48th Annual Knox Carol Festival and Holiday Market
Saturday, November 28 to Monday, November 30, 2026
Doors Open: 5:30 PM | Concert Begins: 7:00 PM
Admission by donation to the Calgary Food Bank (canned goods or cash)
In support of the Calgary Food Bank
Three nights of choirs
48 Years of Song and Joy
In 1978, the first annual Christmas Carol Festival was introduced. A wide variety of choirs from across Calgary were invited to perform over three evenings. The Downtown Rotary Club sponsored the event for its first three years, and CBC Radio continued the sponsorship by recording performances and re-broadcasting them during the holiday season.
In 2009, the event was renamed the Knox Carol Festival to better reflect its identity as a broader community celebration. Knox United Church is honoured to serve as the venue for this gathering and the city’s start to the holiday season. In 2025, 43 choirs from diverse backgrounds, ages and corners of Calgary came together through their shared love of music.
All proceeds from the Knox Carol Festival benefit the Calgary Food Bank, supporting Calgary’s food-insecure population.
The festival
- Saturday, November 28, Sunday, November 29 and Monday, November 30, 2026
- Performances begin at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary
- Admission by donation in support of the Calgary Food Bank
- Christmas Night Market, 5:30 to 9:30 pm each night, in the Labyrinth Room
- Knox United Church, 506 4 Street SW. Step-free entrance on 4 Street
Choirs
Calling all Calgary Choirs,
With the festive season right around the corner, start prepping those pipes and practice hitting those high notes as the Knox Carol Festival is quickly approaching. Once again proceeds from the festival will help the Calgary Foodbank. This is an invitation for your choir to join us this year!
Invitation for all Calgary Choirs
Please use the following Knox Carol Festival 2026 Registration form via email: knoxcarolfest2026@gmail.com
Knox Carol Festival 2026 Registration Form
Please include your contact information so we can confirm we received your registration form.
Knox Carol Fest 2026 Sponsorship Opportunities
PRIVATE DONATION
Be a part of the excitement of the season! Donations for the fund “Knox Carol Festival” help us continue this annual tradition and keep the music going.
Thank you for your support!
$150 – HOPE OF THE SEASON
Name listed in program
$500 – GOODWILL TO ALL
Name listed in program
Reserved front row seating for 2 people
$1,000 – DECK THE HALLS
As above, plus:
A complimentary beverage before the concert
Your name mentioned by the emcee during the evening
$3,000 – OH, JOYFUL NIGHT CIRCLE MEMBER
As above, plus:
Naming rights for one entire night of the Knox Carol Fest in all reporting of the event; in all digital promotional material and (if confirmed before November 1) in all printed promotional material (night choice is first-come, first served)
NOTE: Any amount contributed may be designated as a donation by the giving organization. In this case, no sponsorship benefits will be provided. However, Knox UCC will issue a charitable-giving certificate applicable for 2026 tax reporting.
Volunteer at Carol Fest
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Door Monitor
Helps maintain a quiet environment by managing audience access to the performance venue. This role ensures doors remain closed during choir performances and are opened between performances to allow guests to enter and exit with minimal disruption.
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Front of House Host
Creates a warm, welcoming, and organized experience for all guests, performers, and volunteers attending the Carol Festival. This role serves as a friendly point of contact, providing directions, answering questions, and helping ensure the event runs smoothly.
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Market Host
Creates a welcoming and well-organized Christmas Market by assisting vendors with setup, greeting guests, and providing excellent customer service throughout the Carol Festival. This role serves as a friendly point of contact for vendors and visitors while helping resolve issues as they arise.
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Snack Bar Host
Provides friendly and efficient service to festival guests by selling snacks and beverages throughout the Carol Festival. This role helps create a positive guest experience by ensuring the snack bar is welcoming, organized, and well-stocked.
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Stage Assistant
Supports the safe and efficient operation of the Carol Festival by assisting performers and the stage crew during performances. This role helps ensure smooth transitions between choirs, provides assistance to performers, and supports the movement of stage equipment.
Holiday Market
Christmas Night Market
Handmade gifts, three evenings
The Christmas Night Market runs alongside the Knox Carol Festival for three evenings, Saturday, November 28 to Monday, November 30, 2026, from 5:30 to 9:30 pm. Shoppers browse handmade gifts before the 7:00 pm performance, during intermission, and after the music ends: beadwork, jewellery, Indigenous art, soaps, toys, candles, pet treats and more. Admission to the market is free, and the Knox Thrift Store is open in the basement.
For vendors
We welcome vendors offering handmade goods in a festive, diverse and inclusive spirit. As an Affirming congregation, Knox United Church welcomes Indigenous artists, 2SLGBTQIA+ artisans, newcomers and community members. Eleven tables are available each night.
Every booking includes one table (6 feet by 2.5 feet), two chairs, a name label, and volunteer help with setup and take-down. Vendors manage their own sales, pricing and payment methods. Knox United Church takes no commission, and vendors keep everything they earn.
These spaces are filling very quickly, to reserve your space, please fill out a vendor application form.
Vendor tables
- Setup for first-night vendors: Saturday, November 28, 1:00 to 4:30 pm
- $25 a night
- Questions: office@kxcalgary.com or (403) 269-8382, Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Past Programs
Click on the images below to take a look at some of the programs from past Carol Festivals
Carol Fest Facts
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In 1978, Knox United Church introduced the first annual Christmas Carol Festival, inviting choirs from all over the City of Calgary to perform over 3 nights. Championed by Frank McKitrick, Knox’s Director of Music at that time, the event was originally sponsored by the Downtown Rotary Club, after which (in 1982), Knox United Church took over as sole sponsor of this beloved community celebration.
In 2009, the event was renamed “Calgary Carol Festival”, to emphasize that this is a community celebration for the entire city.
Since its inception, this event has been an opportunity for community giving. For over 20 years, Calgary Carol Festival has been a major fund-raising event for the Calgary Food Bank, with whom we are proud to partner in such a joyful way.
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Over its 3 nights, Carol Fest welcomes diverse choirs from across the city, a cross-section of our communities and demography, in 2023, for example, 32 choirs performed including:
ConocoPhillips Choir (Historic Oil Patch choir from the business community), Pereveslo (Ukrainian), Mount Royal University Zhi-Yin Choir (Chinese), Calgary Music Makers 50+ Choir, Mount Royal Children's Choirs, Yodler Club Heimattreu, Western Canada High School Choirs, Korinnya Ukrainian Folk Ensemble, Calgary Girls Choir, Youth Singers of Calgary Choirs, as well as church choirs from the United Church, Roman Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist traditions.
So far this year, more than 20 choirs have volunteered their time, and we are not even in October yet.
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The covid pandemic forced Carol Fest into hiatus for 2 years. Since returning, Carol Fest’s fund-raising has gone from strength to strength
· 2022 (Carol Fest 44) raised 1,350lbs of food and over $8,000
· 2023 (Carol Fest 45) raised over 1,500 lbs of food and over $14,000
· 2024 (Carol Fest 46) – with your support, the sky’s the limit! -
Knox UCC is open to all. We are the oldest Affirming church community in Calgary. Carol Fest is our biggest event every year. There is no entry fee. Anyone can attend and will be made to feel welcome.
In addition to the choir performances, our guests join in multiple sing-alongs throughout each evening, led by a host choir and an expert MC. Ugly sweaters are encouraged.
In 2023, over 1,500 people kicked off their holiday season at Carol Fest 45. We can’t wait to see how many come to sing, smile and share in Carol Fest 46.