Embrace the Calgary warm-up with this charity hot chocolate fest
It’s another February full of bone-chilling temperatures in Calgary. But fear not! Warm hands and warm hearts are just an (extravagant) cup of hot cocoa away.
The YYC Hot Chocolate Fest is back for another month of sweet, chocolatey fundraising goodness.
“This cold snap rolled into Calgary just in time for the festival kickoff February 1st,” explains Calgary Meals on Wheels event coordinator Kristin Stringer.
“What better way to warm up than with unique hot chocolates from around the city from local vendors.”
The “Maple Swirl” at Bono Coffee features Ontario-produced amber maple syrup, dark Swiss chocolate, cocoa cream shortbread pastry and more. (Connor O'Donovan)
The festival began back in 2011 with around 20 competitors. This year there are more than 200 competitors citywide featuring more than 140 unique hot chocolates.
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While taste buds will certainly feel the heat, there’s a good chance participating will yield a warm, fuzzy feeling throughout.
The event is a fundraiser for Calgary Meals on Wheels, which battles food insecurity in Calgary by offering affordable, healthy, delivered meals to anyone in need.
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According to Stringer, one in four Alberta households is dealing with food insecurity. The Calgary chapter of the charity served 1.4 million locally prepared meals in 2024—and she believes that problem is only getting worse amid cost-of-living challenges.
“With every hot chocolate sold, between one and three dollars is donated back. Last year we made $155,000, and this year we’re trying to top that,” Stringer says, noting more than 100,000 individual cups were sold in 2024.
“It takes as little as five dollars to feed a Calgarian, so if you drink five hot chocolates in the month, you’ve just fed somebody.”
“Bernard’s Taste of Dubai” from Master Chocolat features milk and dark chocolate, pistachio-infused whipped cream and a mini Dubai bar. (Connor O'Donovan)
Calgarians can even cast votes for their favourite drinks.
Award categories include “Cup That Runneth Over,” for most drinks sold; “Best Hot Chocolate”; “Best Spirited Hot Chocolate”; and “Most Creative Hot Chocolate.”
And Stringer says these bragging rights are no laughing matter.
“It is competitive; some of these places have been planning their drinks out for months,” she says.
“It is really exciting to see how engaged Calgarians are, both to participate as vendors and to drink the hot chocolate.”
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Of the nearly 150 entries, Calgarians can taste more than one concoction inspired by the internet-famous “Dubai” chocolate bar, a number of alcohol-infused adults-only beverages, and, generally speaking, a wildly creative assortment of ingredients and toppings that in some cases add a few inches to your hot chocolate’s height!
Many of the contestants are sourcing ingredients locally or from within Canada. Bono Coffee Roasters, for example, uses maple syrup from Fosterholm Farms Inc. near Prince Edward, Ontario. (Connor O'Donovan)
Browse the full list of entries yourself online.
2025 has seen the coldest start to February in half a century in Calgary, a southerly stream of chilly Arctic air responsible for the deep freeze.
Severe cold continued through into the third week of February thanks to reinforcing blasts of Arctic air, making for daily highs 10 to 30 degrees colder than normal across the prairies with widespread low temperatures in the minus 30s (even some minus 40s).
Temperatures are expected to trend much milder through the end of February and beyond as Pacific air floods the region, replacing the Arctic air.