If you’re new to Canmore it may come as a surprise to you that our little town, nestled in the Bow Valley of the Canadian Rockies, is home to numerous talented musicians of all sorts. Canmore may seem like the kind of town that spends every waking spare minute they have in the mountains, doing some sort of mountain activity like biking, mountaineering, or rock climbing, but if you think about it, being in the outdoors kind of goes hand in hand with music. Guitars, banjos, ukuleles and other instruments are common in the valley, and so are harmonious voices, it seems.
This past weekend, the Canmore Folk Music Festival was in town; our community has come together since 1978 to celebrate music, community, and the stunning backdrop of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.The Folk Fest takes place in Centennial Park, and becomes the heartbeat of our cool little mountain town. If you live close to Centennial Park, you are no stranger to the sounds that this festival brings to our town. If you’re lucky, you can volunteer and attend the event virtually for free, but if not, a daily and weekend passes are available!
If you were in town and had the chance to experience the folk festival, you were lucky enough to witness some great voices such as: Buffy Sainte-Marie, Cassie & Maggie, and Scott Cook & The Second Chances. Don’t get us wrong, there were PLENTY of amazing artists, but these are just a few we loved listening to!
If you were around on Monday, the Canmore Folk Music Festival also hosted a free music and pancake breakfast. The pancakes were to DIE for and the music was oh, so sweet.
Sadly, the weekend came to a close, and the folk festival is over. But don’t fret! There are still plenty of locations around town where you can catch a tune or two:
- The Drake Pub
- The Rose and Crown
- artsPlace
- Tavern 1883
- Communitea
- The Station Bar and Grill
- Hy five
- Good Earth
- The Legion- Three Sisters Division
There are music performances almost every night of the week in Canmore! Check out the following restaurants and venues for live music, open mic nights, and performances.
Tavern 1883
Thursday at the Tavern is open mic night. Join in the fun as their lively house band jams out to some popular tunes, then lets anyone and everyone play a tune for the crowd.
Every Friday the Tavern hosts a different local live band! Visit the Tavern 1883 website to find out this weeks performing band.
Get your dancing shoes on because Saturday is DJ & Dance Party night at Tavern. Grab your girlfriends or your date and hit the dance floor in this rugged cabin-like pub.
The Drake
Feel like singing for everyone to hear? The Drake has karaoke every Monday & is open until 2:00 AM!
Every weekend the Drake has live music! If you are looking for a fun night on the town, this is the place to go. Live music, pool tables, darts and lots of room to dance!
Sunday is Jam session night at the Drake. Join jam sessions’ host Jake Parris for the best Jam Night in the Bow Valley!
Hy 5
Home of the $5 pints! Every Tuesday is open mic night at Hy 5; head down and enjoy a $5 pint of Canmore Brewing Company’s delicious beer.
Every Friday Hy Five hosts a local band for a live music evening! Definitely keep your eye on the Hy Five website for band updates!
Rose and Crown:
Every Sunday from 4-7pm with Rejean Chaisson on the patio.
Good Earth Cafe:
Open mic night is every Friday and begins at 7:30pm.
Carter-Ryan Live Theatre
“Canada the Musical.” Tuesdays to Sundays 7:30 PM until August 26th Carter Ryan’s Gallery hosts a live 80-minute musical theatre love letter to Canada. For ticket info visit www.canadathemusical.com.
ArtsPlace & Communitea Cafe don’t have set schedules for live music, but are great places to check out online for future shows and performances!
Whether you are coming for a weekend, staying a couple weeks or live in town, there are so many choices for after dinner entertainment. Canmore may be small, but we sure do have a mighty music scene!
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