Your Checklist for Post-River Floats

East Village serves up some of the best inner-city views YYC has to offer - especially from the Bow.

We’ve partnered with our friends at The Paddle Station to help guide floaters and boaters into The Cove on St. Patrick’s Island (SPI) to “end” their river adventure, but once you arrive, the adventure is far from over. It only made sense to create a checklist for your post-river floats to discover all things East Village and SPI.

Photography credit: Christopher Martin -2021. (Instagram @cjm.photography)

1.Treat Yourself

ICYMI its picnic season in EV and we have limited edition East Village Picnic Baskets! We have partnered with five East Village restaurants who have created unique picnic baskets all packed up in a limited edition Eat Village cooler bag that is yours to keep. Don’t risk being hangry post-float and order directly from one of the amazing restaurants and enjoy!

Choose your culinary adventure! Check out our list of dining options and stay awhile, grab and go or quench your thirst with a patio beer or two.

Insider TIP: Snap a selfie under George C. King Bridge. SPICE UP THE ‘GRAM WITH A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE OF THE UNDERBELLY OF THE BRIDGE. THE SHAPE WILL REMIND YOU OF A STONE SKIPPING ACROSS THE RIVER.

2. Find a Picnic Spot

St. Patrick’s Island: From Picnic Grove and Trout Beach to Confluence Plaza, you’ll find different kinds of seating, shade or views to continue your adventure. Here’s a map of the island to find your ideal spot!

  • Picnic Grove: The perfect meeting place, accessible to all. Meet up with friends or family post-float and gather around firepits and picnic tables. We recommend taking the fuss out of cooking for the gang by ordering an East Village picnic basket directly from one of five local restaurants and feast your heart out.

  • Confluence Plaza: Shade, seating and relaxing. There are public washrooms and it’s close to the parking lot so you can grab a dry pair of flip flops from your car. Confluence Plaza is a hot spot for events and front row seats for a variety of performances all summer long. Don’t forget to check out the East Village events calendar to see what’s on.

  • Trout Beach: Dip your toes and play in the water from the safety of the seasonal breach. Be sure to look for the Osprey nest on the top of Bloom - the island’s 75-foot high sculpture is inspired by the meeting of nature with city scape.

East Village: From tree-lined plazas to pavilions and playgrounds, EV is famous for outdoor places and spaces. Here is a link to the paths and parks, waiting for you to explore.

  • Fort Calgary: The original gathering place. Get comfy at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers in a place called Moh’kinstis, a Blackfoot word that means elbow. East Villagers appreciate the unique and rare combination of history and the 40 acres of open space that Fort Calgary offers in an otherwise urban area.

  • RiverWalk: Find accessible picnic tables located in between the historic Simmons Building and George C. King Bridge. Or grab a seat on one of the benches, outlooks over the water or the wide steps leading down to the river – all good spots for some chill time.

  • 5th Street Square: East Village’s smallest park provides a little urban breathing room. Get cozy on the brightly coloured patio furniture and admire Dennis Oppenheim’s upside-down church art installation, Device to Root out Evil.

3. Admire the hustle & bustle of city life

Stretching from Centre Street Bridge to 9 Avenue S.E., RiverWalk is not only a way to get from point A to B, it’s a destination for anyone wanting to spend time outside. The award-winning Jack & Jean Leslie RiverWalk provides dedicated pedestrian and cycle lanes along the edges of the Bow and Elbow rivers.

Insider Tip: Look out for some of Calgary’s newest public art, Touch Traces, by local artist Cassie Suche. These new artworks wrap the giant abutments along RiverWalk. The artwork is reminiscent of water ripples, but they are actually made from hundreds of fingerprints sourced from the East Village community.

Your adventure doesn’t stop when the float stops, in fact, it keeps getting better.

Get inspired at the architectural marvels that anchor East Village’s arts and culture scene, the Central Library and Studio Bell, Home of the National Music Centre. Visit The Hive – a sustainability and biodiversity project that serves as a safe place for honeybees, a pollinator educator, and hub for community collaboration. Get lost in your own city, and use your phone as a compass in one of our curated walking [DE]TOURS, customized to individual interests and activities.

There’s no shortage of things to do, places to see or events to be at in East Village. Be sure to tag us @eastvillageyyc and share your adventures with us. We love seeing our city from your perspective

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