President's Message

Join us in welcoming our friends from the Danish Canadian Club!

For more than 60 years, the Austrian-Canadian Society of Calgary has built a community for those who’ve immigrated from Austria and are of Austrian-descent. As we’ve grown, we’ve shared our unique cultural heritage with Calgary and guests from across Alberta and Canada.

When the club was founded in 1964, our Society rented space at the Danish Canadian Club. In 1980, our Society was proud to create a home for our members by establishing our Club, which over the decades has further spread our culture and heritage by opening the doors to our fantastic restaurant and lounge and our annual events such as our popular Heimatabend, Oktoberfest, and Christmas Market. We are also happy to support many groups such as the Heimatecho Choir, Schuhplattler Verein Enzian, Jodlerklub Heimattreu, the Czech and Hungarian communities amongst many other ethnic groups.

Our history inspires us and our ongoing operations are a source of pride for our staff, board, membership and the community we live in. Across Canada, many cultural organizations have downsized and even closed over the years. When the Danish Canadian Society announced the sale of their clubhouse, they approached us about potentially finding a permanent home within our club.

We are excited to welcome the Danish Canadian Club to join us at the clubhouse to ensure their society continues to operate and their membership has a home. This agreement will help ensure the longevity of both clubs and give two distinct communities a chance to celebrate their unique cultural heritage for the future!

What to expect:

Starting June 4, we will be expanding our opening hours to Wednesday – Saturday, 11am – 8pm (kitchen closes at 7:30pm), so you can join us for dinner during the week!
We’ll be adding Mermaid Inn favourites dishes to our dining menu and to ensure our friends from the Danish Canadian Club feel at home, we’ll be incorporating some of their décor in our Franz Josef Dining Room.
Signage for the Danish Canadian Club on exterior of building.
In addition to our longstanding annual Club events, there will be an opportunity to host Danish events in the building throughout the year.

So many of us enjoy visiting one another’s clubs and we are proud that the Austrian- Canadian Society has gotten to a place that we can provide a viable long-term home for our friends at the Danish Canadian Club. Join us in welcoming our friends to our Club!

I also want to wish a special congratulations to the Schuhplattler Verein Enzian, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary! Their performances are a special part of so many of our events. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating their anniversary at the upcoming Maifest.

Best regards, Frank Meixner, President