At the Calgary Stampede, nobody cares if it’s your first rodeo | Canada Voices

The first rule of the rodeo is simple: Don’t put your cowboy hat on backward. That’s especially good advice if you’re a Torontonian heading to the Calgary Stampede for the first time and desperate not to appear like a city slicker.

So I discreetly readjust my new Smithbilt – pristine white with a red-ribbon trim – and enter the grounds of the city’s world-famous Stampede as a crowd of cowboy-booted spectators streams past me, seemingly immune to the blistering July heat. Looking down at my open-toe sandals, I know my secret is out: Yes, actually, this is my first rodeo.

Millions of Stampeders visit this spot year after year, drawn by the lure of the West. Some come for the big party or the cowboys or the outrageous food (I can report that the cheeseburger ice cream is about as appetizing as it sounds, and oddly pickle-flavoured). If the hype is any indication, more visitors will be coming soon. Breathless press releases declare that cowboy culture is having a moment, spurred on by pop-culture phenomena such as Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour and the TV drama Yellowstone. A recent headline in Vogue blares, “The Cowboy Trend is Coming for Travel.”

But I dare anyone to tell Calgarians their beloved Stampede is a trend. Since 1912, this event has been etched into the DNA of locals; more than 3,000 of them put their lives on pause to volunteer, doing everything from driving guests around to staffing information booths to taking photos at events and posting them to social media.

Last summer, I got my first history lesson at the Sam Centre, the new interactive museum-like space that opened in the spring of 2024 and runs year-round. Here, guests can grab a rope and learn to lasso (harder than it looks, I discover) or wander into Stampede Sensations, an immersive exhibit where the massive surrounding screens and speakers pump out scenes and sounds from the rodeo.

History buffs will be rewarded, too. The gallery has everything from old saddles lined up on display to vintage Stampede posters and black and white photos of the event’s earliest days.

From there, I head to Elbow River Camp, a spot on the fair grounds dedicated to the First Nations of Treaty 7, where dozens of painted tipis stand proudly in a circle. The delicious smell of fried bread wafts through the air and I spot a line snaking from the order window at the Bannock Booth nearby. Indigenous culture runs deep here, says Amber Big Plume, a member of the Tsuutʼina Nation and a former Calgary Stampede Princess, as she walks us through the grounds.

Big Plume’s family has been tipi holders at the Stampede since 1975. Bearing witness to the Stampede’s evolution is a duty for both her and her family, she says. When Indigenous people weren’t allowed off their reserves, one of the Stampede’s founders, Guy Weadick, lobbied the government to allow them to attend. They’ve been here ever since, living and sharing their culture.

At a makeshift firepit, members cut and hang meat to dry and stir Saskatoon berry soup, made from berries, sugar and water. Passersby stop and ask questions, taste the soup or simply watch them at work. Simple acts like these are “powerful and empowering” ways to showcase their culture, Big Plume says. At the Saddledome nearby, one of the biggest powwow competitions in the country is about to unfold, a colourful cacophony of drummers and dancers from all over North America vying for the win.

Later that night, it’s time for the rodeo or as the signs shout: “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.” I arrive in time to watch the derby chuckwagon and relay races. I briefly worry the events will be wasted on me, but when the klaxon blares I’m on my feet before I know it, hooting and hollering like a true Stampeder (okay, a Stampeder without cowboy boots). A team of horses barrel around the dusty track, their driver gripping their reins atop the covered chuckwagon, every wobble and gallop captured by the announcer over the loudspeaker.

“These horses are the best of the best,” says rodeo committee worker Heather Craig as she walks me through a chute tour later on. Here, the excitement I experienced in the stands of the stadium feels sharper, the stakes higher. The horses shuffle in their holding pens, eager to burst into action. The winners can take home tens of thousands of dollars.

But if rodeos aren’t your thing, there’s still plenty to do at the Stampede. Foodies can test their tolerance for the stomach-churning offerings of the midway – I urge anyone to at least try the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos dill pickle pizza – or opt for more civilized fare in the air-conditioned comfort of the Stampede Cellar in BMO Centre, where guests can sip award-winning wine and take in a rollicking show of duelling pianos. Or head back to the Sam Centre and check out Maisie Eatery, an upscale cafeteria that conjures a Parisian bakery more than a fairground food stop, where you can feast on gourmet salads and cold noodles, croissant sandwiches and delicate pastries.

Word of warning: Pace yourself at Stampede. After a full day roaming the park, you might be too exhausted to catch a musical act at night. (This summer, Shania Twain is headlining.)

It’s not until my second day in Calgary that the magnitude of the Stampede fully hits me. Wandering around my hotel, I notice the unmistakable scent of fresh batter hitting a sizzling buttered grill. I follow my nose to the hotel’s massive banquet hall, where pancakes are being churned out by the hundreds, possibly the thousands.

People told me about Calgary’s famous free pancake breakfasts across the city for the duration of the Stampede, the city’s way of giving back to the community. But nothing quite prepares me for the sight of hundreds of proud Stampeders gathered for a meal, a sea of denim and cowboy hats. On one end of the room, country music booms over the speakers and a line-dancing session breaks out.

I load up my plate and slide into a table with some strangers, who gladly shuffle over and welcome me to the city.

I still feel silly in my Smithbilt but it dawns on me that the rodeo doesn’t really have any rules after all. This isn’t about you, city slicker. This is the great and wild West, so come as you are and enjoy the show. Some say it’s the greatest on Earth.

The Calgary Stampede runs from July 4-13.

The writer was a guest of Travel Alberta. It did not review or approve the story before publication.