This holiday weekend enjoy the sunshine and celebrate Canada’s 144^th birthday at Calgary’s 39^th official Canada Day celebration.

Canada Day, Friday July 1

Fort Calgary

Start your day off with one of Calgary’s traditional free pancake breakfasts at Fort Calgary (9am – 11am). While you’re there also catch the Citizenship Ceremony welcoming new Canadians (9am – 10am), Canada Day Opening Ceremony (10am – 11am) and live stage entertainment in partnership with Cantos Music Foundation throughout the day. Kids will enjoy an array of activities including crafts, games, jump houses, pony rides and a petting zoo.

Throughout the day catch the free shuttle bus at Prince’s Island or Fort Calgary and hop between the two simultaneous celebrations to be sure to catch all the action.

Prince’s Island Park

Over at Prince’s Island Park celebrations begin at noon with an Opening Ceremony on the Enmax Main Stage. Afterwards, listen to live music and entertainment from the likes of Emily Triggs, The Wiremen, Brook Wylie and the Coyotes, Jill Barber and more until 6pm.

Close by at the Dominion Stage hear the sounds of Cowpuncher, Joe Nolan, The T. Buckley Band and more from 12:15pm – 5:15pm.

If you’ve got some little ones with you, check out the Family Stage to see Dan the One Man Band, Mad Science, Flying Bob and more from 12:15pm – 4:30pm.

Heritage Park

Continuing the tradition of Dominion Day, Heritage Park will be celebrating with Birthday Cake, a Citizenship Ceremony, potato sack races, games, crafts, and street performers, an old fashioned circus, musicians and more. The first 2011 guest through the gates before 10:30am will receive a free pancake breakfast.

McMahon Stadium

If it’s sports you’re looking for, catch the Calgary Stampeders take on the Toronto Argonaughts in this Canada Day game.

Flames Central

Ring in Canada Day with some deep-dish trance tracks from Dutch DJ Ferry Corsten at Flames Central.

Fireworks

Head over to Olympic Plaza for 7:45pm to hear live music, entertainment followed by fireworks at 10:45 – 11:00pm.

Saturday, July 2

Spruce Meadows is hosting the Canada One tournament this weekend. The World-Cup qualifying tournament offers guests the perfect opportunity to watch a world-class show jumping competition, wander the grounds and enjoy the scenery while getting out of the hustle and bustle of the city. Admission and parking are free.

Since 1923, Gainsborough Galleries has specialized in fine Canadian art and sculptures, in a variety of media including oil, watercolors, acrylic, bronze, jade and stone. Opening this weekend is a new exhibit of landscape and wildlife oil paintings by artist Harold L. Lyon.

Finish off your Saturday over at Dickens Pub where former Swollen Member rapper Moka Only performs in solo show.

Sunday, July 3

At the Glenbow Museum The Optimism of Colour: William Perehudoff, A Retrospective opens this weekend. See vibrant abstract paintings from the self taught western Canadian artists 60-year career.

Wallace Galleries opens their Stampede Exhibition this weekend. See mixed media western themed works by Andy Petterson, Sylvain Louis-Seize, Brent Laycock, William Duma and Gregory Hardy.

If you’re up for a bit of a road trip, head out to Rosebud Theatre, one hour outside of Calgary for The Diary of Adam and Eve. This delightful play is an interpretation of Mark Twain’s humorous writing depicting Adam and Eve’s first discovery of one another.