Drag queens, improv classes and YYC Pizza Week: What's on this weekend in Calgary

The weekend is coming up, and the Homestretch's Ellis Choe has rounded up a list of physically distanced entertainment options around town.

Let's start with a drag race — not cars, we're talking queens.

Priyanka, the first winner of Canada's Drag Race, is coming to Calgary's Telus Spark for a drive-in show called Drive 'N Drag this weekend. She will be joined by Drag Race runners-up Rita Baga and Scarlett BoBo. 

There are multiple shows over three nights starting Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. Go to to spark-science.ca for more information.

History and walking tours

There are two notable tours this weekend. 

The first is the Mohkinstsis Walking Tour, a two-hour tour exploring Calgary's indigenous history on St. Patrick's Island. 

Tarra Wright Many Chief is from the Kainai Nation, and she's the owner of Many Chief Tours.

"One of our stops along the tour is, there's some beautiful park benches, right where the two rivers meet and right across the river you'll actually see Fort Calgary," she said. "And so where the Two Rivers met was a traditional meeting spot where the different tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy would come together during the summer.

"And so one of the significant points that we talk about a bit is that when European settlers first came west, they really wanted to be able to connect with the local culture. And so they made sure that when they set up support that they set it up somewhere where they would be able to be in contact with Indigenous cultures."

Mohkinstsis is Blackfoot for "elbow." 

Tours run Friday to Monday mornings until mid-November, weather permitting. There is a maximum of 10 people per group, priced at $42 per person. For more information, go to Many Chief Tours.

If you're heading to the mountains, there's a historical walking tour in Canmore called Cowboys and Coal Mines. A local mountain guide will tell stories behind the pioneers, cowboys and coal miners who came together to create Canmore

To book a tour, go to Canmore Trails and Tales.

Funny business

On Saturday afternoon, the Calgary Clown Society is presenting an online show of "ridiculousness" called the Tele-thon-a-thon.

Judith Mendelsohn is a Calgary clown and the co-creator of the project. The premise of the project is that though the Tele-thon-a-thon has been running for 88 years, it's never made any money.

"So we build the show as a fake fundraiser, because it is — we don't donate any money to this group of clowns. They don't deserve it," Mendelsohn said. "So we're saying, if you like The Muppets, if you like SCTV and seeing how a show is attempting to go on and behind the scenes look, then this is the show for you."

The show is free but donations are welcome. It will be live-streamed on Facebook on Calgary Clownfest on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Improv classes

For those who want to learn how to do a little comedy themselves, The Kinkonauts are holding improv classes on Prince's Island Park every Saturday. Participants will get two hours of physically distanced improv, with performers standing two metres apart and wearing a mask.

Each session is $10. To sign up, visit The Kinkonauts website.

Three concerts this weekend

There are three concerts scheduled this weekend that are addressing pandemic measures in three very different ways.

The Funk Hunters, an electronic music and DJ duo from B.C., are performing at Wildhorse Live Sept. 17 and 18.

Wildhorse Live is a covered outdoor venue on a large downtown parking lot on 6th Avenue and 5th Street S.W. 

Unlike the time period before the pandemic, there is no singing along or dancing allowed. All patrons must remain at their assigned tables with masks on — unless eating or drinking.

Hotel California

An Eagles tribute band called Hotel California will perform Sept. 19 at the Ramada Plaza in downtown Calgary.

The tribute band has been playing Eagles tunes for more than 30 years. The concert takes place on a stage set up beside the hotel's outdoor pool, and guests watch from the balconies of hotel rooms. 

Tickets include the concert and the hotel room with prices starting at $50 per person for four-person maximum occupancy in one room.

RBC Live

The third concert is presented by the National Music Centre. It's a hybrid of live and virtual music called RBC Live From the King Eddy.

Selected singers will perform behind a large window, so audience members can either watch through the window or on TV screens placed throughout the venue. The shows will also be live-streamed on NMC's Facebook page.

Admission online or in-person is free. The show on Sept. 18 is at 8:30 p.m. and features local country crooner Robert Adam.

YYC Pizza Week

The seventh annual YYC Pizza Week kicks off tomorrow — a battle between local restaurants to craft an exclusive pizza to win the coveted title of Calgary's best pizza in three categories: Best Thick Crust, Best Thin Crust and Best Out-of-the-Box Pizza.

A slice of the proceeds from every purchase goes to Calgary Meals on Wheels.

The community gets to vote on which pizza takes home the awards either by voting on the YYC Pizza Week website or through the app. Over the past six years, the event has raised nearly $54,000.

For more information, go to YYC Pizza Week. 

Pop-Up Performances

Arts Commons is presenting another surprise pop-up performance. The organization has been organizing these pop-ups throughout the city all summer and this time, it could be anywhere. Pull up a chair and enjoy these free outdoor performance experiences.

You can find out more about where and when and book your free ticket by going to Containr.

Inglewood Night Market

If you like walking and shopping, you have a couple more Friday nights before the Inglewood Night Market wraps up for the season. It's $5, but there are limited tickets to guarantee physical distancing. Tickets are good for a two-hour shopping window. The event takes place on Fridays between 3 and 11 p.m.

For more information go to Inglewood Night Market.

With files from The Homestretch