The Calgary Group Chat: What your friends are talking about this week (May 12)

If you’re new here, welcome to the Calgary Group Chat, and if you’re one of our weekly readers, welcome back to your regularly scheduled Tuesday scroll.

Think of this as your weekly catch-up on everything happening around the city. We’re breaking down the stories, new openings, events, and all the moments people can’t stop sharing.

Maybe your group chat is already blowing up about it, or maybe you’re about to be the friend who sends the update first.

Either way, here’s what’s happening in the city this week.

What’s happening, Calgary?

Shake Shack has officially opened its first Calgary location

On Monday, May 11, Shake Shack officially opened its first Calgary location at CF Chinook Centre. By sheer coincidence,  I happened to be at the mall during the time of the opening, and the lineup was quite long!

The new location is serving up a couple of Alberta-exclusive menu items, including the Prairie Berry Shake and the Oh My Honey Pie Concrete, a vanilla custard blended with salted-honey pie from Pie Junkie.

Safe to say, Calgary was very ready for this opening.

City of Calgary launches a new sports program

If you’ve got kids in Calgary, there’s a new program you’ll probably want to know about.

The City of Calgary launched Sport Hub on Monday, May 11, and it’s all about making sports more accessible for kids and teens aged five to 18.

The lessons are free or low-cost and include sports such as basketball and badminton, as well as multi-sport activities. It’s designed to be super low-pressure and inclusive, with equipment provided and sessions happening at schools, parks, and community spaces across the city.

GlobalFest set to move locations

After more than two decades at Elliston Park, GlobalFest is officially packing up and moving across the city. The popular late-summer festival will now be hosted at Spruce Meadows and will expand to a four-day event for the first time.

It’s a pretty big change for the festival, and it will be interesting to see how the new setup shapes the experience in the future.

Tickets for the 113th Grey Cup are officially on sale

If you’ve been thinking about going to the Grey Cup in Calgary this year, tickets are officially on sale.

The 113th CFL championship will take place at McMahon Stadium on Nov. 15, 2026, and it’s the first time the city has hosted since 2019.

With nearly half of the tickets already sold, it’s safe to say football fans are locking in early for one of the biggest weekends in the city.

Some things to ‘bear’ in mind this hiking season

If you’ve got plans to head out to the Rocky Mountains anytime soon, you’ll want to be extra aware right now.

Bears have been spotted throughout Banff and Kananaskis recently, with many appearing near well-travelled areas such as trails, roadside spots, and parts of Highway 40 near Kananaskis Village.

As cute as these animals might look from a distance, they’re still wild animals and aren’t always friendly, especially when they feel surprised or threatened.

So if you’re planning on taking on the trails this May long weekend, remember to stay alert, make lots of noise, and keep a safe distance from any animals you may encounter.

And that’s everything for this week’s Calgary Group Chat.

From new food spots and city updates to a few things happening around Calgary right now, that’s your quick catch-up so you don’t miss what everyone else is talking about.

If anything on this list stood out, send it to your friends, make some plans, or file it away for later. We’ll be back next week with another round of Calgary updates to keep you in the loop!

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Kaiya Williams

Kaiya is a Calgary-based writer and content creator with a background in marketing and digital storytelling. She has a passion for community-driven stories and covering local experiences that connect people.

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