Paranormal Activities | OCTOBER 9
OCTOBER 9, 2026 | 6:00 PM - MIDNIGHT

Paranormal Activities

Spark After Dark (18+)

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Members Tickets
WHEN

Friday, October 9, 2026

TIME

6:00 PM - midnight

AGES

18+ only

Must have valid photo ID

COST

General Admission: $36.95
Spark Members: $15.00

What if the strange stuff isn’t so strange after all?

On October 9, Spark After Dark (18+): Paranormal Activities, powered by ATB, takes over TELUS Spark for a night where science fiction meets science fact.

The lights are low. The music is up. Your friends are convinced they saw something. Your brain is doing its weird little brain thing. And somewhere between the party, the experiments and the unexplained, you might start questioning what you can actually trust.

Your eyes? Maybe.

Your ears? Maybe not.

Your five senses? Good luck.

Come wander through a world of paranormal activity, curious experiments, strange encounters and science that gets right up against the edge of what we understand. Get involved, make some questionable theories and see if you can figure out what’s real, what’s perception and what’s just plain weird.

And honestly, this is only the beginning.

Strange things entering the building soon. So grab your crew, lock in October 9 and keep an eye on this realm. And the tickets for this one don’t stay very long.

Also included with your ticket:

SUE: The T. rex Experience, because sometimes the most unbelievable things aren't paranormal at all. They’re just science.

Plus, the ATB Possibility Pot is back. Three chances to win $1,000 for you and $1,000 to donate to the Spark programming of your choice.

October 9. Come for the party. Stay for the unexplained.

FEATURED EXPERIENCES

    • Who's Hosting the Séance Tonight?

      Host: Karla Marx — Feature Gallery Stage — 7:15 PM, 9:00 PM, 10:15 PM

      Meet Karla Marx, the First Comrade of Your Heart, and your emcee for the evening. A comedian, host, burlesque artist and drag performer who's toured the UK and France, Karla was voted Canada's Best Burlesque Host by Imperial Burlesque Canada and recently hit the stage at the Hollywood Burlesque Festival. Consider yourself summoned.

    • Otherwordly Sounds

      Morag Northey — Cello & Theremin — Feature Gallery Stage (UFO Lounge) — 7:30 PM & 9:50 PM

      Beam up to the UFO Lounge for an out-of-this-world set from Calgary composer and cellist Morag Northey. A Betty Mitchell Award winner whose work has carried her cello from concert halls to the Camino de Santiago, Morag blends cello, theremin and live looping into a sound that's less "song" and more "otherworldly transmission."

    • Take Us to Your Drag Show

      Performances by the Cabaret Company — Feature Gallery Stage — 8:00 PM & 9:45 PM

      We are so not alone. The Cabaret Company returns to Spark with a full lineup of speculative superstars: telekinetic lip syncs, sci-fi sequins, and scary-good choreo. Featuring drag performances by Karla Marx, Viscera, Dogiichow, Mac Zine, Dayna Hart, Jackal Morose and Divina Diefor, plus burlesque from Axis O'Risa.

    • Beam Us Up: Live Band Takes the Stage

      The Lovebullies — Live Band — Feature Gallery Stage — 10:30 PM

      "I wanna rock n' roll and make some spacey noise… I wanna go in a UFO!"

      Calgary favourites The Lovebullies have been playing together for nearly two decades, serving vintage pop-rock with a high-octane stage show. Known for opening for the Beach Boys and the B-52's, they're currently deep in work on album number six.

    • The Beat Behind the Veil

      DJ SONIDEF — Atrium — All Night

      Born with one deaf ear, DJ SONIDEF built a career defying limits — pulling from her street dance roots to blend R&B, Future Soul, House, Funk, Disco and Hip-Hop. She's also co-founder of BACK & FORTH YYC, championing femme and gender-expansive DJs in a male-dominated industry.

    • Why Your Brain Might Be Haunting You

      Ghostbusted: The Science Behind Paranormal Experiences — Infinity Dome — 7:00 PM & 9:45 PM

      Dr. Nicole Anderson and Dr. Rodney Schmaltz (MacEwan University) return with the science behind things that go bump in the night. Turns out your visual system is easier to fool than you'd think, and their research on infrasound explains exactly what makes an old building feel haunted. Expect visual trickery and unsettling buildings.

    • 212 Ghosts Walk Into a Study…

      Perceived Qualities of Ghosts in Canada, with Dr. David Aveline — Infinity Dome — 8:00 PM

      In 1928, sociologist W.I. Thomas said if people believe something is real, it's real in its consequences. Dr. David Aveline took that seriously — travelling across Canada to interview people convinced they'd seen ghosts, cataloguing 212 distinct spirits and 21 other paranormal entities. A Mount Royal University sociology professor of 23 years, he'll break down who — and what — Canadians think is haunting them.

    • Write Your Own Horror Story (Then Live to Tell It)

      Ghost-Writing with Heather Clithertoe — Being Human, Second Floor — All Night

      What's the recipe for a spine-tingling ghost story? UCalgary PhD candidate Heather Clithertoe hosts a ghast-erclass in all things from beyond the grave — pull up a chair anytime.

