Description
Bridge banners are one of the most visible ways to promote a community event in Calgary. We print and install City of Calgary bridge banners: the large vinyl banners hung on City-owned overpasses and pedestrian bridges above some of the busiest roads in the city. Non-profits, festivals, schools, charities and public events use them to reach thousands of commuters a day for up to two weeks.
Every banner is printed in our Calgary shop on 13 oz outdoor vinyl with reinforced hemmed edges, heavy-duty grommets and optional wind slits. We make them in the sizes that fit the City’s approved banner locations, and we can install and remove them for you, in any season.
Promoting a store sale or grand opening? The City only permits non-profit, charitable and public event banners on its overpasses. For business promotions, our custom vinyl banners are the better fit.
How City of Calgary Bridge Banner Permits Work
The City of Calgary calls this program the Banner over roadway permit. Before your banner goes up, you need an approved permit for each location. Here is what the City asks for, based on the City of Calgary’s Banner over roadway page:
- Who qualifies: banners promoting non-profit, charitable or public events. All banners must follow the Temporary Signs Bylaw 29M97.
- When to apply: no more than four months and no less than four weeks before your installation date. Applications are made online with a City of Calgary myID.
- What to include: a certificate of insurance with $2 million liability coverage (with a 30-day cancellation clause, naming The City of Calgary as additional insured), a current Government of Alberta non-profit search document from a corporate registry, and a scaled PDF drawing of your banner that meets the City’s design requirements.
- How long it stays up: up to two weeks. Permits run Sunday to Saturday, and banners must come down by 5 p.m. on the last Saturday.
- How many locations: up to eight banners per application. Repeat applications in the same year must be at least three months apart.
- Cost: $66.20 + GST per approved location. Pay as soon as you receive the City’s ePay notice, or the locations are released.
Your banner design also has to follow the Banner over roadway permit guidelines. We can send you a half-scale PDF proof of your banner to include with your application. City fees and rules can change, so always check the City’s page before you apply. Read more about the local rules for bridge banner installation.
Bridge Banner Timeline: Plan Back From Your Event
- 4 months to 4 weeks before: choose your bridges from the City’s location list and apply for your permit.
- After approval: pay the location fees when the ePay notice arrives.
- At least 1 week before installation: send us your artwork. We check every file, send a proof, and print in 2 to 4 business days (rush available). Orders for several locations take longer, so allow more time for larger orders.
- Permit start: our crew installs your banners, or you pick up the banners and hardware kit for your volunteers.
- Permit end: banners come down by 5 p.m. on the last Saturday of the permit. Store them dry, and banners in good condition can be reused for your next event.
Watch How We Install Bridge Banners
Bridge Banner Sizes
Pick the height that suits your message, then the length that fits the bridge you’ve been approved for.
24″ high bridge banners
Best for short messages, simple event promotion and tighter budgets. Clear text reads fast from the road.
36″ high bridge banners
Best for longer messages, detailed logos and high-impact campaigns. The extra height is easier to read from a distance and gives you more room for layout.
Length: 240″, 312″ or 384″
That’s 20, 26 or 32 feet. The length is set by the bridge span, and 32 feet is the longest banner we install on a bridge. Most clients choose the size that matches their approved location. If you’re unsure, check the location list or ask us before ordering.
Design Tips for Banners Drivers Read at Highway Speed
Drivers see your banner for only a few seconds, so keep the design simple:
- Keep it short: the event name, the date and one website or call to action. Around seven words is plenty.
- Go big and bold: use heavy sans-serif fonts. Thin script fonts disappear at a distance.
- Use strong contrast: dark text on a light background (or the reverse) reads best in sun, snow and dusk.
- Simplify logos: one clean logo reads better than a row of sponsor logos.
- Check the City’s rules: the permit guidelines set design requirements, so review them before you finalize your artwork.
See our best practices for prepping artwork for large-format banner printing, or ask us to design the banner for you.
Installation: DIY Kit or Our Crew
DIY installation
A good fit for volunteer teams putting up one or two banners, flexible timing, and good weather. We supply a hardware kit with 3/16″ aircraft cable, cable locks and heavy-duty zip ties. Your team installs and removes the banner.
Professional installation
The safer choice for tight deadlines, high-traffic locations, first-time bridge banners, or when you have no volunteers available. Our crew installs the banner, sets the right tension, checks alignment, and takes it down at the end of your permit. We install year-round, including -30°C February mornings, so your team doesn’t have to.
Bridge Banner Specs
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Material | 13 oz heavy-duty outdoor vinyl |
| Sizes | 24″ x 240″ | 24″ x 312″ | 24″ x 384″ | 36″ x 240″ | 36″ x 312″ | 36″ x 384″ |
| Finishing | Reinforced hemmed edges, grommets, optional wind slits |
| Full-colour, fade-resistant latex inks | |
| Installation kit | Two cable locks, 40 zip ties rated to 60 lb, and 50 ft of 3/16″ aircraft cable |
| Turnaround | 2 to 4 business days (rush available) |
Bridge Banner Locations in Calgary
The City of Calgary has approved banner locations on vehicle and pedestrian overpasses across the city. Here is the list of bridge banner locations. Locations depend on availability, so have a backup bridge in mind when you apply.
From our installation experience, we don’t recommend two locations:
- McKnight Blvd NE at 1 St NE: a vintage, decorative bridge with few secure attachment points, which leaves banners exposed to wind damage.
- McKnight Blvd NE at Whitlow Crescent NE: the aluminum art pieces on this 8-lane overpass push banners out at about a 30° angle. The banner catches the wind and your message tilts toward the sky instead of the drivers.
These two are often available because other groups avoid them. Ask us which bridges work best for your event.
Perfect For
- Community festivals and cultural events
- Charity runs, walks and fundraisers
- School, university and amateur sports events
- Non-profit and public awareness campaigns
- Arts, music and seasonal community celebrations
Bridge banners give you steady, repeat impressions: drivers see the same message on their commute every day, which builds recall without ongoing ad spend. Pair them with flags and banners at your event site for a consistent look from the road to the finish line.
Why Calgary Organizations Choose Grafix Media
On a roadway overpass, a cheap online print is a big risk. High winds, harsh weather and strict City rules call for a full-service local partner, not just a box of vinyl.
- 6-colour latex printing: unlike rigid UV inks that can crack in Calgary’s winter wind, latex ink bonds into the vinyl and flexes with it, so it won’t crack, flake or fade. It also gives richer, brighter colour that stands out to drivers.
- Built for Alberta weather: heavily reinforced hems, wind slits and installation hardware designed to handle Chinook gusts and sub-zero temperatures.
- Year-round installation and takedown: nobody wants to stand on an icy bridge deck in winter, and in summer you’re busy running your event. We handle both.
- Human file checks: online uploaders print whatever you send, even a blurry logo. Our Calgary team reviews every file by hand so your banner looks sharp from the road.
- Local know-how: we know the City’s banner program, the approved bridges and which ones to avoid, and we can help with sizing, artwork setup and permit questions.
Order Your Calgary Bridge Banner
Choose your size and installation option above, or request a quote for multiple locations. Call us at (587) 329-4304 or email estimator@grafix-media.ca for help with sizing, artwork or your City of Calgary permit application.
