Sled Island, Calgary, AB Videos

Juana Molina's sound is comparable to an ethereal party where folk, electronica, and experimental pop mingle under starlit skies. From dabbling in comedy, to becoming a musical mystic, Juana's journey is a kaleidoscope of creativity, infusing luminescence into every note. Check out her 2022 appearance on KEXP, live from the Kirchner Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina! Presented in partnership with connectFirst Credit Union and CJSW Radio, don't miss Juana Molina on Friday, June 21 at the #1 Royal Canadian Legion with Tess Roby, Aniqa Dear, mineo kawasaki and more! Festival passes, day passes and tickets are on sale now at SledIsland.com!

Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted
We’re very stoked for film at this year's Sled Island! On Tuesday, June 18 at the Globe Cinema, don’t miss the Alberta premiere of SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED. Hidden away deep in the suburban San Fernando Valley, legendary cult musician Swamp Dogg, alongside housemates MoogStar MoogStar and Guitar Shorty, has transformed his home into an artistic playground. Together, they navigate the tumultuous waves of the music industry, and forge a wonderfully bizarre and inspiring path across time and space. The musical force known as Swamp Dogg (AKA Jerry Williams Jr.), has spent the past 65 years in the music industry as a singer, songwriter, A&R man, performer, and record producer. Once described as “one of the great cult figures of 20th century American music,” and “the soul genius time forgot,” Williams is a genuine eccentric responsible for some of the most unique rock-influenced R&B (and wildest album covers) ever made. For festival passes, day passes and tickets, visit SledIsland.com.

Another incredible Rock Lotto is in the books! A major thank you goes out to Calgary Arts Development, The Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club, and all the participating musicians and attendees for creating such a memorable night! We’ll post the event photos to our Flickr account soon, but in the meantime check out this awesome recap from videographer Jordan Lee!

CONTEST ALERT! #YYCBeerfest returns to the BMO Centre May 3 - 4, and we have tickets to give away! With over 200 breweries to sample, tag some beer-loving pals you’d love to attend with for a chance to a pair of VIP+ Weekend Packages (a $500+ value)! Sled Island will be on location along with our sponsors Eighty-Eight Brewing Company and The Dandy Brewing Company, as well as our friends at CJSW Radio who’ll be providing tunes for the weekend. Look for the Sled Island Lounge and come say hi! For more information about Alberta Beer Festivals and for tickets, visit http://show.ps/l/8cfb23ea/.

CONTEST ALERT! For this year’s Calgary Underground Film Festival, we’re also very excited to be a community partner for TEACHES OF PEACHES – a new documentary following artist, musician, icon and Sled Island 2016 guest curator, Peaches! Filmed during "The Teaches of Peaches Anniversary Tour" in 2022, this documentary weaves together exclusive archival and dynamic tour footage capturing the transformative journey of Canadian Merrill Nisker into the internationally acclaimed cultural powerhouse Peaches. From the inception of the stage show to the rigorous rehearsals and riveting performances, the film provides an intimate look at the inner workings of a tour led by this beloved and globally celebrated icon. As a feminist musician, producer, director, and performance artist, Peaches has spent over two decades challenging gender stereotypes, solidifying her status alongside pop and music industry icons. Through biting wit, she advocates for LGBTQIA+ rights and tackles issues of gender and sexual identity, leaving an indelible mark on popular culture. TEACHES OF PEACHES plays at Globe Cinema on Saturday, April 27 at 9:15pm. Tag a friend you’d love to see this with for a chance to win a pair of tickets! For more information, visit calgaryundergroundfilm.org.

CONTEST ALERT! What's up Sledmonton!? #YEGBeerfest is back March 8 - 9, and we’ve got tickets to give away! Tag some pals that you’d love to attend with for a chance to win a pair of VIP+ Weekend Packages (a $500+ value)! Sled Island will be on location along with our beer sponsors Eighty-Eight Brewing Company and The Dandy Brewing Company, and our partners at CJSR FM 88.5 who will be providing the tunes! Look for the Sled Island Lounge and come say hi! For more information about Alberta Beer Festivals and for tickets, visit http://show.ps/l/339a239a/.

The CUFF.Docs Documentary Film Festival kicks off TOMORROW, running November 22 – 26 at the Globe Cinema! Presented by the Calgary Underground Film Festival, this year’s event will showcase 15 features and 10 shorts over five days, so prepare to have your mind blown by the latest groundbreaking non-fiction films to hit the festival circuit! For more information and for tickets, visit calgaryundergroundfilm.org.

