Calgary has a hopping live music scene, with any given week having performances by a number of talented local musicians and visiting international acts.

Your options are plentiful: catch a folk singer with a guitar in an intimate pub; dance the night away to a touring DJ in a pumping disco; or go all out and blow the roof off of the Saddledome at an arena rock concert.

To keep tabs on who’s coming, where and when, Fast Forward Weekly is a local news and entertainment publication that has its finger on the pulse of the music scene.

Here are a few of the more popular local venues for shows and concerts:

Broken City
Broken City is a watering hole on 11^th Avenue and Fifth Street SW that has several rock, punk, metal and hip-hop shows each month.

Cantos Music Foundation
This all ages venue hosts local and visiting musicians, offers inexpensive space for emerging artists and an all ages blues jam the last Monday of every month.

Flames Central
Flames Central pays homage to the local NHL hockey team and just happens to have a really sweet sound system. They have a handful of rock and hip-hop shows booked each month at their downtown location.

The HiFi Club
The HiFi is a trendy 10^th Avenue SW club that is a hot spot for local and touring DJs.

Ironwood Stage and Grill
The Ironwood is the Inglewood community’s venue for live country and folk tunes.

Jack Singer Concert Hall

The Jack Singer, downtown home to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, has been described as one of the most acoustically acclaimed venues in North America. With room for up to 1,800 people, it features touring artists who perform for large crowds, but are looking for a small-venue atmosphere and awesome sound.

MacEwan Centre
The University of Calgary’s MacEwan Centre has a number of facilities for touring bands that are popular with the university crowd. 

The Hub
The Hub is Mount Royal University’s pub that also features touring folk, rock, punk and hip-hop acts.

The Palomino
The Palomino claims to be Calgary’s only true honkytonk, and serves up plenty of southern atmosphere along with punk and country performers.

Scotiabank Saddledome
The biggest of the big play the Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary’s arena-sized venue.

Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Affectionately called the Jube, this is the home of Alberta Ballet, Calgary Opera and touring musicians for a night. It’s just off of 16^th Avenue NW, near SAIT Polytechnic.

The Whiskey
The Whiskey is a dance club in the Beltline that sometimes hosts touring bands and DJs.