Sled Island is a five-day independent music and arts festival held each June across venues in downtown Calgary, with over 200 bands plus comedy, film, and visual art.
About
WhenThird week of June each year (June 17 to 21 in 2026)
WhereMultiple venues across Calgary
First held2007
AdmissionTicketed; festival passes and individual show tickets sold
Sled Island programs over 200 bands plus comedy, film, and visual art, drawing close to 30,000 attendees. What keeps the lineup interesting is the guest-curator model: each year a different artist shapes part of the programming, mixing emerging acts with established names.
The festival launched in 2007 as an independent music festival and has grown steadily since. Recent guest curators include Otoboke Beaver in 2025 and clipping. in 2026. The organization also runs BOB-Sled, a winter mini-festival at the Palomino Smokehouse in January.