The CUFF.Docs Documentary Film Festival is back for another year, taking place at the Globe Cinema November 22-26! Presented by Calgary Underground Film Festival, this year’s festival will showcase 15 features and 10 shorts over five days! Check out the full lineup and get your passes today at www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org.

CONTEST ALERT! The Calgary European Film Festival kicks off next week, running November 3-12 at the Globe Cinema, and this year we’re very excited to be a community partner for the Icelandic film BAND - a comedy of failures seen through the eyes of the three women in The Post Performance Blues Band, who give themselves only one year to finally become popstars or quit forever. ⁠ Tag a friend you would love to see this with for a chance to win a pair of tickets! BAND plays on Tuesday, November 7 at 8pm. For more information and for passes and tickets, visit www.calgaryeuropeanfilmfestival.ca.

Postcards From Sled Island: Vogue YYC⁠ ⁠ As a late addition to our Postcards From Sled Island video series, VOGUE YYC has delivered a fabulous look at what they do best!⁠ ⁠ Re-established in 2018, Vogue YYC initially came together as a diverse group of individuals sharing a love and enthusiasm for Ballroom culture - an underground LGBTQ+ subculture created in the late ‘70s in New York by Black and Latinx gay men and trans women. Wanting to bridge a generational gap from the last Ballroom events in Calgary hosted by Bad Girls Club YYC, Vogue YYC continues to host balls, events, workshops, parties and more to bring Ballroom to Calgary. With roots in the Ballroom community within Canada, Vogue YYC strives to connect Calgary to the national scene, making connections with Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, with larger dreams of connecting internationally. ⁠ ⁠ This video is a snapshot of their local community in 2022. It was intended to be a journey through a typical gathering, a behind the scenes look at their reconnection, and why they love coming together - especially after a period of global isolation. After being separated for so long, they felt a dissonance between the current circumstances and their need for connection. To bridge this gap, they rebuilt relationships with their peers and the places they occupy, to regain the closeness they had as a community before the pandemic. ⁠ ⁠ The full video, entitled IT WAS JUST A KI, will premiere as a special screening at @eskerfoundation on August 27, and will become available on the Sled Island YouTube channel at 8:30pm the same evening. ⁠ ⁠ Visit @vogueyyc on Instagram for more information!

Last Saturday at Sled Island, ten participants met at Quickdraw Animation Society for a workshop where they created plasticine portraits of their favourite Sled Island 2023 artists. Under the hands-on instruction from animator NOFAC3, here’s what they made! Featured artists include Gustaf, Akintoye, Sessa, JWords, Cecile Believe, Bartees Strange, Sun Ra Arkestra, VIVEK SHRAYA, Bennett Mitchell, and Thee Oh Sees. Participants included @jiwoo.ookim, @mackenziebedford, @looks_real, @skeelons, @thereezles, @danie1angelo, @steveosteeth and more.

Last night's kick-off was an absolute blast! Featuring BRIDGELAND, Sepehr, Ryan Bourne & The Plant City Band, some incredible drag performers, the opening reception of our annual poster show, and much more, it was the perfect way to start the week! Special thanks to FOREIGNERZ for capturing last night! Video: sansfuccs Cinematographers: Jashan Makan, Vince Raquel, Thea Thomas, Eman Safadi Editor: Jashan Makan Music: Sepehr - Exit Your Body

TONIGHT at the Globe Cinema, don’t miss the Canadian Premiere of EVEN HELL HAS ITS HEROES, about the slowest metal band on the planet, Earth. Not only did Earth create a glacially paced subgenre of metal and play a pivotal role in the popularization of grunge, but visionary leader Dylan Carlson also did it while battling small-town boredom, heroin addiction, and the tragic death of his roommate and best friend, Kurt Cobain. The screening will be preceded by four 8mm short films shot and composed by local filmmakers with disabilities at the National AccessArts Centre. For more information and for tickets, visit www.sledisland.com/2023/even-hell-has-its-heroes.

Don’t miss Juno award-winning comedian and RAMY cast member Dave Merheje at the Globe Cinema for two nights of comedy on Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24! He'll be joined by Tallboyz sketch alum Jordanne Brown, Killjoy Comedy's Tin Lorica, and from Gary and His Demons and Conan, Mark Little. And don't forget to see all new comedy from Jeff D'Silva, and Sarah Adams, plus Amy Edgar who will be bringing it all together as our illustrious host! Passes and tickets are on sale now at SledIsland.com!