NATIONAL: The annual Ethnik Festival of Arts and Culture, a celebration of Black History (Excellence) Month, will take place during the last week of February. The 2022 edition will highlight Afro-Canadian and Caribbean artists from Calgary and Edmonton, and it will be accessible to audiences around the world.
Hilton’s Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites have announced that 100% of its hotels across the U.S. and Canada are now pet friendly. The collaboration was made possible by Hilton’s partnership with Mars Petcare and its Better Cities for Pets initiative. Across the more than 1,000 locations that will now allow guests to bring their furry friends, there is also an online service where attendees can chat with experts about their pet-related concerns regarding their hotel stays. It was also revealed that by the end of April 2022, Tru by Hilton, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and Embassy Suites by Hilton will also be completely pet friendly in the U.S. and Canada.
CALGARY: The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is bringing back its "Show Your Love" event through the month of February with special activities and discounts in efforts to put some love in the air. Each day at 10:30 a.m., zoo guests will be able to watch as the king penguin colony parades the zoo grounds in the daily Penguin Walk, presented by RE/MAX. Other park perks this month include concession and retail discounts, symbolic animal adoptions and more. Daily admission tickets can be purchased on the Calgary Zoo’s website.
TORONTO: Pride Toronto is planning for an in-person Pride month and festival weekend this year. The full month of programming will begin on June 1, concluding with the annual festival weekend on June 24-26.
VANCOUVER: The annual weeklong tech event Vancouver Startup Week has canceled its 2022 event due to COVID-19 concerns. The event would have celebrated its ninth anniversary in 2022, after shifting to a virtual format over the past two years; in 2020, the virtual edition drew over 2,000 attendees. Organizers plan to return in person in May 2023.
