The Calgary Stampede

With roots tracing back to 1886, The Calgary Stampede, a ten-day festival, fair, rodeo and exhibition can only be described as a cowboy’s paradise.

Billed as The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, the event attracts millions of visitors to scenic Calgary each year, embracing the spirit of the Wild West in a setting that combines urban, ranch, and mountain cultures.

The entire city takes on the festive air, with residents dressing in Western fair and the streets fairly overwhelmed with traffic, some of the regular, automotive variety, but a large contingent of hoofed participants as well.

The event attracts some of the top rodeo competitors in North America, and can be highly competitive, due in no small part to its $2 million in prizes.

The Stampede is held in Calgary’s Beltline district, just south of downtown and flanked by the popular 17^th Avenue district, a bar & restaurant area, and the scenic Elbow River, one of the city’s natural boundaries, popular with kayakers and tourists alike.