2024 Year in Review: Bird Creatives Takes Flight!
January 7, 2025 | Calgary, Edmonton, Alberta, Creative Economy
What a year it has been for Bird Creatives! 2024 was full of new milestones, inspiring collaborations, and impactful projects that challenged us creatively and professionally. From further establishing a growing festival as a Calgary favourite to forging new ground on the international stage, our Birds have been soaring high, building meaningful connections and strengthening partnerships! None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of our partners and collaborators. Let’s take a moment to celebrate the highlights of an unforgettable year!
Signature Projects
Bird Creatives soared to new heights this year! By building on existing projects and embracing exciting new opportunities, we’ve expanded our services, forged valuable relationships, and continued to grow our impact with the following throughout 2024.
Chinook Blast 2024
For the third year running, we had the honour of producing Calgary’s winter festival, Chinook Blast. From dazzling art installations to vibrant performances and community celebrations, this year’s festival was a testament to Calgary’s creative spirit. This year, there were over 200 events with over 70 partners in all city quadrants, three distinct night markets at the City Hall Atrium, five pop-up galleries at Calgary Public Library locations, and a diverse lineup of performers at the RISE UP Calgary Community Outdoor Stage at Olympic Plaza! We’re grateful to the artists, partners, and community members who made it all possible.
Special Olympics Canada Winter Games 2024
From February 27 to March 2, Calgary came alive with the energy and sportsmanship of the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games. With over 4,000 visitors, the Opening Ceremony and Champions Celebration events were a heartfelt celebration of community, inclusion, and athletic excellence. We were proud to play a role in bringing this incredible event to life.
Esquao Awards 2024
May saw the 28th annual Esquao Awards, celebrating the remarkable contributions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women across Alberta. The 2024 Esquao Awards ceremony underscored the remarkable resilience and capacity for innovation of Alberta’s Indigenous communities. Bird Creatives proudly assisted in producing this incredible event in partnership with the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW).
West Anthem Music City Strategies
June was music to our ears as we helped West Anthem launch their much-anticipated Music Strategies for Calgary and Edmonton, along with a toolkit for Alberta’s rural and small cities. These initiatives are set to amplify the province’s music scene. We hosted Calgary’s Music City Strategy launch at the long-standing live music venue, Mikey’s on 12th and Edmonton’s Music City Strategy Launch at a downtown staple, River City Revival. Through chatting, consulting, and ideating with music industry professionals, players, and supporters across this province, we’re confident that these strategies and the toolkit we developed will have a lasting impact on our province’s music scene and creative economy as a whole.
FCM Annual Conference and Trade Show
This June, Calgary proudly hosted the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Annual Conference, welcoming over 1,000 elected officials from across Canada to the Calgary Telus Convention Centre. The four-day event, themed “Redefining our Future,” which focused on empowering municipalities to address current challenges and seize new opportunities. Bird Creatives collaborated with The City of Calgary to produce key moments like the Mayor’s Welcome Reception, the Closing Gala, and several insightful study tours. We’re thrilled to have played a part in making this the largest-attended FCM conference to date!
Tourism Calgary’s Give Back Bash in Detroit
Bird Creatives soared internationally for the first time, supporting Tourism Calgary at the PCMA Foundation’s Give Back Bash in Detroit. PCMA is the world’s largest community for Business Events Strategists, providing senior-level education, networking, and market intelligence for the global business events industry. Working closely with Tourism Calgary, we had the opportunity to deliver Calgary-centric activations for the Give Back Bash, showcasing Calgary to over 400 delegates. It was a privilege to highlight Calgary on the global stage and create memorable experiences that celebrated our city’s unique identity.
A Calgary Welcome for Fort Worth
This summer, we helped extend a warm Calgary welcome to Fort Worth Sister Cities International. Through arts, culture, and community engagement, we showcased the connections between our two cities and created meaningful exchanges that will resonate for years to come.
Canadian Country Music Awards 2024
This September, the 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMAs) lit up Edmonton, and Bird Creatives was proud to help showcase the best of Canada’s country music scene. Working with the Edmonton Host Committee and key partners, we delivered signature events like the CCMA Country Crawl, Prairie West Pop-Up Market, Songwriters Unplugged, and the Legends Show, making Country Music Week an unforgettable celebration leading up to the big awards night.
Vibrant Summer Events in Alberta
The summer of 2024 was packed with exciting community events and activations across Alberta:
Spruce Grove
The summer of 2024 in Spruce Grove was brimming with community spirit, creativity, and celebration, thanks to the four themed “Summer at the Centre” market events. Each event transformed the city centre into a lively hub, offering unique experiences for everyone. Partnering with the Spruce Grove City Centre Business Association, we delivered these vibrant markets that brought locals and visitors together for unforgettable experiences.
Calgary
We were thrilled to help the City of Calgary’s Downtown Strategy team produce the inaugural Stampede Spirit Community Breakfast at Century Gardens! More than just pancakes, it was a fun community celebration with free snow cones, live music from DJ Faust, 3X3 basketball games by Stryker Sports, a LEGO community build by Brickwares, circus workshops by Green Fools Theatre, and a chance to share neighborhood pride on giant YYC letters.
Edmonton
This summer, we partnered with the Edmonton Downtown Business Association to transform Rice Howard Way into a vibrant Entertainment District. From June 1 to August 24, every Saturday afternoon became a pedestrian-friendly block party featuring live music from local artists and DJs, a kids’ zone, and family-friendly outdoor activities. With the street closed to cars, visitors enjoyed a lively atmosphere, dining and drinks from local bars and restaurants, and the opportunity to soak up the downtown energy.
Winter Whyte Light Up
In partnership with the Old Strathcona Business Association, we helped transform Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park into a twinkling winter wonderland for Winter Whyte Light Up! The park's gazebo, trees, and pathways lit up to usher in the holiday season! When Jack Frost made an unexpected icy appearance, we worked with local partners like Fringe Theatre, Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market, and the Edmonton Public Library to move live performances indoors, giving visitors even more reasons to explore the vibrant Old Strathcona district.
New Year’s Eve on Rice Howard Way
We ended 2024 with a bang! We had the pleasure of producing a New Year’s Eve bash on Rice Howard Way featuring live music from local acts, magic shows, live ice caring, and cozy firepits!
Award-Winning Excellence
This year, we were humbled to receive two prestigious awards:
The Alberta Chamber of Commerce Community Attraction Award of Distinction
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce Air Canada Community Champion Award
These honours reflect our enduring commitment to creating inclusive communities and fostering the creative economy.
Welcoming a New Bird to the Nest
We had the pleasure of welcoming Sydney Duhaime to the Bird Creatives family as our new Marketing and Communications Specialist. With over a decade of experience in storytelling and events, Sydney has already made her mark, bringing her passion for community events, vintage aesthetics, and innovative branding to our marketing strategy. Her creative energy has been an incredible addition to the team!
Thank You for an Incredible Year
As we close the chapter on 2024, we are deeply grateful to the partners, collaborators, and communities that made this year remarkable. We can’t wait to see where 2025 will take us. Thank you for being part of our journey—we’re ready to keep soaring together!
Here’s to more creativity, connection, and community in the year ahead.
– The Bird Creatives Team