Calgary is changing fast, and it can be easy to get caught up in what the city is becoming without stopping to ask what we actually want that future to look like.
That’s the idea behind Avenue’s Future of the City, an evening that brings together artists, entrepreneurs, researchers, community-builders and other curious Calgarians for conversations about the city’s next chapter.
Rather than presenting a single vision for Calgary’s future, this year’s event asks guests to consider a few big questions, hear from people with different perspectives and add their own thoughts to the mix.
You’ll hear from Calgarians already shaping the city
The future of Calgary isn’t some far-off concept. There are already people across the city working on the ideas, businesses, cultural projects and community initiatives that will shape how we live here.
Future of the City brings together speakers from across Calgary’s arts, community-building, entrepreneurship, research and innovation sectors, including Inside Out Theatre’s artistic director Col Cseke, the Centre for Newcomers’ director of youth programs Noel Bahliby, the Wilder Institute’s chief conservation officer Dr. Gráinne McCabe, Hunter Hub’s executive director Guy Levesque, SyncMed Technologies’ co-founder and CEO Franci Sterzer and more.
With such a wide range of perspectives in one room, expect the conversation about Calgary to go beyond the usual talking points.
Take part in a real conversation about the future
Future of the City isn’t about finding someone who can predict what Calgary will look like in 20 years. Instead, the evening is designed as a salon-style conversation, giving guests the chance to consider some of the tensions that come with a growing city: how Calgary’s identity is changing, what we might lose as the city grows and which ideas are already being tested here.
The program is curated by Avenue and Jasmine Palardy of The Good Future Collective, with each conversation designed to open up questions rather than arrive at one definitive answer. That means there’s room for some productive uncertainty, different opinions and ideas that might not have an obvious answer yet.
You’ll leave with something to think about
You won’t just be sitting back and listening all night. Toward the end of the evening, foresight practitioner Sabrina Sullivan will invite guests to think about one deceptively simple question: What if?
Guests can add their own responses to a collective What if? wall, creating a snapshot of the possibilities Calgarians are imagining for their city. It could be ambitious, practical, strange or something you’ve never said out loud before.
And because thinking about the future is arguably better with good food and drink in hand, the evening will also include catering from Gather Catering and wine provided by Pacific Wine and Spirits.
Come for the conversations, stay for the ideas and leave with a few questions of your own about where Calgary could go next.
Tickets are available now for the Future of the City Event on October 6, 2026
Avenue‘s Future of the City Event is made possible thanks to the support of our sponsors and community partners: University of Calgary’s Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Wilder Institute, Oxford Properties and Strategic Group.
