Beyond the Classroom

With dozens of restaurants, shops, and services, Bow Valley Square is a city in a city. Moreover, it is connected in all four directions to the 16 km, Plus 15 skywalk network. This gives you access to an endless number of food, beverage, and shopping options while downtown. Below are a list of your options just in Bow Valley Square.

Food and Beverage

• A&W

• Analog Coffee

• Centre

• Freshii

• Hankki

• Holy Grill

• Jugo Juice

• Olly Fresco’s

• Royal Exchange Pub · Grill

• Starbucks

• Sushi Party

• Taco Time

• Telus

• Tim Hortons

• Verona Pizza

• Vo Kitchen & Bar

Retail

• Breslauer & Warren Jewellers

• Case Mogul

• Cork Fine Wine

• Gateway Newstand

• IRIS Optical

• Morning Sun

• Our J Store

• Rogers Wireless

• Stephen Lowe Art Gallery

• Wild Orchid

Services

• Free underground bike lock-up

• Best of Seven Barbers

• Bow Valley Athletic Club

• Bow Valley Child Care

• Bow Valley Chiropractic

• Bow Valley Dental

• Bow Valley Square Fitness

• CIBC

• Elements Hair & Aesthetics

• Licensing Co.

• Mathieson & Hewitt Photo

• MediDerm Spa

• RBC

• Shoemasters Shoe Repair

• Sunshine Detail

• THE Downtown Sports Clinics

• The Printing House

• White Dove Cleaners

Experience Downtown

Downtown Calgary has it all. With great restaurants, arts and culture, shopping, and icons like the Calgary Tower, it is easy to plan a whole trip around all the things to see and do right in the heart of downtown Calgary. From great restaurants and live entertainment to festivals and public art, check out everything downtown Calgary has to offer.

Restaurants

Downtown Calgary is a foodie paradise with everything from coffee roasters and grab-and-go lunch options to upscale dinner destinations. Start your day off with a cup of coffee at Monongram Coffee, Deville Coffee, Starbucks, or many of the other coffee locations all within minutes walking distance of Bow Valley Square. Have more time? Treat yourself brunch at Alforno Bakery & Café, just steps away from the iconic Peace Bridge and the beautiful Bow River or OEB Breakfast Co. located right across from Bow Valley Square. Enjoy your day post classes downtown with happy hour cocktails and bar bites at many close by restaurants such as Local 8th, Owens landing, Cactus Club, or El Furniture Warehouse.

Want to extend happy hour into dinner? Check out many of the other dining options on Stephen Ave, such as Barbarella Bar, Cucina, Earls, & Saltlik. I you’re really feeling like treating yourself after big days you can take your dining experience to the sky with next level views at Major Tom, 40 floors above it all in Stephen Avenue Place.

Live Music and Entertainment

Concerts, film screenings, and live theatre make downtown a hub for entertainment in Calgary. The Palace Theatre hosts a diverse lineup of pop, country, hip hop, rock, punk, and DJ sets in a historic live music venue, while movie goers love the vintage vibes of the Globe Cinema, a favourite screening space for retro classics and the annual Calgary International Film Festival. Check out the Summer Stage every weekend for live music and family friendly performances from local performers at various locations across downtown.

Arts and Culture

Arts Commons brings live theatre to life in Calgary with resident companies like Alberta Theatre Projects, Downstage, One Yellow Rabbit, Theatre Calgary, and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. You can also experience more intimate live theatre performances with companies like The GRAND, Lunchbox Theatre, and Vertigo Theatre.

Downtown is also home to some of the most compelling visual arts galleries in the city. Contemporary Calgary, located in the former Centennial Planetarium, presents a rotating collection of international art shows and installations along with an open-studio residency program and speaker series. Live music is a key feature of downtown Calgary regardless of season. Discover indie artists playing at various festivals over the summer months, like the Calgary Folk Music Festival on Prince’s Island Park, or performing at local coffee shops like Café Koi and street busking on Stephen Avenue. Catch these low or no-cost acts by keeping an eye on yycwhatson.ca.

Get a great view of it all from the iconic Calgary Tower, with 360 degree views at 191 metres above the downtown core, it’s the best view of the city by far. Stand on the glass floor and watch the traffic zoom by below and enjoy a free multimedia tour that will take you through all the major landmarks in the city and beyond.

Festivals and Events

Downtown is also a great place to experience the Calgary Stampede each July, with the bulk of the Stampede Parade route winding through the city streets to kick off The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. Find a spot on the sidewalk and get ready to wave and cheer on colourful floats, horses, and marching bands before grabbing a complimentary flapjack at Rope Square in Olympic Plaza or various community pop-up Pancake Breakfast events downtown throughout the 10-days

The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo has also been known to kick-off the festivities with the POW! Parade of Wonders and Otafest on Stephen Avenue. A procession of comic book heroes, anime enthusiasts, cosplay creators, and celebrity guests start the annual celebration of all things pop culture.

Shopping Downtown

Get ready to shop in downtown Calgary with everything from major shopping centres and upscale retailers to local gift shops you won’t find anywhere else. Explore four floors of shops, services, and food court vendors at The CORE Shopping Centre, home to upscale retailers like Holt Renfrew, Harry Rosen, and the modern department store Simons. Make sure you spend some tranquil time at Devonian Gardens, an urban oasis with over 500 trees, a 900 square foot living wall, fish ponds, and a playground too. Visit Bankers Hall for the finest in fashion, accessories, and specialty perfume, wine, and chocolate shops, or find your new favourite lunch spot like Sunterra Market & Café, Bourbon Street Grill, and Earls Bankers Hall. Have a sweet tooth? Volio’s Confections is known for creating traditional candies made by hand, with marshmallows, toffee, lollipops, and more.

Public Art

Downtown Calgary is home to iconic pieces of public art that bring the neighbourhood to life and share the city’s history too. ‘Women are Persons!’ in Olympic Plaza invites you into the 1929 tea party of Alberta’s Famous Five, while ’The Conversation’ on Stephen Avenue gives you a glimpse of two businessmen chatting on the popular pedestrian street. Or you can look up to The Galleria Trees, between The CORE Shopping Centre and Bankers Hall, planting a modern forest over twenty metres in the air. It’s the perfect backdrop for your next Tik Tok video or Instagram shot.