With the third day of the Calgary Stampede underway Sunday, attendance numbers are in, and the first day nearly beat 2023’s record.
Over 161,000 visitors flooded Stampede Park on opening day, falling shy of the record of 164,939 set the previous year. That day also holds the record of being the second most attended day at the Stampede.
Day two added 135,645, making it 337,547 over the two days.
This follows the Stampede Parade to mark the start of the festivities, with the Stampede saying it set a record with over 350,000 people in attendance.
There is a heat warning in effect for Calgary and parts of Alberta, and people visiting the park are advised to bring sunscreen and find time to cool off from the heat.
Here’s a recap and some Sunday Stampede events.
Pride Day at the Stampede
The second day also had the 11th annual Pride Day being celebrated at the Nashville North tent, which invited members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community for celebrations and entertainment.
“Calgary Stampede Pride Day exceeded all expectations this year,” said Charles Macmichael, the founder of Pride Day at the Calgary Stampede. “From the solid entertainment with the addition of Queen Priyanka to our returning queens and the biggest-ever line dance, this year was better than ever.”
Watch: Calgary Stampede celebrates diversity and inclusion with Pride Day
Queen Priyanka, the first drag queen on the cover of Canada’s Elle Magazine and the winner of Canada’s Drag Race, headlined the event.
The occasion also saw Daphne Dike-Hart win the Western Trailblazer Award, “who has made remarkable contributions to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Calgary and the broader community in Southern Alberta, advocating for Black and Queer communities.”
“I am shaping the history of the future,” the founder of Black Pride YYC said in a release from the Stampede.
“The legacy I build today will shape the experiences and dreams of future Black children. What history do I want them to inherit?”
Rodeo and chuckwagons
On the second day of the Stampede Rodeo, four-time saddle bronc riding world Champion Zeke Thurston was given a re-ride when his first horse wasn’t cooperating.
But his second horse, Cloudy Skies, was one that bucked him off in Red Deer in the Canadian Finals in 2023.
However, he walked away with the best ride of the day with an 85.5.
The Stampede Rodeo is every afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at the GMC Stadium.
In the rangeland derby, the fastest time on Saturday was by Chanse Vigen, with a time of 1:11.76.
Chuckwagons start at 7:45 p.m. and are followed by the relay races and Grandstand Show.
Sunday events and activities
There are all kinds of activities and events for Calgarians and visitors alike to enjoy.
For starters, the last day of Robot Rodeo in the Percheron Ballroom of the BMO Centre is underway on Sunday.
Eliminations start at 3 p.m., and the closing ceremony and award will be at 6 p.m.
There are also agricultural and western events in the Nutrien Western Event Centre, with several shows that include the Stampede Showriders, Team Cattle Penning, the Heavy Horse Show “World Champion Six Horse Hitch,” and the Chore Hose Competition.
More information on daily events can be found online.
Also, the free Big Band Fanfare will take place at the Enbridge Plaza on the Youth Campus, which is northeast of the Saddledome, at 3:30 p.m.
Musical performances to enjoy at the Stampede
Brothers Osbourne will be hitting the stage as the headliner of Nashville North at 10 p.m.
Also at the tent, Foxx Worthee will be performing throughout the day. They play at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., and 11:59 p.m.
Garrett Gregory will play at 6 p.m., and Jaime Wyatt hops on stage at 8:45 p.m.
For a change of pace from country, Canada’s Billy Talent headlines the Coca-Cola Stage at 9:30 p.m.
Beforehand, Logan Staats appears at 1:45 p.m., The Lazys at 7 p.m., and Grandson at 8 p.m.
The Big Four RoadHouse will feature Shakey Graves at 9:45 p.m., and The Dead South beforehand at 8:15 p.m.
To get the show going, Jake Vaadeland & The Sturgeon River Boys will perform at 4:30 p.m., Katie Pruitt hops on at 5:30 p.m., and Sam Barber will appear at 6:45 p.m.
More information on shows at the Stampede can be found here.
Stampede Powwow
The Stampede Powwow gets going Sunday at 1 p.m. until 6 p.m.
The two-day event is free with admission and happens inside the Saddledome.
Numerous categories comprise the powwow performances, with it having eight styles of dance in competitive categories and age groups.
The Stampede says individual competitors will dance to music performed by nine drum groups.
“Although there are multiple competitors on the floor at once, each competitor is scored individually,” information on the event reads.
Dance styles include Chicken, Grass, Fancy, Jingle, Traditional and Buckskin, and age categories range from age 13 to Golden, which is 55 and up.
The Grandstand Show
People watch the fireworks at the Grandstand Show at the Calgary Stampede. Friday, July 12th, 2019. (CityNews image)
To cap the night off every night is the Grandstand Show, which is part of the evening show that includes the chuckwagons and relay races.
The Hunter Brothers is headlining the show and will be accompanied by the Young Canadians.
There are also performances from Urias Globe of Death Daredevils, “Human Firework” and aerial artist Tammy Firefly, and acrobatic duo Jose and Dani.
In addition, Boston Dynamics will have dancing robots called Spot this year.
Lastly, to conclude the night, fireworks get going, which happen every night until the last day on July 14.
Evening show tickets purchased beforehand include admission to Stampede Park on the day the ticket is valid.
More information on tickets for the evening show can be found here.