Instagrammable Walls in Calgary

I’ve been seeking out Instagrammable walls LONG before it became the trendy thing to do! Over the last 3 years I’ve collected a bunch of photos on trips down to Calgary and am always asked where these amazing walls are so I decided to put together a guide for you! My best friend Colin is the photographer behind all of these photos, he’s also my tour guide when I come to town!

The great thing about Calgary is many of these walls are close together in areas, if you plan ahead you can visit a bunch of them in one day! I love having walls as backdrops in photos, they stand out on Instagram in the sea of scrolling!

East Village

It is amazing how far the East Village has come over the years. The revitalization has brought the addition of many cool and trendy walls along with the Central Library and the Studio Bell National Music Centre which are also great for capturing photos!

The Bounce (Artist: Buds Collective) is the latest edition to the East Village with a super cool games area including a basketball court! The bright coloured walls are perfect for Instagram photos, you can find them at 4th St. and 8th Ave. S.E.

Walk across the street down the alley with the brick walls to find the balloon wall while you are in the area as well! I love that someone attached a string to it making the photos even more fun! Don’t forget hashtag #upthealley when posting this one to Instagram!

The Corridor of Connection (Artist: Michelle Hoogveld) is a collection of mashed up murals under the 4th street SE underpass. This is walking distance from The Bounce and has so many options when it comes to photos! Stop by Village Ice Cream up the stairs for the best ice cream in Calgary while you are in the area!

Downtown 

Downtown Calgary has so many walls to choose from for photos! I love how trendy they have become, it feels like everytime I come to Calgary there is a new wall to discover! Here are some of my favourite walls i’ve found over the years.

1. Nasarimba (Artists: Mikhail Miller + Rachel Ziriada) is located at 1022 17th ave SW. This one can be difficult to capture as there are often cars parked out front.
2. Analog Coffee is located at #740 17th ave SW and has this adorable A on the side of the building. It is perfect for someone like me with the name Ashley!
3. Cliver Burger has the cutest wall inside their restaurant, stop in for a burger or shake so you can snap a pic! Find them at 736 17th ave SW
4. Lululemon is opening a new store at 2306 4th st SW this year and on the side of the building is this amazing new mural!
5. Her Night Light is Always Turned On (Artist: Mary Haasdyk) is one of the newest walls in Calgary, it was just finished in August! Find it on the side of Vine Arts Wine + Spirits located at 101 932 17th ave SW. The colours are amazing!
6. Cowboy Boots (Artist: Jill Stanton) is located at 1126 17th ave SW on the Gravity Pope building. There are two different boot walls at this location done in different colours as well!
7. Wolf Wall (Artist: Mateusz Naperialski) can be found on the side of the camera store located at 802 11th ave SW.
8. Geometrics Wall (Artists: Rhys Farrell + Shane Arsenault) offers a bright pop of colour making it a great background for photos! Find it at 1402 11th ave SW.
9. CTrain Art (Artist: Bryan Faubert) can be found at 1040 8th Ave SW
10. Western Union Building is where you will find the next two photo opportunities. We went to capture the geometric wall and noticed the lights shining in the window which also made for an amazing photo! You will have to visit the building during office hours to get inside, find it at 640 8th ave SW.
11. Deflection Mural (Artist: Cassie Suche) is located at 1518 7th st SW. I love the colours and the artistic yet simplistic design of this one!
12. Portraits and Perspectives (Artist: Astro) is one you can’t miss, literally! Spanning 10 floors in the heart of downtown Calgary, find it on the Watermark Tower at 530 8th ave SW.
13. First Frost (Artist: Tiffany Lynn Cuffley) is brightly coloured and sure to bring a smile to your face! Find it at 734 7th ave SW.

Other Great Locations In Calgary

Looking to explore a little bit more in Calgary? I highly recommend you do! Calgary is one of my favourite cities to visit, there is always something to see and do in this great city.  Here are some great walls you can find throughout Calgary.

1. Lukes Drug Mart is located at 102 4th st NE and features a really cool striped and geometric wall! I love that this one is so tall which is great for different angles of your photos!
2. Blue Star Diner is one of my favourite walls in Calgary because I love stars so much! You can find it at 809 -1st ave NE. The star is located on their patio so you may find people sitting in front of it!
3. Staples located at 321 61 ave SW is home to some really cool murals on the back side of the store. The next 3 photos are all taken at this location! I love that you can capture 3 completely different looks at one location.
4. Rainbow Bridge in Riley park is a must visit for an amazing colourful rainbow backdrop!  They have even painted the rocks on the ground with rainbow colours! Find it at the Sunnyside C-Train station at the intersection of 9A st and 4th ave NW.
5. Rainbow Stairs make a great backdrop for photos! Find them at 1st ave NE, just a block west of Lukes Drug Mart.
6. Block Party Art on the Boulevard is located at Deerfoot City in NE Calgary. This location offers a road mural, instagrammable walls and and interactive seating making it a great stop for photos!
7. Platform Calgary is a parkade location in the East Village with beautiful views of downtown Calgary. They’ve even sectioned off an area on top for you to snap those Calgary views! Find it at 407 9th ave SE.
8. High Park is an Instagrammers dream with multiple photo options all on the roof of this parkade! Find it at 340 10th ave SW.