Mamma Mia! Is Coming to Calgary This May and It Is Going to Be Absolutely Unforgettable

There are musicals that have a good run, and then there is Mamma Mia! The show that has been making audiences sing along, cry a little, and dance in the aisles for over 25 years is heading to Calgary this spring. The 25th Anniversary touring production, presented by Broadway Across Canada, runs from May 19 to 24, 2026 at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. If you have ever wanted to see this show live, or if you want to introduce someone to it for the first time, this Calgary run is the one to see.

What Is Mamma Mia! and Why Does Everyone Love It?

Mamma Mia! is a jukebox musical built around the songs of Swedish pop group ABBA, woven together into a story that is funny, warm, and genuinely moving. The plot follows Sophie, a young woman who is about to get married and desperately wants her father to walk her down the aisle. The problem is she has no idea which of her mother's three ex-lovers is actually her dad, so she secretly invites all three. What follows is a weekend of chaos, nostalgia, and more ABBA songs than you can count.

The show first opened in London's West End on April 6, 1999 and became only the third musical in West End history to reach its 25th anniversary on stage. Over its London run alone, Mamma Mia! was seen by over 10 million people and played more than 9,300 performances. On Broadway, where it ran from 2001 to 2015, it became the 9th longest-running show in Broadway history. Globally, the production has generated billions of dollars in revenue, spawned two blockbuster films, and played in more than 50 countries. That kind of reach is not an accident. The show is simply that good.

The 25th Anniversary Tour Hits Calgary in 2026

The current touring production is the 25th Anniversary edition, meaning this is a specially mounted celebration of one of the most beloved musicals ever staged. The tour has been rolling across North America with stops in cities like Omaha, Edmonton, Vancouver, Portland, and eventually Toronto and Los Angeles. Calgary sits right in the heart of that Canadian swing, making the Jubilee Auditorium the place to be during the third week of May.

Broadway Across Canada, the presenter bringing this show to Calgary, has built a reputation for delivering high-quality touring productions to western Canadian audiences. Their 2025-26 season in Calgary also includes Moulin Rouge! The Musical and MJ, making it one of the strongest years the city has seen for touring Broadway shows. Mamma Mia! is the kind of headline event that anchors a season.

Show Dates, Times, and Venue Information

Here is everything you need to plan your visit:

Dates: May 19 to May 24, 2026
Venue: Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 1415 14 Ave NW, Calgary, AB
Tuesday to Friday evenings: 7:30 PM
Saturday: 2:00 PM matinee and 7:30 PM evening show
Sunday: 1:00 PM and/or afternoon matinee (check current listings for confirmed times)
Show duration: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission

The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium is located in the northwest part of central Calgary, close to SAIT and the University of Calgary's medical campuses, and just north of the Beltline neighbourhood. It is an easy venue to get to from most parts of the city.

About the Venue: A Calgary Landmark Worth Knowing

The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium is one of those Calgary venues that carries real history. Built between 1955 and 1957 to celebrate Alberta's 50th anniversary as a province, the building has a seating capacity of 2,523 people spread across three levels, and the acoustics were carefully optimized from the ground up. It was renovated in 2004 with improvements to seating, acoustics, climate systems, and the overall look of the space, and today it is one of the finest mid-sized performing arts venues anywhere in western Canada.

The Jubilee has hosted everyone from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet to touring Broadway productions over its seven-decade run. For Mamma Mia!, the venue's warm acoustic design and intimate sight lines make it a genuinely ideal setting. Even from the upper level, you feel close to the action.

Getting there is straightforward. The venue sits just off 14th Avenue NW, with street parking and nearby lots available. The free CTrain Red Line runs to the 10th Street NW station, which is a manageable walk west along 14th Avenue.

The Songs You Are Going to Hear

Part of what makes Mamma Mia! so irresistible is the setlist. The show is packed with ABBA hits, and not just the ones everyone already knows. You will hear:

Dancing Queen (the one that makes the whole theatre sing)
The Winner Takes It All (the emotional gut punch of the show)
Take a Chance on Me
Super Trouper
Voulez-Vous
Honey, Honey
Fernando
Does Your Mother Know
Waterloo
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

ABBA's music has held up remarkably well over five decades. The group was formed in Stockholm in 1972 and has sold an estimated 150 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists in history. The fact that their songs translate so naturally into a live theatrical setting is exactly why Mamma Mia! works as well as it does. The music is the story, not just a backdrop to it.

Who Should Go to Mamma Mia! in Calgary?

The short answer is everyone, genuinely. This is one of those rare shows that crosses every age gap. Grandparents who grew up with ABBA in the 1970s will recognize every song instantly. Parents in their 30s and 40s who saw the 2008 movie with Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried will feel right at home. Teenagers and young adults often come in skeptical and leave as complete converts.

If you are looking for a fun night out that does not require any background knowledge of musical theatre, Mamma Mia! is the perfect entry point. And if you are a seasoned musical theatre fan, the 25th Anniversary production gives you a chance to see the show at its most polished, with the legacy of two and a half decades behind it.

It is also a fantastic option for groups. Birthday celebrations, bachelorette parties, office nights out, mother-daughter evenings, girls' trips from Airdrie or Okotoks, and anyone who just needs a genuinely great night, this show has been built for all of it.

Tickets: How to Buy and What to Expect

Tickets for the Calgary run are currently on sale through Ticketmaster and the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium box office. Broadway Across Canada season subscribers may have already secured their seats, so individual ticket availability depends on what is left in each section.

Pricing varies by seating level, with options ranging from upper level to orchestra floor seats. Based on third-party listings, individual ticket prices for the Calgary dates have appeared at a range of price points on secondary market sites like SeatGeek, so your best move is to book directly through official channels to get face value pricing before supply drops.

A few things to keep in mind before you book:

Saturday shows sell fastest because the matinee and evening options both draw large crowds
Group bookings for 10 or more may be eligible for discounted rates through Broadway Across Canada's group sales
Premium seating in the orchestra section tends to go early, especially for closing night and Saturday performances
Accessibility seating is available at the Jubilee Auditorium by contacting the box office directly

If tickets for your preferred night are hard to find, the Wednesday and Thursday evening performances tend to have better availability and can feel more intimate because of slightly smaller crowds.

Making a Full Evening of It in Calgary

The Jubilee Auditorium location gives you plenty of options for dinner before the show. The Kensington Village neighbourhood is a short drive or rideshare away and is full of excellent independent restaurants along Kensington Road NW. If you want to stay closer to the venue, the SAIT area and 16th Avenue NW have a solid mix of options.

For those making a bigger night of it, the Calgary Tower observation deck, the Glenbow Museum after its recent revitalization, or a walk along the Peace Bridge and the Bow River pathway before heading uphill to the Jubilee can turn a show night into a full Calgary evening worth remembering.

If you are coming from outside the city, Calgary International Airport is well connected to the venue by cab or rideshare, and the downtown core hotels along the Beltline and 17th Avenue are all within a reasonable distance.

Do Not Miss This One

Mamma Mia! at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium from May 19 to 24, 2026 is the kind of show that Calgary audiences will be talking about for a long time after the curtain comes down. It is a genuinely great musical at a genuinely great venue, and the 25th Anniversary production is a special edition of something that has already proven itself as one of the best shows in the history of musical theatre.

Whether you book it for yourself, plan it as a date night, or round up a group of friends and make a real event of it, this run is worth every bit of the effort. Grab your tickets now through the Jubilee Auditorium box office or Ticketmaster before the best seats are gone. The dancing queens of Calgary have waited long enough.