Slip on your boots and dust off your cowboy hats: The gates to the Calgary Stampede will open today for those who just can’t wait. Read More
The 2025 edition of the Calgary Stampede begins with Sneak-a-Peek today, with general admission at 5 p.m. and early access at 3 p.m.
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The 2025 edition of the Calgary Stampede begins with Sneak-a-Peek today, with general admission at 5 p.m. and early access at 3 p.m.
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Slip on your boots and dust off your cowboy hats: The gates to the Calgary Stampede will open today for those who just can’t wait.
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Sneak-a-Peek officially begins at 5 p.m. — and for the most eager of Stampede-goers, early access begins at 3 p.m. with a limited experience at a discounted price.
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Visitors with early-access tickets can get the full Stampede experience once the full show gets underway, according to the Calgary Stampede.
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Here’s everything you need to know to make the most of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
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Noon News Roundup
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NEED TO KNOW: STAMPEDE 101
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What to see: Tenille Townes at Nashville North
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The pride of Grande Prairie, Tenille Townes has been a going concern since moving to Nashville 12 years ago, where she played sets at the iconic Bluebird Cafe and began participating in writing sessions with Music City songsmiths. She was only 17 when she received her first Canadian Country Music Award for Female Arts of the Year and has been accumulating awards, nominations and acclaim ever since. Her most recent single is Backfire, the catchy mid-tempo duet with fellow Canuck Nate Haller.
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Where/When: Nashville North, Stampede Park, 9 p.m.
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What to see: Devin Cuddy at the Ironwood Stage and Grill.
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The Ironwood doesn’t need to alter its programming all that much during the Calgary Stampede since it’s already a hotspot for roots music. But if your tastes lay a little more left-of-the-dial when it comes to country music, second-generation singer-songwriter Devin Cuddy is a safe bet. The son of Blue Rodeo co-leader Jim Cuddy, Devin has inherited his dad’s expressive vocals and songwriting chops and adds his own dash of soul and R&B to the proceedings.
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Where/When: Ironwood Stage and Grill, 8 p.m.
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— Eric Volmers
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Upcoming Stampede Caravan pancake breakfasts
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Hold your horses! The first Stampede Caravan pancake breakfast doesn’t take place until tomorrow.
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Friday, July 4
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- New Horizon Mall, 260300 Writing Creek Cres., Balzac: 4 to 6 p.m.
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Saturday, July 5
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- Westside Recreation Centre, 2000 69th St. S.W.: 9 to 11 a.m.
- Cavalry FC Regional Field House, 125 Field House Dr. E., Aldersyde: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
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Sunday, July 6
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- Seton YMCA, 4995 Market St. S.E.: 9 to 11 a.m.
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Getting things just right
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When the Calgary Stampede Rodeo begins Friday, it will welcome twice as many female competitors as it did in previous years.
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Ladies’ breakaway roping has been introduced as a new event for the 2025 rodeo, the only new addition since barrel racing was added in 1979.
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The addition of this event demonstrates the changing demographic of spectators and rodeo athletes, and provides new opportunities for young, female competitors.
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“Rodeo has a tremendous appeal,” said David Poulson, a Calgary Stampede Rodeo announcer of 35 years. “It’s not a sport that only appeals to old ranchers.”
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“The more involvement with women in rodeo, makes it that much more appealing for women spectators.”
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— Mackenzie Rhode
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Ahead of Sneak-a-Peek on Thursday and the first official day of The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth on Friday, Calgary Stampede and its safety partners shared how they plan to keep their anticipated 1.3 million visitors safe for the 10 days of festivities.
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Director of public safety and environment for the Calgary Stampede, Kerri Blizard, said that they are excited to welcome everyone to the grounds for 2025, adding that safety remains a top priority for everyone.
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“We have several measures in place to ensure our guests celebrate safely when they step into Stampede Park,” Blizard said. “These measures will be familiar to those who’ve stepped onto Stampede Park before, including walk-through metal detectors, wands, bag searches at the entrance and cameras located throughout Stampede Park.”
