The 4th Street Lilac Festival always draws a huge crowd here in Calgary. Vendors and food trucks line the streets, there’s live music, and even a parade. It would be a lot of fun, except for the crowds. So many people (and their pets) attend the summmer festival, that sometimes it reaches the tipping point between a good time and ridiculously overcrowded.

One year, I got trapped in the crowd and was forced to move en masse down the street. It felt like I was in the middle of a penguin colony huddled together to fend off the cold polar wind. The never-ending crowd meant crossing the street to watch performers was almost impossible. These photos are from the parade that parted the crowd as it moved down the street. I had to hold my camera above my head to get these shots of UC Dinos cheerleaders jumping in the air.