The Bounce brings an active vibe to Calgary’s colourful East Village

By Tori Taylor, July 11 2019 —

The Bounce has been full of inner-city life since it opened in early June. Located right beside Calgary’s newest public library in East Village, this colourfully painted basketball court is an outdoor eye-catcher. It has been put up on the site of the former East City Junction Container Park. It is hard not to stare with some excitement as you walk by. This court is an excellent summer addition to the area — promoting exercise, community and mutual connection. The basketball court has been bumping from sun up to sun down with players of all ages. Having an outdoor court to publicly use in the Calgary downtown area has been a great way to positively motivate people towards physical activity instead of just hanging out on park benches. The court has a fantastic mural painted along one side that gives it an urban stylized vibe and draws in even more attention.

If basketball is not your thing, you can feel free to drop by The Bounce to play a few rounds of Ping-Pong. There are a few tables located off the court. All you have to do is show up with your own equipment to play and you’ll be able to meet a friendly opponent at the table. 

There is also a Snakes and Ladders game and Four Square set up off the court. So if you’re looking to gently join in on the socialization but don’t have a real sense of competition, pair up with some friendly strangers and play a casual life-size board game or jump around. The Bounce has turned a former empty parking lot into an amazing opportunity for time well-spent in the sun.

This outdoor court is actually a temporary installment — the land is zoned for future development. However, if even just for the summer months, it is proving to be well worth the $40,000 installation cost. Combined with the new public library and beautiful walk along the river, The Bounce has done a great job bringing more Calgarians to East Village area. Calgary has so much to offer and sometimes we don’t know what we’re missing out on until we take a trip out of our immediate communities. If you haven’t had a chance to visit this area yet, take a Sunday trip — parking is free and so are all of the activities. But remember to bring your wallet — the food truck situation will get you!