'We're pretty excited': Local entrepreneurs look forward to busy Calgary Stampede

Amir Said · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 11, 2025 2:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 11

With Stampede play connected the horizon, Calgary entrepreneurs are looking guardant to a engaged play of parties and much pursuing the economical deed of the COVID-19 pandemic.

David Howard, proprietor of The Event Group, told CBC News that he's booked each the mode done Stampede.

"It's busier than it was past twelvemonth and it's busier than it was the twelvemonth before, truthful it's truly promising," helium said. "We're beauteous excited."

The Event Group puts connected everything from concerts and grant shows to marque activations and networking events.

He said his institution lone had 8 events booked past year, portion this twelvemonth he's got an lawsuit each day of the Stampede on with the 3 days prior.

"This twelvemonth it's jam-packed, truthful it's precise exciting," said Howard.

The Stampede tone volition besides beryllium connected show passim the metropolis acknowledgment to Calgary creator Dean MacKenzie, besides known arsenic "The Art Guy."

His Stampede-themed artwork adorns the windows of section businesses and buildings, and this twelvemonth radical tin expect to erstwhile again spot his cartoons all implicit the city.

"Right now, I've booked each the Superstores, each the Denny's. I'm doing Grey Eagle Casino beauteous soon here," helium said.

With astir 70 bookings truthful far, the post-pandemic play marks a instrumentality to normalcy for MacKenzie, whose concern took a deed erstwhile the Calgary Stampede was cancelled successful 2020 for the archetypal clip successful astir a century.

"The pandemic benignant of killed everything for a portion there," helium said. "Ever since then, it's benignant of gradually gotten backmost to wherever it was before."

The pandemic wasn't benignant to the Calgary Stampede: the event's cancellation successful 2020 led to $26.5 cardinal successful gross nonaccomplishment and 90 per cent of unit being laid off.

In 2021, the lawsuit returned with societal distancing measures and nary chuckwagon races. That year, it mislaid $8.3 million and hosted 528,998 radical — less than fractional of the 1,275,465 that attended successful 2019.

Expect a engaged Stampede

If 2024's record-breaking assemblage sizes are thing to spell by, it'll beryllium a engaged Stampede this year.

Stampede Park saw 1,477,953 attendees connected the grounds passim past year's 10-day event, with implicit 200,000 connected Tim Horton's Family Day alone.

On the fiscal broadside of things, things are looking bully for the metropolis arsenic the Stampede approaches.

This year's Calgary Stampede Canvas Auction, traditionally considered a barometer of the section economy, brought successful $3.84 cardinal successful bids this April. 

It's a important leap from past year's $3.115 million, considered a fig to beryllium arrogant of successful its ain right.

This year's Calgary Stampede kicks disconnected July 4 and runs until July 13.