Lilac Festival fun and food in Calgary
Calgary’s biggest springtime street festival takes place May 31, kicking off with a parade at 10 am. Over 500 artisanal vendors set up shop along Fourth Avenue Southwest while live bands, dancers and children’s entertainers perform on six outdoor stages. Fourth Street also happens to be one of the city’s hottest restaurant strips, so consider combining festival fun with lunch or a post-fest meal at one of these establishments.
Sushi Kawa Japanese Restaurant
2202 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2S 1W9Open from 5 pm on festival day, Sushi Kawa is a shady retreat with a view of the street. The popular Japanese spot serves a full sushi menu as well as a number of sushi combo and rice-bowl entrees. Evening dinner meals also include the savoury okonomiyaki. a skillet-fried pancake made with meat or seafood and topped with salty-sweet sauce, seaweed and bonito flakes.
Original Joe's
2118 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2S 1W7Open for Sunday brunch, Original Joe’s serves a tasty selection of entrees that includes chorizo-sausage-filled tacos and eggs Benedict. Serving contemporary bar-and-grill fare the balance of the day, it’s a good spot to break from the festival crowd and enjoy a cold pint with appetizers from nachos to bruschetta. The main menu features burgers, flatbreads, rice bowls and more.
Rajdoot Restaurant
2028 4 St Sw, Calgary, AB T2S 1W3Wrap up a hot afternoon of festival going in a nice, cool room serving satisfyingly spicy Indian cuisine. Rajdoot, on the south end of the festival site, is open at 5 pm for dinner. Dishes include an array of regional Indian entrees from mildly spiced chicken tandoori Baluchistan and royal korma to hot-as-you-like prawn vindaloo Goan.
Bocce
110-2207 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2S 1X1Casual and contemporary, Bocce serves unbeatable Italian pizza, pleasing pastas and a wholesome array of great greens in a sunny setting with a festival view. Open at 11 am, standout pies include the calabrese topped with spicy fennel sausage, olives, peppers and mozzarella and the funghi dressed with mushrooms, arugula pesto and pine nuts.
Red's Diner Ltd
1415 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0Y2Short-rib hash and eggs, blueberry buckwheat buttermilk pancakes, steak and eggs: it’s all good at Red’s, located in the handsome brick building just north of 17th Avenue Southwest. But you really ought to try the French toast stuffed with goat cheese, basil and blueberry. You won’t regret ordering a mimosa to go along with it.
Vin Room
2310 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2S 1X2One of the Mission district's hottest restaurants, Vin Room serves shareable tapas-style eats and a first-class international wine selection. It also features a sweet rooftop patio that overlooks the festival. Open from 3 pm on; when the sun gets too hot, retreat beneath the patio’s large central umbrella.
