If you're in Calgary over the next few days, the post-Thanksgiving lull doesn't stand a chance. The city's calendar is stacked through Oct. 16 — with a few Alberta-wide outings thrown in for good measure — and the range is genuinely broad: theatre, live music, a literary festival, ghost stories and junior hockey.

The anchor pick for spooky season is Fall Ghost Tours at Heritage Park, running nightly Oct. 13-15 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. You wander the historic village after dark while guides spin ghost stories tied to its buildings, for $24.95 plus GST. If stage fright is more your thing, Alberta Theatre Projects is staging Evil Dead: The Musical from Oct. 13 to Nov. 14 (shows 7:30-10 p.m.), a cult-comedy riff on five college students who unleash something demonic at a cabin. Tickets start at $35.

Bookworms get their own event: Wordfest's Imaginarium Festival runs six days from Oct. 13 at the Calgary Central Library, with author talks, live storytelling and writer conversations daily. A pass runs $250.

Live music spans genres this week. Reggae legends UB40 — yes, the "Red Red Wine" and "Kingston Town" band — play Grey Eagle Resort and Casino on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m., with tickets from $71.80. On Friday, the East Coast Kitchen Party on the Bow brings Celtic rock from Low Tide, a Maritime-style buffet and enforced sing-alongs for $85.49.

For something interactive, Reunion With Murder on Thursday, Oct. 15 pairs a whodunit you can join (or just watch) with a three-course Maharashtrian Indian meal and a drink for $73.50. Art lovers can browse work from 70 of Alberta's best-selling artists at the Under $200 Art Show, running Oct. 15-18 from $15 entry — paintings, photography, ceramics and handmade accessories, all under the titular price cap.

Two bigger-ticket options sit outside the city. TELUS Spark's Indigenous Science Night on Friday, Oct. 16 (5-11 p.m.) offers telescope viewings, planetarium sessions and talks from Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers starting at just $5 — arguably the best value on the list. And if you can swing a drive to the mountains, Symphony Under the Stars at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge runs Oct. 15-18 as part of Jasper's Dark Sky Festival, with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra performing on the shore of Lac Beauvert. Formats range from a concert-only ticket at $135 plus fees up to a $999 weekend package, with dinner-and-concert and a Starlight Experience in between.

Wrapping it all up, the Calgary Hitmen host the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday at 7 p.m., with seats from $33.63.

For travellers, this is a handy snapshot of what Calgary looks like in mid-October: cheap culture, a strong food-and-murder-mystery scene and Halloween programming well underway. Even locals-only events like the kitchen party are a good read on the city's vibe if you're plotting a shoulder-season visit — plus Jasper's Dark Sky Festival is reason enough to pair the city with a few nights in the Rockies.