canadian Country Music Association Awards headed to Kelowna, BC, and we were proud to once again lead the program design of the 2025 CCMA Country Crawl!

Over Country Music Week, we transformed downtown Kelowna into a live music hub with 11 shows across 9 venues, featuring 38 musical acts and 54 local and national artists. More than 1,500 fans experienced the energy, authenticity, and community spirit of Canadian country music.

Having produced major CCMA activations in Calgary (2022) and Edmonton (2024), this marked our first on-site activation in British Columbia, a milestone made possible through collaboration with local venues, volunteers, and industry partners.

Check out our 2025 CCMA blog.

Hatching Post – Song in the Round

CFR Backroads – Edmonton

Riding that momentum, we brought the country back to Edmonton with the CFR Backroads Series during the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Across 16 shows in 13 venues, 35 artists lit up stages and connected with over 1,000 music fans.

The series strengthened relationships between artists, venues, and audiences, with feedback praising thoughtful curation, seamless logistics, and strong promotion. 

Check out our CFR Backroads blog.

Jacquie Daniels and the Blank Slates at On the Rocks

Activating Public Space: Spruce Grove, Historic Firehall & Summer Block Parties

Spruce Grove Summer Markets

Hosted by the Spruce Grove City Centre Business Association (CCBA) in partnership with the City of Spruce Grove, these markets are all about community featuring local vendors, food trucks, a beer garden, live entertainment, family activities, and business showcases. We were proud to bring these markets together, giving a platform for Spruce Grove’s local business and arts scene!

Spruce Grove Summer Market

Summer Block Party Series – Rice Howard Way (Edmonton)

Throughout the summer, we turned up the volume in Edmonton’s Entertainment District. Partnering with the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and the City of Edmonton, we transformed Rice Howard Way into THE place to be with music, games, art, street performances, and all-ages fun. Over the season, we welcomed more than 3,000 people to our Summer Block Parties, proof that when you build space for community, people show up.

Outdoor stage at the Entertainment District

Historic Fire Hall No. 1 Courtyard (Calgary)

From fall through winter, the Historic Fire Hall No. 1 Courtyard came alive as a vibrant cultural hub in downtown Calgary. Between September 27 and November 15, we produced six inclusive, accessible events in partnership with local artists, each featuring diverse performances, family-friendly activities, hands-on workshops, games, and collaborative art, activating a very cool downtown historic site.

Pumpkin Painting at the Historic Firehall No. 1 Courtyard

Ending the Year with a Bang

Winter Whyte Light Up

Old Strathcona’s signature holiday kick-off, Winter Whyte Light Up returned, November 29, in full festive force with live performances, twinkling lights, cultural experiences, local vendors, rides on the streetcar, and much more!

We were delighted to support the Old Strathcona Business Association once again to bring Winter Whyte Light Up to life across multiple hubs, including Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park, Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market, Strathcona Library, and the Streetcar Platform.


Check out the full highlights on the Winter Whyte Light Up blog.

Amanda Panda performing on 83rd Ave

New Year’s Eve

As always, we love ending the year with a bang! This New Year’s Eve, we’ve put together two celebrations in both Canmore and Edmonton complete with lights, art, music and community!

NYE in Canmore

NYE in Edmonton

Five years ago, we built our first nest during uncertain times. Today, our work spans cities, provinces, disciplines, and seasons, but our purpose remains the same: to connect people, champion artists, and help Alberta’s creative economy thrive. Check out our five-year anniversary blog here.

To our partners, collaborators, artists, venues, funders, and communities: thank you for trusting us, dreaming big with us, and building something meaningful together. We can’t wait to see where the next year—and the next five—take us.

Five Years In, Just Getting Started

The Bird Team!