Calgary Entertainment: 5 things to do on the first weekend of Stampede

The Calgary Stampede officially kicks off 10 days of fun with the parade Friday morningand while many are planning to hit-up the midway, rodeo and chucks this weekend, the Homestretch's Tracy Fuller provides a fewother entertainment options as well.

1. King Edward Hotel opening

Better known to Calgarians as the King Eddy, the famous landmark re-opens Friday morning, featuring performances by Petunia and the Vipers, Steve Pineo, Carolyn Mark, and Leeroy Stagger. It'll be free to swing by from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. but there's a $20 cover charge for the evening.

When: The King Eddy Hotel opens July 8 at 11 a.m.

2. Bike-in-cinema

The Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers and TRUCK Contemporary Art are combining cycling and cinema Thursday. On the bill for the bike-in event is a short film by Calgarian Chad VanGaalen, TARBOZ, followed by the main feature, Beyond the Black Rainbow, by Vancouver director Panos Cosmatos.

When: July 7, 9:30 p.m. at Rotary Park, 617 1st St. N.E.

3. SFX Arts and Crafts Ball

Market Collective is hosting a three-day art market at the Chinese Cultural Centre featuring art, illustrations, photography, clothing, jewellry, woodworking, leather, pottery, glass and more. Full details are available at the Market Collective website.

When: July 8, 4 to 9 p.m., July 9 and 10, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

4. Wolves Unleashed

Quigley may not be a household name just yet but many will recognize the face,and toothy snarl. Ghost Jon Snow's loyal direwolf in the popular series, Game of Thrones is played by an Alberta white wolf named Quigley, which is trained by Andrew Simpson. Simpson is making a series of films called Wolves Unleashed and the first, Siberia, screens Monday at the Plaza Cinema.

When July 11, 7 p.m. at Plaza Cinema

5. Debugging the gender gap around coding

Women who've wanted to learn coding but didn't know where to start take note, Calgary's Kid Code Force is screening the documentary film Code: Debugging the Gender Gap, exploring the gender and minority gap amongst American software engineers and programmers.

When: July 9, 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Cardel Theatre in Quarry Park

With files from the Homestretch