calgary stampede

     

The Calgary Stampee, which bills itself as The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, is a large, non-profit festival, exhibition, and rodeo held in Calgary, Alberta for 10 days every summer from early to mid-July. It is one of Canada's largest annual events, and the world's largest outdoor rodeo. It features an internationally recognized rodeo competition, a midway, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon races, First Nations exhibitions, and pancake breakfasts around the city, among other attractions. In 2006, record-breaking attendance at the 10-day rodeo and exhibition totalled 1,262,518. The Stampede Parade which occurs on opening day, is one of the festival's oldest and largest traditions. It is led by the Calgary Stampede Showband and follows a 4.5 km route in downtown Calgary. Attendance at the parade is usually about 350,000. The parade is also televised and has a viewing audience of over 2 million. During Stampede Week, the city is flooded with tourists who join locals in the spirited atmosphere by dressing in western attire. A large number of businesses decorate their stores and offices in western style, usually starting in June and remaining to after the Stampede ends.

Trivia about calgary stampede

  • In 1912 American Guy Weadick organized this annual Calgary, Alberta rodeo
  • If you're motoring through Alberta, take in this rodeo, the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth"
  • Some have called it the "Biggest, wildest, woolliest western fling on Earth"