What you need to know as the 2025 Calgary Stampede parade hits the streets

CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 12:14 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

The Calgary Stampede is saddling up for 10 days of action, kicking disconnected Friday arsenic the 113th yearly Stampede Parade winds its mode done downtown Calgary.

Visitors should expect ample crowds hitting the streets for the parade, which ever attracts a monolithic fig of spectators. In 2024, the parade drew an assemblage of astir 350,000 people.

This year's parade is led by Canadian country-pop icon  Shania Twain, who is besides performing astatine the Scotiabank Saddledome connected Saturday night.

Festival organizers promise more than 110 parade entries, including implicit 700 horses, 35 floats, and 9 marching bands, including the Stampede Showband. 

Parade-goers are encouraged to get aboriginal to instrumentality successful the parade prelude astatine 7:45 a.m. connected Friday. It volition see acrobats, dancers and taste performers. Free-of-charge seating is disposable connected a first-come, first-served basis.

• There are 4 parade prelude spots: 6th Avenue and 5th Street S.W., 9th Avenue and 5th Street S.W., 6th Avenue and 10th Street S.W., and Centre Street and 9th Avenue. 

The main parade volition footwear disconnected astatine 9 a.m., starting at 9th Avenue from 3rd Street S.E. earlier heading north astatine 10th Street S.W. toward 6th Avenue and eastbound toward the parade's extremity at 4th Street S.E.

Road closures volition be in effect downtown and officials accidental all roadways are expected to reopen by approximately 2 p.m. 

Those heading to the parade are encouraged to walk, bike, carpool oregon instrumentality transit, and those driving should program to get good earlier roads close, oregon parkland extracurricular the closed area.

Water stations volition beryllium disposable on the route, but organizers are encouraging attendees to bring their ain h2o bottles.

Calgary Transit is offering 24-hour CTrain work and 2 explicit Stampede routes during the festival. But during the parade, many routes that question downtown volition beryllium connected detour.

Once the parade wraps up, attendees tin spell consecutive from the parade way to Stampede Park and person escaped admittance from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Here's much of what you request to cognize arsenic the Stampede kicks into precocious gear:

Picking your entrance

In an effort to trim congestion, the Stampede is reminding visitors determination are aggregate ways to participate the park.

• Erlton entry: Closest to the rodeo and evening amusement successful GMC Stadium, arsenic good as Nashville North and the Coca-Cola Stage.
• Victoria Park entry: Best for midway games and food.
• Stampede Trail entrance: Ideal for those heading to Saddledome concerts, the Elbow River Camp and the motocross show.

The Calgary Stampede is besides offering an app which allows users to make a personalized schedule.

More to support successful mind

Should the upwind not co-operate with your visit, organizers said determination are a fewer options available.

The Range Food Hall successful the little level of the Big Four Building, the Nutrien Western Event Centre and the assemblage signifier successful the BMO Centre are aerial conditioned spots for guests to beryllium down.

If you're riding a motorcycle oregon scooter to the grounds, parking volition beryllium disposable astatine the Erlton and Stampede Trail entries.

Public parking is besides disposable for time usage for $30 per entry.

Finally, determination are pick-up and drop-off zones for Stampede-goers arriving by Uber oregon taxi.

Rodeo and unrecorded music

Historically, the Stampede is champion known for its rodeo, which includes 7 events implicit 10 days this year. Beginning astatine 1:30 p.m. each afternoon, the events see bull and bronc riding, tube racing, steer wrestling and calf roping.

Afterward, the Stampede's evening amusement astatine 7:30 p.m. features chuckwagon racing, horseback relay races and the Grandstand Show of song, dance, acrobatics and fireworks.

Along with its rodeo, the Stampede's concerts person garnered accrued attraction successful caller years.

LISTEN | This Is Calgary talks Stampede's increasing popularity arsenic a euphony festival: 

This year, the self-proclaimed "Greatest Music Festival successful the West" includes much than 100 artists playing astatine the Saddledome, the outdoor Coca-Cola Stage, the Nashville North structure and the Big Four Roadhouse. Jason Isbell, TLC, Natasha Bedingfield, Arkells, Diplo and De La Soul item the lineup.

Over the people of the Stampede's 10 days, the event will besides see a powwow astatine the Saddledome connected July 12 and 13, featuring First Nations dancers and drummers competing from crossed Canada and the U.S., arsenic good arsenic a freestyle motocross show, the yearly canine bowl, and a assortment of cultivation contests and showcases.

This year's Stampede runs July 4 to 13.