Big Taste food festival, Crime Does Not Pay premiere, blues or Beethoven: What to do in Calgary this weekend

Whether you're into blues music or Beethoven, photography or a world premier, there's an event for you in Calgary this weekend. The Homestretch's Ellis Choeguides us through what's going on.

The Big Taste

The Big Taste is back, kicking off Friday night and running until Sunday, March 12. This downtown Calgary event is for foodiesor anyone who wants great food for great value. There are 100 restaurants involved this year.

Tried and true restaurants like Bonterra, Cilantro and Booker's are participating, as well as new restaurants like Foreign Concept, The Guild and Pigeonhole (which just placed tenth on the 2017 Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list).

The Big Taste is all about prix fixe dining, usually on the restaurant's best dishes. A set three-course lunch will cost $15 to $25 per person, depending on the restaurant, while a three-course dinner costs $25 to $35 per person. Taxes and tips are not included. There's also gourmet five-course dinners for $65 per person, and signature one-time events for a little over $100.

You can book all your favourites restaurants on The Big Taste'swebsiteor call restaurants individually.

World premiere for musical

After you enjoy your prix fixe meal, you can head over to Arts Commons and take in the world premiere of a new musical called Crime Does Not Pay.

It's a Calgary production five years in the making, based on the true story of comic book creator turned murderer BobWood.

The play opens Thursdayand runs until March 11. This is not a family production; Simon Mallett, the director of the musical, recommends audience members be 16 years of age and up. More information and tickets are available online.

Calgary Home + Garden Show

The Calgary Home + Garden show kicked off Thursdayat noon and goes until Sunday at the BMO Centre and the Corral at Stampede Park.

This year's headliners are Kortney and Dave Wilson, from the hit renovation show Masters of Flip. The Nashville couple buys teardowns and renovates them into gorgeous homes, then flips them for a tidy profit. Find out how these Canadianswent from being country musicians to renovation rock stars.

The show also features vendors covering everything for your renos from plumbing and lighting to roofing and interior design help. The show costs $16 for an adult ticket and $13 for seniors.

Buy onlineand save $3, and seniors pay only $7 if they show up tomorrow before 5 p.m.

Eroica

The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra is presenting Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, better known as Eroica, this weekend.

Beethoven originally named this piece Bonapartebecause he was a huge fan of everything Napoleon, but the story goes that when Beethoven found out that Napoleon crowned himself emperor, he flew into a rage and tore up the title page of his symphony.

He changed the name of the symphony to Eroica, or, as one historian called it, "Heroic Symphony to Celebrate the Memory of a Great Man."

Colin James

If you prefer blues over Beethoven, then Colin James is for you. The Canadian Juno-Award winning singer songwriter is coming to Calgary.

It was the blues that got him hooked on music, and he pays tribute to some of his heroes on his latest record his 18th record. It's called Blue Highways, which is also the name of his tour. He performs Thursdayand Fridaynight at the Jubilee Auditorium.

Tickets are available online.

Blindspot III exhibition

You have a few days left to check out a photo exhibit in the main lobby of the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Blindspot III: Blackout was curated and juried by Naomi Porrer from the Esker Foundation. Part of the Exposure Photography festival in Alberta, it involves 22 students and alumni questioning and representing the word Blackout. Check it out until March 4.

With files from The Homestretch