Experience Guide | Tourism Medicine Hat

Festivals, Family, and Friends RISE UP HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL May 21-24, 2026

GLOW UP THE GLOBE June 30, 2026

The Connection, in partnership with Medicine Hat Skateboard Associations’s Canada Day, hosts the Glow up the Globe festival that features family crafts and activities, cultural food truck alley, and an evening Glow up the Globe Dance Party, with glow sticks, a live DJ, and dancers. The festival invites many people to lead a cultural dance on stage, from line dancing, to caribbean dancing. And over 8,000 friends and families of all ages attend the lively event. “You can see all these cultures be celebrated when everyone comes together, and it shows how diverse Medicine Hat is and the vibrancy that’s alive here,” says Kristy Pomrenke, one of the event organizers. “It felt natural to showcase the different cultures in Medicine Hat, and to invite everyone to a big dance party feels like a great way to celebrate.” canadadaymedicinehat.ca MEDICINE HAT EXHIBITION & STAMPEDE July 22-25, 2026 A family-friendly, four-day event in July that originated in 1887. It’s a celebration of western culture and heritage with exciting rodeos, a pop-up amusement park, and offers both free and ticketed entertainment. “You can spend the whole day and not see the same thing twice. Rodeo is our history and culture, and at the level we’re at people are seeing the best in North America — the best stock and the best cowboys,” says Ron Edwards, general manager of the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede. More events throughout the year outside of the Stampede are Indian Relay Racing, Farm & Ranch Agriculture Show, Cars & Guitars, and more. mhstampede.com

The festival will launch up to 35 eye-catching hot air balloons in Medicine Hat this spring. The weekend will bring seven flights as the sun rises and sets. Two balloon glows will take place the evening of Friday and Saturday in Kin Coulee Park, where half the hot air balloons will be inflated, illuminated, and tethered to the ground while the other half lift off into the Medicine Hat sky. Saturday also brings a free Community Day at the Medicine Hat College. “Everything is planned around our values of community, connection and hope. We see that throughout the whole weekend and it’s great to see it all come together,” says Willy Taillon, hot air balloon pilot and co-host of the event. Our Collective Journey is an addiction and mental health non for-profit organization that hosts This family-friendly festival in Kin Coulee Park features live music and entertainment, face painting, a craft market, and local food trucks. There will also be games, wrestling events, bouncy castles, and more for young families. “Spectrum Festival is about bringing people together. It’s a chance to enjoy great music, support local talent, and experience the energy and spirit of our community,” says the Spectrum Festival Committee. In the evening, the beer gardens serve local liquor, while musicians play the bandshell stage late into the night. spectrumfestival.ca the event in partnership with balloon pilots Willy and Cindy. ourcollectivejourney.ca/ rise-up/welcome SPECTRUM FESTIVAL May 29-31, 2026

photo: Our Village Creative photo: Our Village Creative

Events & Festivals

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