Olympic Plaza (Calgary)

For other uses, see Olympic Plaza.
Olympic Plaza with City Hall in the background
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Olympic Plaza (Calgary).

The Olympic Plaza is an urban park and gathering place in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located around Macleod Trail and 7 Avenue South, it was created as the venue for the medal ceremonies at the 1988 Winter Olympics.[1] In 2004, over 30,000 people packed the plaza to celebrate the Calgary Flames' run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.[2]

Olympic Plaza serves as a meeting place, and an outdoor event area, hosting concerts and festivals. In the winter, it is used as a public ice skating area.[3] The plaza is accessible by Calgary's CTrain system at the City Hall station.[3]

Due to its location, directly across from Calgary City Hall and at the head of major pedestrian thoroughfare Stephen Avenue, the plaza is often the site of protests.[4][5][6] The plaza has raised concerns with residents due to the large concentration of the homeless around the plaza, as well as a significant increase in violent crime and opioid overdoses.[7]

  1. ^ "This month in history: February 1988 - The Olympic Plaza". Calgary Herald. February 7, 2013.
  2. ^ Calgary salutes Flames[usurped], slam.canoe.ca. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
  3. ^ a b White, Ryan (November 18, 2022). "Olympic Plaza opens for skating on Sunday with free CTrain service for skaters". CTV News Calgary.
  4. ^ Williams, Radana (March 26, 2022). "Calgary police arrest 2 during ongoing weekend protests downtown". Global News.
  5. ^ Markus, Jade (February 10, 2023). "Calgary mayor threatens to fine protesters after drag event cancelled". CBC.
  6. ^ Randhawa, Rachneet (May 15, 2022). "Calgary women's rally protests right to abortion in Olympic Plaza". City News Calgary.
  7. ^ Herring, Jason (June 23, 2022). "'I don't feel safe': Crime and safety always top of mind for downtown residents". Calgary Herald.