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— Dan Gonzalez
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Country music superstar Shania Twain returns to Calgary this week as both the Stampede Parade marshal on Friday and headline act at the Saddledome on Saturday night.
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In Andrea Warner’s essay Shania Twain: Bad Feelings, Bare Midriffs and Breaking Ground, the music critic writes about the strong feelings she had about Twain when she was a teenage music buff and budding feminist. Strong and strongly negative.
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Warner updated her book in 2024, but it first came out in 2015. That was 22 years after Twain first “hit the country music industry like a grenade” and became one of the most successful musicians in the cosmos.
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It was more than enough time for Warner to realize she had been wrong about Twain.
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— Eric Volmers
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According to producer Mark Eriksen, this year’s Grandstand Show could be called the Grand New Opry.
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“It will have all the glamour and high-energy of the Grand Ole Opry, but it will be Calgary style. It will bring elevated country flare to the Stampede’s legendary stage, and it’s packed with awe-inspiring performances and jaw-dropping stunts,” says Eriksen, who has produced the Grandstand Show for the past five years.
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This is one of the reasons Eriksen wanted country star Carolyn Dawn Johnson to headline Grandstand 2025.
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— Louis B. Hobson
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From how to get to Stampede Park, when you can save money, highlights from the rodeo infield, where to dance up a storm and how to fill your belly, we have you covered with our ultimate Calgary Stampede visitor’s guide.
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— Mackenzie Rhode
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The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth begins Friday at GMC Stadium, and with it comes the world’s largest outdoor rodeo.
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The Calgary Stampede Rodeo features 210 of the globe’s top cowboys and cowgirls competing for a prize purse of $2.17 million in 2025.
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Get the lowdown in the ins and out of the rodeo.
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— Todd Saelhof
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Chuckwagon historian and commentator Billy Melville said although the sport has been around for more than a century, the objective has always remained the same.
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“Even though it’s gone through a number of changes, there are three underlying principles that have guided the chuckwagon races since Day 1,” said Melville, who loves talking about the sport his grandfather, Orville Strandquist, excelled in at as both a driver and an outrider for seven decades up until the 1990s.
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“A chuckwagon race does three things. Number one is that it tests the skill of the driver; number two is that it tests the skill of the outriders; and number three, it demonstrates the speed of the team. It’s really no more complicated than that.”
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— Laurence Heinen
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While the Calgary Stampede is not likely to lose its boastful moniker “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” organizers of the 10-day spectacle have been taking great effort in recent years to add to its branding to emphasize there is more than a rodeo happening at Stampede Park.
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It is also being sold as “The Greatest Music Festival in the West,” a testament to the eclectic music programming that takes over four venues on the Stampede grounds.
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More than 100 acts, including many that can be seen with the price of admission, will be playing over 10 days.
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— Eric Volmers
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Best places to watch the Calgary Stampede fireworks
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Where else can you watch fireworks 10 days in a row? Calgary has the special privilege of a spectacular nighttime show starting at around 11 p.m. from July 4 to 13 while the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth takes over the city.
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Want to know where you can best see the fireworks? Here are the four best spots to take in the Stampede fireworks from around the city.
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Stampede Park
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While not free, this option gets you the best possible view. The fireworks shoot off right after the Grandstand show ends and you can get the best close-up view while on the Midway or right outside the rodeo grounds.
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Scotsman’s Hill
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This spot has the best free vantage point. It is right across the river from the Stampede grounds in the community of Ramsey.
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Scotsman’s Hill a very popular spot for fireworks viewing so show up early to find a spot to park and sit. Getting dropped off by a generous family member or a ride-share or taxi is a great option.
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Tom Campbell’s Hill Natural Park
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A little farther north from Scotsman’s Hill is Tom Campbell’s Hill Natural Park. Near the Calgary Zoo, this spot still is close enough to give a great view of the fireworks.
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There is a parking lot on the north side of the park and is an 11-minute walk from the Calgary Zoo CTrain parking lot.
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Max Bell Centre
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The Max Bell Centre, on the edge of Albert Park and Radisson Heights, offers good views of the Stampede fireworks and a large parking lot.
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— Darlene Casten
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