If you experience any trouble donating on the form below, please try instead on our Canada Helps page.

Did you know that Sled Island is a registered charity? This means that we can issue tax receipts in exchange for donations of $10 and more.

You might wonder why donate to a festival when you already have to pay for admission, which is a fair question. The short answer is, putting on an event like Sled Island in Calgary is expensive. International artists do not tour through Calgary and most need to be flown over and paying artist fees in US dollars means adding over 30% to our artistic expenses. All in all, the cost of your ticket or pass far from covers what it actually costs to produce the festival.

Add to this the provincial cuts to art funding and a substantial decrease to our federal public funding, as well as decreased sponsorship investment in Calgary since the beginning of the recession, and the gap to close becomes bigger and bigger.

Sled Island’s work also goes beyond the annual festival. We work hard year-round to nurture the local music scene, advocate for our sector, give opportunities to local musicians and offer you more unique shows, all while operating with a small permanent staff of four people.

If you think our work is meaningful and brings value to Calgary’s community, please consider making a monthly or one-time donation to help ensure Sled Island will be here for years to come.

Please use the form below to make a donation or scroll down to read more about our organization and alternative ways to give.

The Sled Island Arts Fellowship is a charitable organization dedicated to the presentation of incredible independent music and art. Our main activity is Sled Island, a one-of-a-kind, five-day music and arts festival presented in Calgary each June that has earned rave reviews from attendees, artists and media across the globe.

Since its inception in 2007, Sled Island has been proud to showcase a whopping 924 unique Alberta bands, including 673 from Calgary, as well as comedy, film, art, special events and conference programming in 158 unique Calgary venues to a combined audience of more than 475,000 people. The organization operates with only four full-time staff as well as a passionate base of support made up of 275+ volunteers annually and over 587 unique partners to date.

But Sled Island is about more than just five days in June. It’s a year-round catalyst for music, arts and community and a beloved connector of partners, volunteers, artists and audience members. The festival is a leader in fostering all-ages, green, safer spaces, inclusion and accessibility initiatives. It’s also an important economic driver.

A 2023 economic impact study showed that Sled Island generated $3.05 million in economic activity for Alberta that year. These economic impact estimates were generated by running our numbers through the Destinations International Economic Impact Calculator (a tool used by Tourism Calgary). The EIC is utilized by over 300 destination organizations worldwide for measuring net new money coming to a community because of meetings and events.

With accessibility as a core value, the festival is committed to keeping pass and ticket prices affordable as well as continuing to offer high-quality free programming. As a result, box office revenues cover only 25% of our annual expenses.

Sled Island has weathered a flood, an economic downturn, a cancellation amidst a global pandemic, and decreasing sponsorship dollars across the Canadian arts sector. Despite our tenacity through hard times, the changing economic realities facing organizations like ours mean we must find new paths for ensuring our sustainability.

We’re now looking to our community for monthly or one-time donations that are an investment not only in the festival we all look forward to each year, but in our year-round support of Calgary’s music and arts scene.

Sled Island is grateful for donations of all sizes and all donations will contribute to Sled Island’s operating and programming costs. For donations of $10 and more, a tax receipt will be issued to you. If you wish to make a corporate or monthly donation or to donate via cheque or cash, please contact Bianca Dayrit at bianca@sledisland.com.

Curious about the impact of the festival? See the Sled Island 2023 Partner Report here. 

Thank you for your generous support!

Registered Charity Number: 821282605RR0001