Bucking broncos. Free pancake breakfasts. Cowboys and Indians. Dazzling grandstand shows and fireworks. It's no surprise that the Calgary Stampede is called "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth," especially when you add midway rides, live music, agricultural shows, chuckwagon racing and free kids' activities.
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| Saddle bronc riding |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Alberta's Calgary Stampede has drawn visitors since it began in 1912. The Stampede Parade launches ten days of special events. Upcoming Calgary Stampede dates are July 4 to 13, 2025 & July 3 to 12, 2026.
Stampede parade
A two-hour parade (date: July 4, 2025) kicks off the Stampede, with marching bands, horse-drawn wagons and multi-cultural floats. It features more than 700 horses and First Nations people wearing splendid regalia.
Even the most inhibited visitors soon find themselves caught up by the wide-open western friendliness. With more than 400,000 people lining the streets, some families arrive as early as 5:30 am to get a good spot for viewing the Stampede parade.
Calgarians are cheerful and outgoing, eager to meet visitors and share with them the excitement of the Stampede. They wear cowboy hats and boots, square dance in the streets and join visitors in the 137-acre Stampede Park to continue their fun.
Pancake breakfasts
Each Stampede day begins with free pancakes, bacon and sausages served chuckwagon-style at city shopping malls. Store owners and employees, wearing aprons and white cowboy hats, cook pancakes on large grills and serve coffee and juice from covered wagons.
Save room for the midway foods, which include deep-fried sushi, cheesies, bacon donut cheeseburgers and Reese's peanut butter cups. For adult dining, check out the Triple B barbecue after 6 pm and the Wine Garden (location: Western Oasis).
On Family Day and Kids' Day, Stampede volunteers serve pancakes to 20,000 people (location: Grandstand Courtyard). Free music, petting zoos, face painting and parades entertain people while they wait for their pancake breakfasts.
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| Riders and horses exit chutes for steer wrestling. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
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| Cowboy and horse team for calf roping. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Rodeo events
Exuberant spectators fill the grandstand to watch the rodeo every afternoon. In the tournament-style rodeo, twenty top competitors compete for $2 million in prize money in six rodeo events: bareback, bull riding, ladies barrel racing, saddle bronc, steer wrestling and tie-down roping. In addition, novices compete in rodeo events like steer riding and kids vie for top spot in wild pony racing.
Chutes burst open. Bucking broncs cannonball out, bouncing and jolting their riders. Clowns distract enraged, snorting bulls while fallen cowboys make a hasty exit.
Invited rodeo participants include current and past world champions. Even they have trouble staying mounted on a bucking bull for the required eight seconds.
Cowboys wrestle steers to the ground in seconds. A cowboy and his horse work together to rope a calf. The cowboy lassoes the calf then jumps off his horse to tie the calf's feet with a rope that he holds with his teeth. The horse pulls gently, keeping the rope taut.
Chuckwagon racing
Every night (start time: 7:45 pm), the Evening Show begins with the GMC Rangeland Derby's nine chuckwagon races. Each chuckwagon has a driver, two teams of horses and four outriders. One outrider holds the two lead horses, while waiting for the starting signal. Another outrider holds the reins of his horse with his teeth, while picking up an 80-pound box containing the cook's stove and equipment.
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| Chuckwagons race around track. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
When the gun sounds, outriders throw the boxes into the chuckwagons and then jump on their horses. The chuckwagons make a figure eight before racing down the track. Horses frequently fall or get tangled in harnesses during the rush to begin.
Thundering hooves raise dust as riders and horses, with all the fury of Ben Hur, strain to reach the finish line in less than two minutes. The crowd screams with excitement. It's no wonder, because prizes for chuckwagon races total more than $1 million!
Agricultural shows
The 400 horses and 60 bulls in the rodeo come from the Stampede's 22,000-acre ranch near Hanna in east-central Alberta. The Calgary Stampede also showcases tamer animal exhibits, ranging from beef cattle and miniature donkeys to sheep and stock dogs.
