Now into its 29th year, the Apollo Western Cup LGBT sporting weekend is coming up during the April long weekend.  This year there have been a few changes that organizers hopes will make a memorable event even better.

One such change is the host hotel, which is now Hotel Arts. TJ Fedyk from Apollo is excited at the move and how it promises to improve some of the events, especially the dance on Saturday April 23rd.

The Hotel Arts ballroom hold the same amount of people as the ballroom in the Westin, however the layout is different. "It’s going to be very interesting this year for the setup, but they’ve held some amazing events....they know how to put on a party, so we’re very excited to be working with them this year", says TJ.

Besides the dance, there are several official and unofficial Western Cup parties planned for the week of April 20-24.  "Western Cup is about socializing with sports...we’ve had some outside organizations and businesses want to jump on with Western Cup."

The week kicks off Wednesday, April 20th with Back(lot) to Boyz(town) - A Reunion Party. Attendees can relive the sixteen year legacy of Boyztown, a major supporter of Apollo in its heyday, at Vinyl Retro Lounge which now occupies that historic space. They’ll be bringing back some of the old DJs, drag queens and bartenders for this party. As an added benefit, proceeds from the door are benefitting Western Cup and AIDS Calgary.

The next day, April 21st, is the official registration/meet and greet for Western Cup, this time happening at Club Sapien. "Club Sapien is amazing," TJ says, adding "...they have jumped on-board and helped out tremendously this year." And for those folks staying at the Hotel Arts, a shuttle service from Hotel Arts to Club Sapien will be running every 15 minutes from 7:00pm to 10:00pm that night, so you can mix, mingle, and return to the hotel in time to rest for sporting events the next day.

On Friday, April 22nd, attendees will get to play games with "Lady Luck" for a Vegas Casino party at Hotel Arts. Anyone can come and try their luck at blackjack and roulette, among others. You’ll get a chance to win "fun" money that, at the end of the night, can be exchanged for various prizes.

If you’re all danced out Saturday night, TJ has some news for you: "you’ve got one more day to go." On Sunday, April 24, Strobelite Productions, Boodang Music Canada, and Club Sapien are proud to present the Victory Closing Party for the Western Cup weekend. They’ve arranged a special guest to help spin the tables at Sapien: two time Grammy nominated producer, DJ, and remixer Tony Moran will be there on his first appearance in Calgary for a rare set.

With all these great events, it’s important to remember that the reason Western Cup is so successful is in part due to the wonderful volunteers assisting during the weekend; volunteers that are still needed, according to TJ.  "We would like more volunteers...we’re looking for volunteers for the Friday and the Saturday night social events" (i.e. the Vegas Casino event and the dance).

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at one of the social events, or are even interested in helping out with facilitating one of the sports, please see the link at the end of the article for details. Volunteer shifts are a minimum of 1 1/2 hours, and you’ll get free entry into the event for which you volunteered.

Finally, TJ also wanted to let everyone know Western Cup is not just for people attending the dances at night and athletes participating in sporting events during the day. "We like spectators....all of our sports have areas for spectators to come and watch...it’s free to watch." As well, most event locations are inner city or close to it – see below for the link to the locations on their website.

Western Cup Dance Tickets are available at Priape or Club Sapien for $20 in advance. Door sales are $25, but advance ticket purchase is recommended as this event has sold out in the past.