Calgary Mayoral Election Debate Night
Shaping Our City’s Future
Ethnik Mayoral Candidate Forum
Amplifying Community Voices. Inspiring Civic Engagement. Shaping Calgary’s Future.
The Ethnik Mayoral Candidate Forum is a civic engagement initiative of Ethnik Festivals Association, created to strengthen democratic participation, promote inclusive leadership, and provide communities with opportunities to engage directly with candidates seeking to lead the City of Calgary.
In 2021, Ethnik Festivals Association made history as a Black-led community organization by organizing its inaugural Mayoral Candidate Election Night, creating a platform for meaningful dialogue between mayoral candidates and Calgary residents. Building on this initiative, Ethnik organized a second edition in 2025, reaffirming its commitment to inclusive civic participation, community representation, and informed public engagement.
The forum brings together mayoral candidates, community members, cultural organizations, business leaders, and other stakeholders to discuss the issues, priorities, and opportunities shaping Calgary’s future. It creates space for candidates to present their perspectives, respond to community concerns, and engage with residents on matters affecting neighbourhoods, families, businesses, and the city as a whole.
As part of Ethnik Festivals Association’s broader vision of evolving into a year-round cultural institution, this initiative extends the organization’s work beyond arts and festivals into civic dialogue, public education, and community empowerment. It recognizes that culture and civic life are interconnected, and that inclusive communities thrive when people have opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
Through the Ethnik Mayoral Candidate Forum, Ethnik seeks to encourage informed participation, strengthen relationships between communities and civic leaders, and create welcoming spaces where diverse voices can be heard and respected.
Our vision is a Calgary where every community has a voice, every resident has an opportunity to participate, and civic engagement helps build a more inclusive and connected city.
when people have opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their lives.