    • Draw-A-Monster

      Unleash Your Inner Monster: Sketch Sessions with Shea Proulx — Feature Gallery — All Night

      Illustrator Shea Proulx (BFA Emily Carr, MFA UBC, 2023 Alberta Book Publishers Association award winner) walks you through 2D monster-building — mixing scientific detail with imaginative flourish to create your very own original abomination. Not an artist? No problem — trace your way to greatness with paper, tracing sheets and a light desk. Markers, pencils and paper provided. Contribute your creation to a growing, mutating monster-jam that builds all night.

    • Don't Watch This Alone

      The Science (Fiction) of the X-Files — Inspiration Stage — 7:45 PM & 9:30 PM

      We're screening "Ice" from Season 1 of The X-Files (1993) — a team of geophysicists at a remote Alaskan outpost, killed by a parasitic alien life form — followed by a look at the very real science of parasites. Burrow into your seat.

    • Score Your Own Horror Movie

      Sinister Sounds — Video Booth — Creative Kids Museum— 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM

      Step into the video booth, lay down an eerie track, and get your photo shoot scored like the horror movie it deserves to be. Are you ready for your close-up?

    • Look Like You've Seen a Ghost

      Deathly Pallor, with Don's Costume and Makeup Shop — Creative Kids Museum — 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM (while supplies last)

      Death comes for us all — that doesn't mean you can't look fabulous doing it. Swing by for free ghostly makeup, applied by the pros. Limited supplies, so don't dawdle in the land of the living.

    • Is It Magic, or Is It Science?

      Acetrife — Close-Up Illusionist — Roving, Building-Wide — 7:00–7:40 PM, 8:20–9:00 PM, 9:50–10:30 PM

      Acetrife brings his "street-styled" close-up magic from Las Vegas to the Philippines and now to you, Calgary local. Known for turning audiences into instant friends, he'll pop up around the building all night — keep your eyes (and your disbelief) open.

    • Can You Smell a Ghost Coming?

      Ghost Detector: A Haunted Scent Lineup, with Ana Stepanchuk & ol.facto — All Night

      Paranormal investigators have long reported specific smells right before an "encounter" — sulfur, phantom flowers, mustiness, ozone, candle smoke. Move through a row of unmarked scent stations tied to paranormal folklore, guess what each one conjures, then get the reveal: the haunted legend, and the real neuroscience behind why that smell reads as eerie.

    • Dissect the Undead (Sort Of)

      Steven's Lab: Return of the Crawling Dead — Steven's Lab, Second Floor

      Dare to dissect? Step into earthworm anatomy, explore internal organs up close, and learn how these wiggly creatures function from the inside out.

    • Gooey Goosebumps

      Alien Oobleck — Feature Gallery

      Explore the stranger-than-science-fiction, real-life physics of non-Newtonian fluids — better known as Oobleck. Solid when you punch it, liquid when you don't. Deeply suspicious.

EATS & TREATS

  • EATERY SPECIAL
  • $18

Black Abyss Pasta

Squid ink pasta with black tiger shrimp, arrabbiata sauce, parmesan and garlic toast. Delicious, and also probably fine.

  • FEATURE COCKTAIL
  • $18

The Sixth Sense

Empress 1908 Gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup and orange bitters. Poured tableside, this one shifts from blue to violet right before your eyes — is it magic, or just chemistry? (It's chemistry. Order two.)

Empress Indigo Gin meets fresh citrus for a colour-changing cocktail that's light, floral, and just a little paranormal.

ADD-ON EXPERIENCE

  • ADULT WORKSHOP

Forging Fortunes (Lucky Charm Making Workshop)

What makes a lucky charm lucky? Dig into the psychology, culture and history behind the objects humans have trusted for protection, prosperity and courage for centuries — then craft your own to carry home.

What's Included:

  • A brief history of superstition and good-luck charms across cultures 
  • All materials to craft your own personalized charm 
  • Expert guidance throughout 
  • One specialty drink ticket 

Schedule: 40 participants per session

  • 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM 
  • 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM 
  • 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM 

Tickets: General Admission: $75 | Members: $65 Partner Package: General $140 | Members $120

General Admission Tickets Member Tickets

HOW TO EXPERIENCE THE NIGHT

Doors open at 6:00 PM and the whole science centre is yours to explore. Wander the exhibits. Catch a dome show. Dance in the Atrium. Build alien livestock. Stay late. Choose your path!

ARRIVE & EXPLORE

Grab a drink, get your bearings, and wander through the exhibits at your own pace. Everything's open all night, no rush, no set route.

CATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS

Keep an eye out for live demos, hands-on activities to get your science on, music performances, and talks throughout the evening. Floor staff will point you in the right direction, just ask!

STAY FOR THE PARTY

As the night rolls on, the energy picks up. Hit the dance floor, fuel up at the Spark Eatery, and keep it going until last call.

Tickets will be available at the door, but previous Spark After Dark events have sold out. Booking ahead is strongly encouraged.

18+ only. Valid photo ID required.

HAVE QUESTIONS? WE HAVE ANSWERS.

Your ticket funds the next great mystery.

As a registered educational charity, every ticket, cocktail, and eerie encounter helps fund science experiences, education programs, and hands-on learning opportunities for future generations. Tonight you’re chasing the unexplained. Tomorrow, you’re helping the next curious mind find their own answers.

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