Slush Cup, Sherlock Holmes & 2 festivals: Calgary entertainment this weekend

Whether you call it May Long, May two-four, Victoria Day or something else, the long weekend that unofficially marks the start of summer is finally upon us.

If you're heading out of town, be sure to pack your sunscreen and your bug spray.

If, however, you're staying in town and you're looking for a few ideas to get you out of the house, we have you covered.

Sherlock Holmes

There's a famous British detective who's making a big comeback in recent years, on the silver screen and television. That detective is Sherlock Holmes.

And Vertigo Theatre has you covered. Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem is set in 1887 with Queen Victoria celebrating her diamond Jubilee, and America's own Annie Oakley needs the help of the world's greatest detective.

But the simple case of a missing person quickly leads to extraordinary inventions, robbery, and murder. Sounds intriguing, right?

The premiere is tonight and it runs until June 16th.

Here are all the details.

2 big festivals

The summer season is festival season here in Calgary and this weekend is no exception. Here's two big festivals to share with you.

Otafest is Calgary's premier anime festival and it's taking over the Telus Convention Centre for three days starting Friday.

There are screenings, special guests, cosplay contests, gaming, panel discussions and even musical guests, like Edmonton's ORBIS Orchestra. They are a group dedicated to playing cinematic music found in video games, movies, and television shows, including anime.

Tons of voice actors will be at Otafest signing autographs and taking pictures, so if you spot amine characters wandering around Stephen Avenue this weekend, you'll know why.

Tickets are at the door but here's some information for you.

Serbian Fest

On Saturday and Sunday the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Simeon south of Calgary is hosting Serbian Fest.

There will be cultural and sports events, dancing, food and lots of entertainment and you can even learn some Serbian steps while you're there.

It's tied to the Calgary Spring Classic Soccer tournament, so there'll be footy going on and you don't have to be Serbian to attend.

Here's more of what you need to know.

Rodeo

How's this for a pitch: High River says if you weren't lucky enough to be invited to the Royal Wedding on Saturday, the Little Britches Rodeo is a perfect alternative.

It starts on Saturday with a parade through downtown High River starting at 10 a.m.

The rodeo starts at noon with barrel racing, goat tying, team roping and more. There's also a 4-H show and sale inside the arena.

There's also a live music festival downtown, a farmers' market, an arts and handicraft market on Friday and Saturday and a Taste of High River food event.

Here's the details.

Slush Cup

On Victoria Day it's the 90th annual Sunshine Village Slush Cup. Environment Canada says it's going to be sunny and 21 C on Monday in Banff so there will be plenty of people skiing in shorts.

If you want to try your luck at skimming your way across their pool of open water, you have to get there early.

Registration starts at 8 a.m. but people usually start lining up shortly after 7.

Here's what you need to know.