Caution: high river conditions
With continued snowmelt and rising waters, the Calgary Fire Department advises against boating and all other water activities on the Bow and Elbow Rivers, effective June 29, 2026.
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Celebrate the Calgary Stampede by getting hands-on with the instruments that helped shape country music! This drop-in program invites visitors of all ages to strum, shake, pluck, and play a variety of acoustic instruments commonly heard in country, folk, and bluegrass traditions.
PlayLab is a hands-on sound playground where young visitors can discover how music works. With interactive stations that feature strings, wind, percussion, and electronic instruments, kids experiment with the building blocks of sound—pitch, volume, timbre, and vibration. Pluck a string, strike a drum, blow into an organ, or shape sound on a synth to hear how instruments create their unique voices. Designed for curiosity and creativity, PlayLab encourages visitors to listen closely, explore freely, and learn how musicians turn sound into music.
PlayLab is made possible with support from the Alberta Museums Association and the Radomski Foundation.
Backbeat weekend programming is supported by CIBC.