The IT Nerd

This September there will be a new way for visitors and locals to explore Calgary – through a playful tour of city sites bundled up in a Beakerhead experience called Snakes and Ladders. Snakes and Ladders is a flagship feature of the fifth edition of Beakerhead running September 13-17, 2017, and is a Canada 150 project.

This is not a typical board game! It’s a larger-than-life adventure that will take attendees to more than a dozen sites of engineered artworks and interactive experiences, united by a theme: the ups and downs of invention. The snakes and ladders on the map are the guide to different jaunts.

Additional ticketed shows, hands-on workshops, roaming contraptions, theatre performances, and community-created events will explode on streets and in venues across the city – all in the name of smashing up art, science and engineering.

A Sneak Peek at Beakerhead Snakes and Ladders

• Calgary Municipal Space Station. It was just a matter of time before public transit was extended to the solar system. A group of artists called Humble Wonder is turning the Calgary Tower into the world’s first public transit space station. Yes, virtual reality is involved. Media Launch will happen here on Wednesday, September 14 – Save the Date.
• Serpent Mother. This is the largest fire-breathing installation at Beakerhead to date – stretching 168 feet long and with 40 pillars of fire.
• Nest. Tread quietly on 11 Street SE, just around the corner from MacLeod Trail. A giant dragon (or little dragons?) may lurk … It’s impossible to see exactly what’s behind the hoarding but it sure sounds ominous!
• Impulse. A premiere in western Canada by Montreal artists, Creos; these 15 giant see-saws are equipped with sound and lights and will animate River Walk in East Village.

  Tickets Now on Sale for Select Beakerhead Shows

• The Ape Inside You (Wednesday, September 13, 2017). Enjoy a hilarious look at the social and behavioral norms of apes with help of a primatologist and improv actors. You might see how primitive you and your friends really are …
• Science of Cats and Dogs (Thursday, September 14, 2017). An evening at the Bella Concert Hall exploring the ins and outs of our furry friends guided by scientists, musicians, and a bit of animal instinct
• Seven Wonderers (Friday, September 15, 2017). The world of science and engineering is full of wonder…and wonderers. In fact, some say it holds the greatest adventure stories on earth – in the hands of the right storytellers. This is the third year for this always sold-out show

Beakerhead 2017 will take place in Calgary, Alberta on September 13 – 17. Find preliminary highlights and tickets to select events at http://www.beakerhead.com. Additional events will be added this summer, with the full program released on August 1, 2017.