High Performance Rodeo 2027

What to expect at the 2027 Rodeo

Every January, Calgary shifts. And so will you.

Over three weeks, you will step into the High Performance Rodeo, a festival of live performance shaped by curiosity and the unexpected.

You may arrive with plans. Most people do. They don’t always last.

You may end up at shows you didn’t expect to choose or find moments that catch you off guard. You may find something strange, funny, moving or hard to name that stays with you longer than you can explain.

People rarely leave talking about genres or categories. They leave talking about how they felt, and how that feeling stayed with them afterwards.

That’s the Rodeo!

A collection of live performances with curiosity as an entry point, and experiences that linger.

Some things are planned. Some things aren’t. You will move through rooms, theatres and unexpected spaces across Calgary alongside artists and strangers who ended up there too.

Over four decades, the festival has become part of Calgary’s winter rhythm. And when it’s over, what remains isn’t a festival guide of shows. It’s the feeling that something in you—and the city—has shifted and you can't wait for it all to happen again next year.