Complex Canada’s Guide To Sled Island

Tory Lanez at Sled Island 2015.

At any music festival, sustenance is a major key to longevity. If you’re hungry (like, really hungry), we recommend checking out Tubby Dog, a Calgary staple known for their over-the-top approach to hot dogs, burgers, and tacos. Tacos are available on Tuesdays, burgers on Wednesdays, and their gourmet hot dog menu is available every day. Their signature Tubby Dog comes with chili, bacon, cheese, onions, and mustard, but you can take it up a notch with Sherm's Ultimate Gripper: a dog wrapped in bacon, deep fried, and topped with ham, chili, cheese, mustard, more bacon, hot peppers, onions, and a fried egg.

What, you can’t handle a deep-fried hot dog wrapped in bacon? Maybe an Instagram-opp that’ll make your foodie friends jealous is more your speed. Look no further than Shokunin. Specializing in yakitori, grilled meats, and ramen, this Japanese-inspired spot is a no-waste restaurant, meaning they use every part of every ingredient, from “beak to tail.” Their beautifully executed small plates are great for sharing. Roll up to their late night ramen takeout window, or stop in for a crafted cocktail.

In terms of brunch options, you might want to scout out the Yellow Door Bistro, which has an incredible weekend breakfast buffet for $24. If gluten is your jam, Sidewalk Citizen Bakery makes all of their delicious breads, pastries, and desserts in house. If coffee is a must, visit the award-winning Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters. They source all of their beans directly from farmers. If you take your coffee seriously, this is the place to go.

Beer and music festivals go hand-in-hand. The craft beer scene in Calgary is relatively new, but thriving. Book a tour or a tasting at The Village Brewery, or visit The Dandy Brewing Company, Calgary’s premiere nano-brewery. Their tiny facility is certainly nano, but the beers are delicious, and their 20-seat tasting room has a cozy atmosphere, perfect for sampling one (or three, or four) of their custom brews.

If you’re a collector of obsolete media and you feel like throwing more of your hard-earned paycheck on the figurative bonfire, you might want to pay a quick visit to one of Calgary’s many excellent record stores while you’re in town for Sled Island. Recordland boasts that they have Canada’s largest selection of vinyl and CDs, and we believe them—it’s easy to get lost in their seemingly endless stacks of records and cassettes. You should also swing by Blackbyrd Myoozik and Sloth Records, two super cool shops that both offer discounts during Sled.

Film: Miss Sharon Jones!

Sled Island’s film programming opts for quality over quantity, offering screenings for just five titles, spread across the HiFi Club and the Theatre Junction GRAND. It might not be a bad idea to break up a long day of music with a documentary, and one of the biggest titles is Miss Sharon Jones!, a Barbara Kopple-directed profile that follows Sharon Jones and her band The Dap-Kings as they face her pancreatic cancer diagnosis. For more films at Sled Island, click here.

Comedy: James Hartnett

In terms of comedy at Sled Island, don’t miss Laugh Sabbath affiliate James Harnett. This Toronto-based writer/comedian is one of the funniest standups in Canada, known for absurd off-the-cuff premises and straight-faced character bits that are as bizarre as they are darkly hilarious. To learn more about Sled Island’s comedy programming, click here.

(Click for set times)

Hip-Hop

• Cakes Da Killa


• Sinzere Sings


• TT The Artist

Electronic

• Kaytranada


• Smalltown DJs


• CRi

Punk/Rock/Indie

• Partner


• Pre Nup


• HSY

Sled Island 2016 runs from June 22nd June 26th in Calgary, Alberta. Buy your passes here.