Wordfest Celebrates Calgary Writers, Books and Community for 30th Anniversary

Wordfest, Calgary’s biggest year-round book and literary festival, has come a long way over the last three decades.

Now widely known for its diverse literary events, shows and seminars, Wordfest initially started as a small project for an international writers’ festival by The Banff Centre and Writers Guild of Alberta in 1995. Wordfest’s first Imaginairium event was put on in October 1996 by The Banff Centre, in partnership with the Calgary Public Library, Mount Royal University and the Writers Guild of Alberta, and showcased 50 writers in 24 events over four days.

Since then, the Imaginairium Wordfest has grown to a six-day festival that hosts over 80 writers in more than 70 events each fall. Additionally, Wordfest has expanded to year-round programming featuring some of the world’s best writers from all literary genres.

Now, as Wordfest prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, there’s no denying the impact this festival has had on countless local writers and readers.

“In 2025, all our shows sell out,” says Wordfest CEO and Creative Ringleader Shelley Youngblut. “I truly believe that ultimately the community decides if something is worthwhile or not. In our case, how do you make it relevant? How do you make it resonate? How does it not just become something that is relevant to everyday life, but that you actually feel something when you go? We are responsive to that, WordFest over years has never stopped innovating.”

Wordfest will host a variety of events to celebrate its 30th anniversary this year and is kicking things off on June 10 with an event called “The Way We Calgary’d” that celebrates the talent of local authors, musicians and businesses. Hosted at Calgary’s Central Library, the event will feature seven original story readings from renowned local writers like Ali Bryan, Teresa Wong, Joshua Whitehead and more. There will also be a performance by local musician Tom Phillips, beverages from Dandy Brewing Co. and an Owl’s Nest Books mini book market. Author-signed, first-edition copies from Wordfest’s extensive book archive will also be available for purchase.

At the event, Wordfest will announce its author lineup for the upcoming Imaginairium festival in October 2025. And from June 8 to 15, Wordfest is hosting a free exhibition at the Central Library displaying posters, t-shirts and memorabilia that retell the festival’s rich history.

“We’ve done so much over our 30 years, we decided that we’re celebrating all year-round,” says Youngblut. “We are bringing back some of people’s favourite authors from the past 30 years all year-round. This really just shows the impact of the relationships these authors have built with their audience at Wordfest.”

Calgary Central Library, 800 3 St. S.E., wordfest.com

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