One of my favourite things about Calgary, since arriving back in the early 2000s, is the Lilac Festival. For one day in May (or June) the city shuts down 4th street from 12th avenue to 25th avenue and vendors, local businesses, community organizations, performers, artists, and makers line the street to share their products, talent, or business with the droves of people that come out to enjoy a sunny Sunday (if we're lucky) in the heart of Calgary. This year our team decided to immerse ourselves in all the amazingness that is the Lilac Festival and took our participation to another level. We took the opportunity to set up a spot so we could connect and chat with all the wonderful people who'd been patiently waiting for this festival to return after its imposed 2-year Covid hiatus. Connecting with Calgarians is one of our favourite things to do and this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. While we were there we asked all of you what you love about Calgary and I wanted to share with you some of the answers we received. There are some obvious recurring themes like proximity to the mountains, the diversity, the people, and the sunshine but there were also a few happy surprises. Ultimately they all play a role in making this city spectacular and a wonderful place to live!
Here's a snippet of what YOU shared with us:
- How beautiful the city is in the summer.
- The Zoo
- Floating on the Bow
- The Calgary Stampede is something that needs to be experienced!
- The lilac festival obviously!
- How close it is to the mountains.
- Sunshine!
- The people!
- Super Duperly Festivals
- I love the sunshine here!!! Have lived in BC for a bit and the sun is definitely more amazing here
- I love walking along the elbow river pathway!
- I love Calgary because of its close proximity to nature!
- Shopping in cute neighbourhoods like Inglewood
- Blue Sky year round
- Fly fishing
- The food
- Heritage park
- I love the people! There are all sorts of the culture here
- The friendliness of all the people
- Hands down the mountains
- The outdoor spaces and the random fun things to do like the Lilac Festival
- I love Calgary because it is a clean city and has great drinking water!
- I love that there is always some sort of festival or market going on
- the rivers
- I love the huge trail network across the city making it easy to bike and walk everywhere
- Friendly people, great weather
- I absolutely love the community in Calgary and how everyone always comes together in times of need!
- The beauty of the city
- I love that Calgary is young and diverse!
- The Beltline
- Love the food scene! Close to mountains & beautiful parks
- You look out of your balcony there is mountain views and step out there is that city fun . Calgary got it both
- Lots of green space and beautiful scenery…and of course DM Real Estate!
- I love Bowness park!
- I like everything in Calgary. The mountain, rivers, food… and much more! I
- Calgary is a family-friendly place
- One thing I love about Calgary is the diverse culture and how everyone is quite approachable.
- The one thing I love about Calgary is the fact it’s clean
- I love that Calgary is very diverse
- I love the sunshine in Calgary
- I love all the paths and green spaces everywhere.
- Walking the river pathway
- Lots to do!
- Festivals
- Having fun at Lilac
- Calgary is a place for people from all over the world to live and grow their families.
- I love how it is so close to the mountains, I love the history, I love the grand bow river, I love the diversity, I love the people
- The people are diverse and amazing
- I met my best friend here I could change my whole life here
- Flames!!!
- I love all the kind people! It’s a big city small town feel.
- Accessibility to disability programs for my daughter
- peace bridge
- I fell in love with Calgary's soul and moved here a few years ago.
- I love how active everyone is
- How close it is to the mountains
- Summer events that bring the community together
- The best thing about Calgary to me is the people and the multiculturalism. I love that there are so many different types of food and music all in one place
- I love Calgary for its proximity to the mountains.
- It can still have a small-town feel (in a good way) with over 1M people.
- Heritage Park
- The proximity to the mountains!!
- I like Calgary's climate! All 4 seasons are amazing, even the winter.
Our team left the Lilac Festival feeling more energized than ever and to read this list only a few months later I'm reminded of all the positive vibes that flowed through 4th street on that (mostly) sunny spring day. This is just a snapshot of what you shared with us but we always love to hear more! Tell us, what's your favourite thing about Calgary?