For 33 years the annual Western Cup has been putting Calgary on the map for its excellence in providing a topnotch LGBT* sporting event. Director TJ Fedyk could not be more excited about this year’s three-day event.

"The Western Cup is North America’s largest running LGBT sporting event," he says. "There are participants here from all across Canada, so we are truly national."

Calgary’s LGBT ‘season’ is generally a March to September run, and rightly so; the Western Cup kicks it off with the right amount of gusto. It all begins on Thursday, April 2nd with registration. This also provides a perfect time for folks to socialize and get to know one another.

On Friday, curling, bowling, and volleyball at assorted locations around Calgary take the stage, leading into the extremely popular Fun Money Casino at the Hotel Arts. Fedyk, recognizing the fact that the Casino’s popularity leads to a lack of space on the gaming tables, has added some extra fun for the evening. "We have added a huge assortment of inflatable games, such as sumo wrestling and jousting," he says.

The weekend is capped off with curling, volleyball, dodgeball and bowling on Saturday, all leading up to one of the most popular evenings in Calgary: the Western Cup Dance at the Hotel Arts, which takes place that evening from 9pm to 2:30 am. DJ Imfurst, from RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, headlines the night.

DJ Imfurst, more widely known as Mimi Imfurst or the self-proclaimed "hardest working bitch in show business", is a stand-up comedian, actress and DJ. She is one of the most talked about contestants on both RuPaul’s Drag Race and Ru Paul’s Drag Race All Stars.

As Fedyk states, "anyone is invited to come, regardless of athletic ability, identity or gender." There are recreational, intermediate and competitive levels and events for everyone. There are also pricing levels, depending on what sport/class you are interested in. All interested athletes that want to participate in the sporting events are asked to register online before March 15th on Western Cup’s website. If you are interested in playing one of the sports offered and do not have a team, let the folks at Western Cup know, and they will try to fit you into an existing team. A Party Pack can be purchased for the Casino and Western Cup Dance along with other perks, or separate event tickets can be selected. Tickets for the Western Cup Dance can be purchased online or at DevaDave’s. It is recommended that you buy your tickets soon as the evening is a consistent sell-out.

If you would really like to get involved with Western Cup in any other capacity, there are many volunteer opportunities still open. These are also available for sign-up online. Each volunteer time slot is anywhere between one hour to one and half hours, and guarantees you free access to the Saturday night dance.