Stampede

While the stampede is indeed a celebration of all things agricultural, it’s also the biggest party in the Canadian Calendar, with something for every member of the family. And if you have yet to experience Chuckwagon racing or seen the thrills and spills of the rodeo, then you haven’t lived.

Although the stampede officially runs for 10 days from July 8 to 17, the fun in Calgary starts early with hotels and restaurants trucking in bales of hay and chuck wagons to set the scene. Locals pull on their check shirts, jeans and boots and all visitors are rewarded with white hats – a symbol of the hospitality of this friendly town. The showgrounds are a short distance from town and full of all the hoopla you would expect – and more. The Chuckwagon racing is the big event, but just one of an endless array of entertainment with beauty queen pageants, rodeo, agricultural displays, food and a huge evening show of singing, dancing and acrobatics. You can eat very well in the dining rooms and then enjoy a behind-the–scenes visit to the stables where you can meet the chuck wagon drivers and their horses.
And when the racing is over and the day seems at an end, never fear, there’s always Ranchmans for a drink or three or six, and a bit of dance with a local lad… or ladette. Enjoy videos of last year’s stampede here.