The Calgary Performing Arts Festival (formerly Kiwanis Festival) has provided amateur artists with an opportunity to perform in front of an audience, learn, and strive for excellence in their chosen field since 1931.

The Festival is an educational, charitable organization and one of the largest competitive festivals in North America with over 3,000 entries and 10,000 participants annually. Youth 18 and under make up 95% of the participants and they have the opportunity to enter a variety of classes such as: piano, strings, vocal, band, choir, musical theatre, and drama. Each year, more than 20 highly qualified musicians and actors are hired to adjudicate their performances and ensure that all participants receive a written and oral assessment.

The Festival is a member of the Alberta Music Festival Association which provides those who excel at the local level with a chance to advance to the provincial level of competition.