When it snows, East Village becomes a winter wonderland! From watching ice carving demonstrations to looking at holiday lights at the zoo, there are so many fun things to do in the neighbourhood during the snowy season.

Check out a few of the ones that we are most excited for below.

1. HYGGE HUT

Warm your hands and your hearts here in East Village, because Hygge Hut is back in C-Square – just a quick two-minute walk away from The Hat!

The Hygge Hut is a big warm East Village hug in the middle of a long, cold Calgary winter. Their contemporary, Scandinavian-style space is inspired by the Danish idea of Hygge, which means a special kind of well-being—it’s a cozy, easy togetherness enhanced by the glow of a fire pit, soft lighting, a warm drink and good company.

There are weekly ice carving demonstrations, a games area, fireside story times, live performances, wreath making, community tree lot, and so much more! For an events list on all the exciting things happening at Hygge Hut, click here. 

2. COMMUNITY DOG WALK

Speaking of the Hygge Hut, that’s where you can head to every Sunday at 1 p.m. with your puppers to start the trek for EV’s community dog walk.

You’ll have warm hearts and warm paws every Sunday, all winter long! Your doggos can meet some new four legged friends, and you can meet a few human ones.

3. NORDIC LOOP

Once the ground is frozen and we have at least 15 cm of snow on the ground (which us Albertans know will be soon), get ready to rise and glide along the one-kilometre cross-country ski and snowshoe loop on the Fort Calgary lands.

The bring-your-own-gear Nordic Loop will be open daily from 7 am to 10 pm (given that there’s enough snow), with the track groomed every Friday. It can be accessed from the Fort Calgary parking lot, at 8th Avenue and 6th Street SE, and from the Elbow River Traverse Bridge.

It’s BYOS (Bring Your Own Skis), BUT there is a waxing station on site so that you can be sliding smoothly.

Stay up to date with Nordic Loop’s operating hours here!

4. ZOOLIGHTS

ZOOLIGHTS is back for its 25th year at The Calgary Zoo for six weeks of festive fun starting November 19! Bring your family and your friends to enjoy all the magic of ZOOLIGHTS while supporting wildlife conservation – it’s a win-win.

Plus, the zoo is just a five-minute drive from us here at The Hat! Doesn’t get much better than that.

For more information or to purchase tickets to ZOOlights, click here! 

5. SKATING AT OLYMPIC PLAZA

Sharpen those skates (or rent some from the Skate Hut) and enjoy some ice skating at Olympic Plaza, which is now open for the winter season and is just a quick five-minute drive away from us here at The Hat! You can glide daily from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

For more information on Olympic Plaza, click here!