Calgary Stampede: What the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth says about the economy

The purple toasted cob of maize shines nether the day prima arsenic 25-year-old Allison Zhou lifts it up to amusement her friends connected the opening time of the Calgary Stampede. It's ube-flavoured and covered successful achromatic and achromatic sesame seeds. The cost? $15.

"Overpriced, but it's my archetypal Stampede," said Zhou, who moved to the metropolis a fewer months agone from Toronto. "It's precise unique, truthful I'm down to effort it."

At the midpoint of 2025, it's been a pugnacious rodeo for Canada's system truthful far, ever since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House successful January, sparking a tumultuous commercialized warfare with wide-ranging impacts connected user spending, jobs and question plans.

For each the speech of a recession, determination are fewer signs of economical hardship arsenic the Greatest Outdoor Show connected Earth kicks disconnected successful Calgary — a 10-day agelong solemnisation with midway rides, bucking broncos and dozens of concerts.

Splurging and hunting for deals

Colton Denis, 17, bought a SuperPass and plans to be each azygous time of the Calgary Stampede. 

Does helium person a budget? "Heck no. Spend each of it," helium joked, while walking to the midway looking for pizza. "10 retired of 10. This is going to beryllium awesome."

It's not conscionable teenagers successful the temper to splurge.

Doug Coleman, 64, is visiting from the Maritimes to instrumentality successful the festivities, and he hopes to see singer Shania Twain, this year's parade marshal, who volition besides beryllium performing.

This week, Coleman is firmly putting speech immoderate thought of fiscal restraint.

"I'll beryllium OK. It's conscionable a tap," said Coleman, motioning however he'll beryllium paying with his recognition card. "I'll bargain what I want. I merit it."

There's little speech astir being frugal successful favour of shelling retired currency for a bully time.  

Some of the paper items on the midway see a $26 bucket of crocodile-themed lemonade, a $13 jumbo corndog, and a $16 handbasket of ail parmesan fries.

General admittance tickets are present $25 for an adult, compared to $18 successful 2015. 

For each the extravagant spending and often hefty terms tags astatine an lawsuit similar the Stampede, immoderate radical consciousness similar they tin inactive find a bargain.

Fred Parafina, 55, sports a big grin as helium holds up 2 pairs of Lane snake-skin boots helium bought for his wife at a occidental deterioration store adjacent the midway. 

They're her favourite brand, and helium called the $200 he spent an "amazing" deal.

WATCH | Why the Stampede tin beryllium a bellwether for the economy:

Record-setting chuckwagon auction acceptable the tone

The Stampede is location to the astir celebrated chuckwagon contention successful the world, known arsenic the "Half-Mile of Hell." A fewer months earlier the race, companies bid connected the accidental to sponsor each team and person their logos displayed connected the canvas covering each wagon. 

The 2025 tarp auction set a grounds for the highest mean bid. The full tally of $3.84 cardinal fell conscionable abbreviated of the all-time precocious of $4.015 cardinal acceptable successful 2012 — the Stampede's centennial twelvemonth — which included 36 drivers, compared to 27 this year.

At the April auction, reigning chuckwagon champion Jason Glass hauled successful the apical idiosyncratic bid of $230,000 from Birchcliff Energy, surpassing past year's biggest bid by $20,000.

At the time, Glass called the result of the bidding "a large relief," considering the economical volatility and commercialized uncertainty was prominently connected everyone's mind on the eve of the auction.

But the economical worries of a fewer months ago seem mostly successful the rearview mirror, astatine slightest successful Alberta. Oil prices this twelvemonth person repeatedly soared and plummeted, similar riding the Outlaw roller-coaster. 

Resource-based provinces including Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador are mostly fairing amended than commercialized and manufacturing-focused provinces specified arsenic Quebec and Ontario.

Staycations and American visitors a boon

Stampede attendance  soared to an all-time precocious successful 2024, with 1,477,953 visitors, surpassing the erstwhile grounds acceptable successful 2012. 

Organizers are expecting akin numbers this year, perchance adjacent bigger ones. Various passes are selling well, portion premium seats for the rodeo and chuckwagons sold retired earlier Stampede began.

"There are a batch of radical staying person to location this year," said Stampede spokesperson Julie Forget. "This is 1 of the biggest events successful Canada, and I deliberation it's connected a batch of people's bucket database to travel and cheque out."

Fewer Americans are travelling northbound of the borderline to Canada this year, though Calgary is proving to beryllium an outlier.

In April, 8.9 per cent less U.S. residents made the travel to Canada compared to the aforesaid period successful 2024, according to Statistics Canada.

The fig of Americans travelling specifically by aerial to large Canadian airports showed a driblet of six per cent successful April. However, astatine the Calgary International Airport, the figures were wholly different, with U.S. arrivals up by 29 per cent.

"We deliberation radical are going to beryllium staying person to location and possibly going to the Stampede," said ATB Financial main economist Mark Parsons, who is besides expecting different record-setting twelvemonth for attendance.

"We besides spot Americans proceed to travel to Alberta and that bodes good for visitant spending."

Despite the information that Canada is successful the mediate of a commercialized warfare and user sentiment has been rattled by inflation successful caller years, there's optimism successful Alberta, Parsons says, with the first-ever liquified earthy state exports this week, renewed enthusiasm to physique large vigor projects successful the country, and comparatively debased involvement rates.

Calgary's colonisation is booming, too, with astir 100,000 caller residents successful 2024.

Parsons says the Stampede is simply a bellwether of the wide Alberta system due to the fact that "it truly sets the signifier for however radical are feeling."

And radical similar Calgarian Todd Scott are feeling excited. He's arrived at the Stampede grounds with 4 kids successful tow. 

His fund is "unlimited," and with food, rides and carnival games, helium expects wealth volition rapidly spell retired the window. 

"The full happening is simply a splurge."