Dust off your boots Calgary because Stampede 2018 is upon us and we are sure its going to be one of the best years yet. The greatest show on earth kicks off on Friday July 6th with the Calgary Stampede Parade starting at 9:00AM, followed by 10 days of non-stop fun for the whole family! We wanted to ensure you had all the information you needed to make this Stampede season go by as smooth as possible.
TRANSPORTATION
The downtown CTrain stops are all within 1 block of the parade route and service will be running before, during and after the parade. Throughout all 10 days of Stampede, the CTrain will be running 24 hours a day from July 5th to July 15th. Additionally, the City of Calgary is providing discounted transit day passes for the duration of the 10 days. Adults can ride for $6.50 (regular $10.50) and youth can ride for $4.50 (regular $7.50). For more information on Calgary transit options available during Stampede, click here.
FOOD
The Calgary Stampede is well known for it’s outrageous display of new foods every year, and 2018 will be no exception. For those with a sweet tooth there are pop rock mini doughnuts, hot ice cream sandwiches and deep-fried bacon wrapped Reese’s cups among other things. For those feeling more adventurous there are cricket grilled cheese, giant squid on a stick and goats head soup. To view the full menu of featured foods this year, click here.
SHOWS
The Stampede Rodeo features world class competition and the show begins every day at 1:15PM sharp. Tickets to the rodeo include admission to the grounds for the same day and with 9 different rodeo events and over $2,000,000 in prize money up for grabs by the contestants you are guaranteed to be entertained. Following the rodeo every night at 7:45PM, the Calgary Stampede Evening Show kicks off with the chuckwagon races followed by the Grandstand show. If the rodeo is not your thing, why not take in one of the countless concerts taking place across the grounds? The Scotiabank Saddledome is proud to be hosting Luke Bryan on July 14th and Brad Paisley on July 13th. There will also be a ton of amazing concerts at various venues throughout Stampede including the Coca-Cola Stage, Nashville North, the Big Four Roadhouse and Cowboys Music Festival. There truly is something for everyone this year and the Stampede music line-up is here to impress. Click here to get all the details on this year’s music scene.
ATTRACTIONS
If you are a thrill seeker, then be sure to take in the several high-intensity attractions throughout the park including the slingshot, zipline, skyscraper and the rest of the midway. Click here for more information on these attractions and more.
VALUE DAYS
Now Stampede is fun, but it can get a bit expensive for the whole family to attend by the time you factor in a full day’s worth of activities. Take advantage of the following value days to get the most bang for your buck!
- Sneak-A-Peak: Thursday, July 5th from 5:00pm to 1:00am. $9 entry, and free for children 6 and under.
- Parade Day: Friday, July 6th from 11:00am to 12:00am. Get in for free if you go straight from the parade to the grounds.
- Cenovus Family Day: Sunday, July 8th from 8:00am to 11:00am. Get in and get fed for free for the whole family.
- McDonalds Community Day: Tuesday, July 10th from 10:00am to 12:00am. $2 admission from 10AM to 2PM and free gate admission for seniors (65+) all day long.
- BMO Kids Day: Wednesday, July 11th from 7:00am to 12:00am. Free entry for kids 12 and under and accompanying adults from 8AM to 9AM, and $2 entry all day for kids 12 and under.
If you want to get in the spirit without having to make your way down to the grounds, take advantage of the countless Stampede Pancake Breakfasts taking place throughout the city. For a complete list of the available breakfasts, click here.
We hope that everyone enjoys Stampede to the fullest, and that you all remember to stay safe and look out for each other!
Have a great weekend,
Cedarglen Marketing
