About the Nickelodeon

Where Are Concerts Held?
The home of the Nickelodeon is the Crescent Heights Community Hall, 1101 - 2nd Street NW in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.   It is located in Crescent Heights Park at the corner of Second Street and Eleventh Avenue NW.  Click here for a map.

All concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. with the doors opening at 7:30.  Rush seating is the rule.

How Do I Get There?
From out of town:  Calgary is divided into four quadrants, northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast. The Trans-Canada Highway becomes 16th Avenue North in Calgary. There is a signed turnoff onto Sixteenth Avenue North from the north-south running #2 Highway.

Once you are in town:  To find the hall, get  to 16th Avenue NW, then turn south at the traffic light at Fourth Street NW.  After four blocks, 4th Street dead ends and you will turn left onto 12th Avenue.  Head east for a couple blocks until you hit the four way stop sign at Second Street.  Turn right, then a block in front of you is a parking lot.   The Crescent Heights Community Hall is located on the west side of this lot.  Unless there is a big event at the school or curling club next door, there is usually ample parking available.

A Typical Night at the Nickelodeon
Our ticket capacity is 193 patrons.  Seats for Nickelodeon concerts are available on a "first-come, first serve" basis.  Our season ticket holders have priority admittance if they arrive between 7:20 and 7:30.   At 7:30 the doors are open for general admission.  The Nick is a non-smoking and cell-phone free venue.  We appreciate the cooperation of our audience in abiding by this policy and trust that it makes the club's atmosphere more pleasant.

The hall is set up with tables and chairs downstairs and rows of chairs in the balcony.   An evening at the Nick is a combination of enjoying music and socializing.   Prior to the show and during our two breaks, liquid refreshments (beer, wine, coolers, liquor, pop, juice, tea and coffee) and food (entrees, soups, appetizers, popcorn and spectacular desserts) are available at the bar.  Liquor tickets must be purchased at the refreshment ticket table.  Patrons generally mingle and visit with friends old and new after they have secured their seats.  Coffee and tea drinking patrons are encouraged to bring their own mugs.

Near the front entrance, product tables offer CD's by our featured performers.  Most performers are happy to autograph their CD's after the show.  Our good friends from the Canadian Society For Traditional Music are usually on hand with a selection of tapes, CD's and books by hard-to-find Canadian performers.   Tickets for the next show in the Nickelodeon season are available at the ticket table - after the first set.

When the lights go down, our artistic director will take the stage to welcome you to the club.  There are often announcements of upcoming performances and events made at this time.  Our opening acts perform one 40 minute set.  These feature Alberta-based artists, as well as touring performers from further afield.  Some of these performers may be appearing at their first concert engagement and some may be old hands on the folk circuit.  The Nick believes in performer development and considers the opening sets to be opportunities for upcoming performers to develop their craft.  A glance through the Nickelodeon's past performers will show that a great many of our past openers are now headliners.

Our headline performers are chosen from the vast world of touring folk musicians.  A typical Nick season will generally feature a majority of Canadian performers, although acts from the U.S. and Great Britain are presented from time to time.  A season's roster will typically feature a few old favorites, back for a return visit and a few acts that have never played at the club or in Calgary before.  Taking a chance on an act you've never heard of is highly recommended.   Remember, the Nick was the first Calgary club to present Ani DiFranco, Laura Love, The Mollys, Connie Kaldor, Stephen Fearing, Fred Eaglesmith, Lynn Miles, David Francey, The Duhks, Le Vent du Nort, The Bills, Harry Manx, Tracy Grammer and many more.

Sponsors:
The Nickelodeon wishes to thank the Calgary Arts Development and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for their generous support.  We also wish to acknowledge airplay support of our performers on CKUA and CJSW.

Volunteers:
The Nickelodeon is a volunteer-operated, non-profit organization.  The Nick appreciates the countless hours dedicated by our volunteers.  Without their work these special nights would not be possible.

History:
The Nick was founded in 1980. 

Artistic Director:
Vic Bell  vicbell@telusplanet.net
Telephone:  (403) 284-4384  (answering machine)
Address:  2112 - 12th Avenue NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1J9
The Nickelodeon season of twelve concerts runs from late September to early April each year.

Webmaster:
Barrie McCombs  bmccombs@ucalgary.ca