Event Date: Thursday, Feb. 19
Event Time: 7-8:30 pm | Doors open 6:30 pm
Cost: $15
Ages: 13+

Is Calgary really as politically quiet and conservative as its reputation suggests? Or has protest always been part of the city’s DNA — easier to overlook than to remember?

In the first installment of Hot Dogs & Hot Takes on History in 2026, Dr. Roberta Lexier peels back the layers of Calgary’s past to uncover a long tradition of protest and activism. From mass demonstrations during the Great Depression to anti-war movements, tuition protests, labour organizing, women’s rights, racial justice, and contemporary events responding to today’s political flashpoints, Dr. Lexier traces how Calgarians have repeatedly taken to the streets when economic crisis, war, or injustice demanded action.

Challenging the idea that activism belongs somewhere else, Dr. Lexier reframes Calgary as a city shaped not only by oil, agriculture, and the Stampede, but by dissent. She explores how protest has evolved across generations — who was allowed to gather, who was suppressed, and how the boundaries of acceptable resistance have shifted over time.

Come for the hot dogs, stay for the reminder that protest has always been part of this city — whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.