Hi friend,

Another week, another newsletter version! I am doing lots of experimenting here. Loving all your feedback so far. It helps!

This weekend I dropped off the awards to the winning Mac & Cheese festival contestants, Fresh in the City at Crossroads Market and Krooked Provisions at Avenida Food Hall. I tried both mac & cheeses (as I didn’t get a chance to during the festival) and both were fantastic, I get why they won! It was also a great reminder of how awesome these markets are! Both Crossroads and Avenida have fantastic selection of food vendors. Lots of diverse flavour options, Calgary is lucky to have these gems. I also went to Prohibition Lounge on 17th ave for the first time. I went in with average expectations and found it was really great experience! The drinks are very over-the-top and gimmicky if you’re into that sort of thing (I am!). But I found they actually taste good (not just mouthfuls of syrupy sweet liquid like some other places.)

Note, by the end of the week, we’ll be in March! 🤯 That means hot chocolate fest will be over! Make sure you get yours before it’s too late.

(2) ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK

Extra extra! Read all about it. Be caught up with Calgary’s coolest news in under 1 minute.

• 📣 MORE STAMPEDE CONCERTS: Is it that time already? It can’t be? Well the Nashville North line up is out! Calgary Stampede is really on top of things this year. Personally, I’m more excited for the Coke stage announcement as usually those are bigger artists. It might be just around the corner!

• 📣 CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • Ziggy Alberts at MacEwan Hall May 25

• 📣 BANFF FOOD FESTIVAL: Made with Love Banff Food & Cocktail Festival is back again this year April 22-May 4. If you want to go, book your hotel now!

• 📣 OLYMPIAN COMING TO CALGARY: Alexi Pappas is coming to Calgary for the Calgary Marathon and will be at events all 3 days. You can even run a 10k with her! Neato. Remember that time I tried running and it was 30 degrees? This race sounds much better.

• 📣 CALGARY EXPO PARADE: The Calgary Expo announced they’re moving their parade route this year. It will no longer be on Stephen Ave, instead it’ll start around St. James Corner, head south to 17th Ave and then turn east to the Stampede grounds (or something about close to that). Feels like a short route to me, but it makes a lot of sense to end it at the BMO Centre where the expo takes place. Also, this is your reminder to get your early bird tix before April 9 when prices go up.

• 📣 PENGUIN PARTY IS OVER: Well maybe not a party, but you do get to see them walk. The Calgary Zoo penguin walk is scheduled to end early March (weather dependent). So if you haven’t yet seen these totes adorbs birds, now is your last chance.

• 📣 NEXT F*CKUP NIGHT: I promised I’d give you a heads up on the next F*ckUp Night event and here it is! They just announced their April event. These are only held about quarterly, and they sell out every single time since the event began.

• 📣 NEW SPEAKEASY OPENING: Okay, not new exactly. But Cannibale closed down last year and is rebranding (and I think remodeling) to become “Small Bar.” This is a terrible name for a bar in my opinion. (My pet peeve is names that have no character like that “Our House” restaurant that opened last year, ugh, I always want to call it “Your House”). Anyways, Small Bar just announced their opening will be in March! So I’ll be keeping an eye on that and will let you know when I see more.

(3) ICYMI: THE ‘GRAM IN REVIEW

In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights from our Instagram this week.

• I went to Betty Lou’s Library for the first time in a long time. It was just as good as I remember it. I think this is one of Calgary’s best speakeasys and I’ve been to MOST of the speakeasys in the city.

• If you love flights (the restaurant kind, not the airplane kind) then you’ll be thrilled to find out Elephant & Castle has flights of whiskey (4 different flights to choose from!) and flights of pie! (4 pie samples included)! If you haven’t been to Elephant & Castle yet, it’s where Rose & Crown used to be. It’s basically the same, but a refreshed and more soccer! (erhm.. football).

• Believe it or not I filmed this back in October (I’ve been busy and this got put on hold LOL) Anyway, I went to Point Sushi and while the bullet train sushi delivery system is a gimmick there just for fun. (Hey I love a good gimmick and I’m here for it.) The sushi isn’t the best. My boyfriend said he never wants to go back HAHAH SO DRAMATIC OF HIM. I feel like it’s decent. Check it out and decide for yourself.

• Kelsey made a compelling case for why we should visit Dutton’s Lounge at the Saddledome and I feel inclined to agree. I already knew it was a convenient place to grab a quick drink, but hey maybe you need a reminder sometime you know.

• Ya’ll loved discount date nights part 1, so Kelsey made us a part 2!

• Poor Baden! haha, he made a cute video about his attendance at a movie screening for The Monkey and for some reason this video bombed and no one watched it. Either you guys don’t want movie review content (fair enough) or maybe the IG algorithm wasn’t on our side that day. 🤷

• Kelsey did a visit to Crossroads Market and told us all about this not-so-hidden gem. I’ve known about Crossroads for years but I need this reminder to go back! They have so many food options!

BONUS! EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT CODES

• 💸 10% OFF CREATIVE WORKSHOP: Get 10% off this puppet mask making workshop for adults using code YYCSOCIABLES10.

• 💸 20% OFF VR EXPERIENCE: The Horizon of Khufu: A Journey to Ancient Egypt at Chinook Centre! Get 20% off with code KhufuSARAH20

• 💸 80% OFF FRESH PREP: Get up to 80% off Fresh Prep meal making kits (new customers only) Use code INFSOCIABLE80

• Want to add a discount code from your business? Let me know!

• 🎁 GIVEAWAY 🎁: Don’t forget to enter this fun giveaway with Heritage Park where you can win tickets to “Murder in the Park: A Wedding to Die For” murder mystery dinner series. Last chance to enter! Draw is this week!

• 🤯GOOD DEAL OF THE WEEK🤯: $20 gets you a flight of beer, 4 tasty bites, and a ticket to Calgary Beerfest ($20 value). Only at Village Brewing Thur Feb 27!

• 🍺 HAPPY HOUR OF THE WEEK 🍺: $4 food and $5 drinks at Home & Away is a pretty decent deal. $4 slider, fish taco, chips n guac, tots, or frickles. $5 home brew, highballs, house wine, shafts, or mules.

  ENTERING IS EASY

What do you think? I tightened up the newsletter this week. Sometimes shorter is better, (said by me, a short person). Did you find something fun to do!? Cuz that’s all that really matters.

🍔 I have an idea to create a food-only edition. I’m thinking I’ll call it the “Eat Peek!” hee hee. Just for people who want Calgary food content. I realize I can only do so much at once tho, (guilty of juggling multiple projects 😅). So I’m not launching this right away (one thing at a time Sarah!) Eat Peek might be part of the paid subscriber benefits or it might be a separate newsletter entirely. Stay tuned as I figure things out. I’m thinking I’ll send a survey out to ask what you’d prefer and what you content interests are.

I’ll see you next Sunday around 6pm! 👋

Cheers!

Sarah

Hey! Before you go…!

✔️ Up-level our friendship with my special-friends-only paid subscriber tier! (…which doesn’t exist yet 😓 BUT it will soon! 😁)