There are competitions for blacksmiths and auctioneers, as well as vintage tractor pulls. In the Grain Academy, visitors learn about the history of grain, from farming grain in the prairies to transporting it and creating breads, cereals and other foods.
Live entertainment
The Calgary Stampede is more than an agricultural and cowboy show. In the city of Calgary, bars and pubs set up stages and beer tents in their parking lots for musical performances.
Free performances at the Coca-Cola Stage include the Calgary Stampede Showband, marching bands, hoop dancers, magic shows and street dancers. You can buy tickets for concerts by big-name stars, such as Lady Antebellum, and other popular groups performing on the Saddledome stage, as well as country music performers at the Nashville North stage.
Midway rides
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| Fireworks after grandstand show |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
At the midway, visitors find 35 rides (26 for children at the kids' midway). Main midway rides include the swing tower, mega drop, spinning coaster and the giant wheel (the largest portable Ferris wheel in North America). Buy a Midway Express Action Pass to save time waiting in line.
The WestJet Skyride runs across Stampede Park. In addition to the neon-lit amusement rides, games entice stampede visitors to win giant stuffed animals.
Grandstand show
Every night, after the chuckwagon races, the largest mobile stage in the world (weighing 300,000 pounds) is moved from the track oval to the racetrack to dock with the main stage.
The Grandstand Show stars 400 singers, dancers and musicians. As the grand finale, brilliant fireworks fill the sky.
Kids' activities
Besides the Kids' Midway, families will find lots of things for children to see and do. Buckaroos has a play area for toddlers, face painting, button making, a car racetrack and dance parties.
At The Steps, little kids can see magicians and other performers. Families can also pick up free tickets to see the Dog Bowl Show (location: Big Four Building).
Arts and crafts
Western Oasis in the BMO Centre has a Western Art Auction, a Photographer's Corner and a Western Art Gallery.
A Dueling Chef's Competition and a cook-off between the Calgary Police Service and the Calgary Fire Department attract foodies.
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| First Nations horseman |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
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| Elbow River Camp tipis |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
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| First Nations women dancers |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Elbow River Camp
Colorful tipis highlight Elbow River Camp (formerly called Indian Village) in Enmax Park where Treaty 7 Nations demonstrate skills such as meat cutting, drying jerky and pemmican, beadwork, baking bannock and making clothing from animal hides.
Visitors are welcome to ask questions about First Nations culture, look at regalia displayed inside tipis and taste traditional foods, including bannock and fry bread.
There are daily pow-wows, First Nations song and dance competitions, tipi-raising contests and horsemanship displays. Especially interesting are the hoop dancers whose movements mimic various animals.
Cowboy fashions
Traditional Stampede clothing consists of denim blue jeans, leather belts with big buckles and plaid shirts. The key symbol of Calgary is a white Smithbilt hat (given as a gift to every visiting celebrity, sports star, Canadian prime minister and U.S. president).
Footwear consists of cowboy boots, made by the Alberta Boot Company. The Calgary-based company manufactures boots for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as well as custom-made western boots from cowhide, rattlesnake, python, alligator and other hides.
You can buy cowboy hats and other western clothing at the airport gift shop and the Stampede Store.
Calgary Stampede tickets
In addition to general park admission at Calgary Stampede entrances, visitors can buy standing room tickets for the rodeo and evening shows, at the grandstand, 1.5 hours prior to each event. To buy tickets on-line or order by phone, call toll-free 1 (800) 661-1767.
Rodeo, chuckwagon race and Grandstand Show tickets, purchased in advance, include entrance to Stampede Park. The best deals are packages that include afternoon rodeo tickets, reserved evening show tickets for the chuckwagon races and Grandstand Stage Show, gate entry, Skyride tickets, souvenir programs, food vouchers and shopping discounts.
Download a Calgary Stampede mobile app to help you organize the attractions and events according to your personal schedule and interests.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Calgary Stampede: www.calgarystampede.com
Calgary information and accommodations: www.tourismcalgary.com
Other things to see and do in Alberta:
K-Days and Taste of Edmonton Festivals Combine Food and Entertainment
