There is something happening in Okotoks all year long. With a wide variety of special, community, and family-oriented events Okotoks is a great place to live, play and visit.
Visit the Community Event Calendar to find out when these annual events are happening as well as community-organized events!
Each year the Town hosts an afternoon New Year's Eve party for families at the Okotoks Recreation Centre. Activities usually include free swims and skating, gym activities and other entertainment for kids. Families can also enjoy the fireworks that happen each year!
May 5
The community is invited to a Pipe Ceremony where the Town will honour National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples. The ceremony will take place in Ethel Tucker Park at 4:30 p.m. (behind Bow Valley College Okotoks Campus) and will include special guest speaker and Blackfoot Elder, Ruth Scalp Lock. Berry soup and Bannock will be served.
May 10
Each May, the Town of Okotoks and hundreds of volunteers come together to clean up the Sheep River Valley and all community areas and parks around town and participate in the Community Tree Planting.
June 1-7
Each June in celebration of Canadian Environment Week and World Environment Day, the Town's Conservation Educators will be out and about in the community offering free events and activities to celebrate our environment and to help you discover new ways to reduce your ecological footprint.
June 14
The Parade and Children's Festival has grown into one of the largest annual events in Okotoks. Bring the whole family out for a full day of entertainment and activities at the Town of Okotoks Annual Parade Day, held each year in June. Bands, floats, dancers, horses and fire trucks are all part of the proceedings that wind throughout downtown. The Children's Festival is always a hit with families and includes live entertainment and activities.
June 21
National Indigenous People's Day takes place on June 21 each year and is a day for Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of Indigenous People. For generations, many Indigenous peoples and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near this day due to the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.
June 21
Kick off the season with a day full of fun and entertainment at the Spring Into Summer Festival, Celebrating Indigenous People’s Day on June 21!
Enjoy a variety of activities, including:
Join us as we welcome the warmer months with laughter, creativity, and community spirit!
Join us for a Canada Day celebration featuring multicultural entertainment, a mobile obstacle course, games, food trucks and more from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. outside of the Okotoks Recreation Centre in ball diamond #10.
July 19
Be a part of this fun culinary event in July - experience all the delicious food and drink Okotoks has to offer and enjoy tasty treats while listening to live music throughout downtown and at the Okotoks Art Gallery! We close the streets of downtown for this pedestrian-friendly event, which boasts live music, great food, a variety of artists, family fun with crafts and entertainment, boutique shops and an artisan street market.
Aug 23
Each year in late August, family-themed activities take over downtown Okotoks, including the central event - a chili cook off. Come down to taste the chili creations or register a team and compete! Spice up your weekend with chili sampling, children's activities, live music, and an outdoor artisan street market!
August 29
More information coming soon!
Celebrate Alberta Day Long Weekend with a FREE Movie! See you at the movies! Alberta Day is a chance to celebrate who we are as Albertans, to take stock of where we came from and to show pride in what we’ve achieved. Alberta’s government supports municipalities across the province to host Alberta Day celebrations!
Each year the Town of Okotoks hosts a number of free cultural activities in September as part of Alberta Culture Days celebrations.
Sep 30
Join us on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation for a Pipe Ceremony to honour the Victims, Survivors and all those who have been and continue to be impacted by the Residential School system. The ceremony will include a blessing from Blackfoot Elders.
Nov 21
Light Up Okotoks is the celebration kick-off to the Christmas season throughout downtown.
The event includes lighting of the community Christmas tree, live entertainment, wagon rides, a sugar shack, ice sculpture demos, cookie decorating, craft sales, late night shopping, fireworks & much more! And don't miss Santa's arrival or having your picture taken with Santa Claus as he hears your Christmas wishes.
Light Up Okotoks is organized annually by the Town of Okotoks. For more information, contact the Community Events Specialist at 403-938-8950.
We are always looking for ways to support local businesses and groups in engaging with festival-goers! If you have an idea for a game, activity or contest that will amp up the fun meter, please reach out to us! We’re happy to support new and exciting ways to make connections during events
We are pleased to announce we are opening up a new way to be a part of the action! New for 2024 is the “Activation Opportunity”; a way for businesses (outside the event zone), sports groups, and not-for-profit organizations to participate in Community Events. Promote your business or group and get your brand in front of thousands of festival attendees by being a part of the action. What better way to engage with a crowd then to draw them in with an activity!
Space is limited for activations and food trucks so registration will happen on a first-come first-serve basis.