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Olympic Plaza
Category: Public Services & Government Landmarks & Historical Buildings Landmarks & Historical Buildings [Edit]
205 8th Ave SECalgary, AB T2E 4Y7
(403) 294-7455
7 reviews for Olympic Plaza
7 reviews in English
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Review from Wendy P.
3/30/2012 2 Check-ins Here
From a campground, to a skating rink, to outdoor concert space... Olympic Plaza is super duper. Snowblower happens here during High Performance Rodeo every year, the kick off for Stampede happened here yesterday (it's now only 99 days away folks!).. food trucks have been parked in and around here. It's a little bit of awesome.
What I'm still not quite sure of is the pink gophers (or are they ground squirrels?) popping up along some of the retainer walls. I think someone tried to explain them to me once, but their purpose eludes me. They do make for a fun instagram shot though. -
Review from Chris P.
3/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
While originally built for the '89 Olympics (obviously) for the medal presentations the plaza has since become a space for some great events and weekend festivals. In the winter it's a public skating rink and in the summer, when there isn't an event going on, they fill it with water where you can cool your feet from your walk down Stephan Ave.
During Stampede there's breakfasts, shows, and all sorts of entertainment throughout the days. During the rest of the summer you can find all sorts of different events going on, some protests, or just people enjoying the park on their lunch break.
My family bought one of the bricks that were originally sold to help fund the cost of the plaza. No one seems to remember exactly where it is though. If you happen to see it let me know. I'd appreciate it. -
Review from Mia T.
2/24/2012
Olympic Plaza in my opinion, is one of the best open air facilities around! It holds Stampede Breakfasts, Festivals such as ExpoLatino & The Children's Festival to dance parties like the SnowBlower event headlining Kid Koala. The best part of it, is that most of these offer free entry.
When not being used in such a mannor, in the winter they flood the plaza for ice skating. I went for the first time in ages at night, and its absolutely beautiful. The ice had just been smoothed over, music was playing and they have gorgeous lights around the rink. It felt a little like being in a movie :)
In summer, there are an influx of people just hanging out on the grass. Some homeless, some you think are homeless, but arent. Drum circles, hakey sack and the odd whiff of weed is not uncommon. None the less, Ive never felt unsafe in the area day or night.
Yelp KickButt Challenge 3/10 -
Review from Daryl D.
Calgary, AB
3/14/2011
I have lived in downtown, Calgary for a few years now, so the Olympic Plaza is a place I frequent on occasion.
One of the best things about it is that it almost always has one interesting event or another going on there. Rob & I have been to a variety of cultural events there, like Latino days, and a Reggae festival...those are days when it's fun to splash around in the water while listening to the live bands. In the winter, the water doubles as a skating pond for those of you who enjoy ice-skating ;)
The Olympic Plaza really comes alive during Stampede week too, as they have free pancake breakfasts and even line-dancing going all up Stephen Avenue.
Oh, and did I mention this is also where we got engaged? If you can, come check out the New Year's Eve events here, as they are child-friendly as well. Dress warmly though :) -
Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
1/23/2010
Olympic Plaza is a beautiful addition to our city. Having originally been built as the venue for the medal ceremonies at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, it feels like we've come full circle after having celebrated the cross-country Olympic Torch Relay here last week.
I swear to you, every single person who lives in Calgary was jam packed in the plaza and the excitement and pride of our fellow Calgarians was unmistakable.
In the summer, The Olympic Plaza hosts concerts and festivals and in the winter, it's used as a public skating rink.
We are very lucky to have such a beautiful area right downtown Calgary and we're even more lucky that it is accessible via the C-Train (Via both the Olympic Plaza stop and the City Hall stop).
I'm definitely one proud Calgarian, and it's places like these that really seal the deal for me. -
Review from Lesli K.
Calgary, AB
10/9/2008 1 photo
The Olympic Plaza was built for the 1988 Winter Olympics that took place in Calgary years ago.
Located in the downtown Cultural District, it's the venue for many big events in Calgary - the first Night Festival on New Year's Eve, the International Children's Festivals, and other special events that include athletes and famous people.
It has an area in the middle of it that functions as a water fountain in the summer and a skating rink in the winter. In the summer there's a ton of flowers blossoming and obviously no cost is spared to make the area look nice.
...you'll still see the odd street person zonked out on the lawn though, and when that happens, just look at those beautiful flowers... -
Review from Chad W.
Calgary, AB
11/8/2008 1 photo
The Olympic Plaza seems to be yet another sign that this city still clings to the distant idea that we once held the Olympic Games here. This park is fairly pretty, but that illusion is immediately dispelled when three stinky dudes accost you for spare change and an extra cigarette. Who ever heard of an extra cigarette? Ridiculous.
There is a large oval for skating. But this is often over-crowded and sometime outright dangerous. I'd much prefer to let it rip in an arena, especially when it gets cold.
Occasionally, they offer concerts in the park. The crowds are usually lame and the sound isn't always that great, with the bass overpowering everything else. Perhaps someone should have a word with the city's sound guy? Methinks so.
