World-renowned fireworks and cultural festival, GlobalFest, is looking for a new home and has its eyes set on the MD of Foothills.
GlobalFest has taken place at Elliston Park in Calgary for the past three years, and has outgrown the capacity of the venue, selling out with 22,000 people attending this year’s final night on Aug. 29.
“We’ve had to stop sales to finale night shows three to four weeks in advance, and this past year we actually had to turn people away from the first Saturday night show,” said GlobalFest producer Ken Goosen.
GlobalFest is now seeking a 240-acre site to accommodate their annual event, with the potential to host winter festivals and outdoor concerts.
The organization has been in conversation with landowners of two sites in the MD. The first is near Aldersyde, where the Adam Hirsche livestock operation resides. The second, owned by Lansdowne Equity, is located at Red Deer Lake and is the Hawk Ridge Ranch property.
“Each of these properties has its own unique challenges,” said Goosen. “For instance, the Aldersyde location is near highway 2, so we would have to have a conversation with the Province about our fireworks festival being close to the highway.
“And, the challenge at the Red Deer Lake location would be conservation and any restrictions that may apply there.”
A third property has been suggested to GlobalFest, the site of the former DeWinton airport. Goosen said he will be contacting the owners of the land this week to discuss the opportunity.
“That’s a very interesting property, so I’ll definitely be pursuing that conversation,” he said.
The ideal location for the GlobalFest site would be in an area without a tremendous amount of acreage development, he said, because of the noise associated with fireworks and increased traffic during events.
To manage traffic, the organization plans to operate a shuttle service from the Somerset-Bridlewood LRT station to the site, he said. Goosen is also in conversation with Spruce Meadows to discuss any possibility of offering shuttle service from their overflow parking sites.
“We want to minimize the impact of traffic on a location as much as possible to be cognizant of our neighbours and the area residents,” he said.
Wherever GlobalFest ends up, having a water surface is a major requirement. While some possible locations may not currently have water, the organization is prepared to build a 1,000-foot reflective pond if needed.
“One of the things that makes us different is the water surface,” said Goosen. “We fire into the water, over the water, from the water. We could just fire into a dry field but then we wouldn’t be GlobalFest anymore.”
The storm pond would be designed to collect snow and drainage from the site itself, he said. Once constructed, the water surface would be available to the community for paddle sports in the off-season and a potential shinny hockey tournament in the winter, he said.
“Wherever we go, we want the venue to be accessible to the community,” said Goosen. “We’re looking to develop partnerships so the venue is useful for everyone, whether that is groups like Scouts or Girl Guides or school classes, or adult organizations.”
As GlobalFest continues to narrow in on properties available in the Foothills, organizers are also considering locations north of Calgary in Rocky View County and have even had preliminary conversations with the Tsuu T’ina Nation.
The plan is for property to be ready for GlobalFest 2017, in August of that year. The 2016 event will still take place at Elliston Park as the transition is made.
Goosen said the 2017 event is a significant date for the festival, as it will run in conjunction with Canada’s 150th anniversary and could make the opening of a new site a legacy project.
For now, he said, the question is whether the event venue is in the interest of any of the regions surrounding Calgary, and whether municipalities see it fitting into their overall development strategy.
“If it doesn’t work for them, it doesn’t work for us,” he said. “We want to be a partner and an economic engine and enhancement for a community, providing jobs and tourism, and education and recreation opportunities.
“With the potential for tourism this is a tremendous opportunity for the province, for the federal government, and for whichever municipal region we end up residing in.”
MD Reeve Larry Spilak said he would like to see the event come to the Foothills. After attending the 2015 show in Calgary and learning GlobalFest was in the market for a new location, Spilak invited Goosen to present to Council on Oct. 14.
“I think it would be an exciting thing to bring into the MD if a suitable location can be found for it,” he said. “All three of the proposed sites are good possibilities, depending on the landowners and the neighbours in the surrounding area.”
Spilak said the challenge is finding a location to house 20,000 people to watch the show and enjoy the cultural booths.
MD council will be discussing the opportunity further in its upcoming meetings, and Spilak said the matter will likely go to a public hearing if GlobalFest secures a site.
