Festivals Immerse yourself in timeless classics or world premieres at a theatre or film festival. Enjoy fine vintages at a wine celebration. Check out some of the countless music festivals from coast to coast, where you can enjoy everything from chamber music to hip-hop. Or put on a cowboy hat and join the revellers at western events throughout the country, including the renowned Calgary Stampede: thrill to the thunder of chuck wagon races, cheer on a bronc rider, or let some infectious country music inspire you to try line dancing. Experience a Québécois rodeo, at the Festival Western de St-Tite! You will be spoilt for choice.
Calgary Stampede - With something for everyone, the Stampede truly is The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth Attracting an average of 1.2 million visitors annually, the Calgary Stampede is the largest event in Calgary, Alberta. Each July, this ten day, city-wide celebration commemorates the history, culture and heritage of the Canadian West. True western hospitality and that special Stampede spirit are in big supply almost everywhere you go, from the high-steppin', two hour kickoff parade downtown to the streets filled with western musicians, dances, activities and free pancake breakfasts. Every afternoon, competitors saddle up for a ground-shaking showcase of world-class rodeo action, including bull riding, saddle bronc, bareback, tiedown roping, steer wrestling and ladies’ barrel racing competitions.
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Each evening, the GMC Rangeland Derby features chuckwagon races, a Stampede original, with 36 teams of horses and drivers competing. The nine heart-stopping chuckwagon races explode in an all-out dash for the finish line. It is all capped off with the nightly 90 minute Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show Spectacular on a gigantic outdoor stage, when hundreds of singers,
dancers and musicians dazzle a crowd of all ages. The show concludes with TransAlta ‘Lights Up The Night’, a huge fireworks finale. The Calgary Stampede is one of Canada’s largest music festivals, with five stages and 300 performers, including a slate of international country music head-liners. Visitors of all ages can enjoy a western art show and auction, lifestyle exhibits, agricultural events and displays, the First Nations of Treaty 7 at Indian Village (where band members set up their tepees and demonstrate the history and culture of Canada's First Nations), a giant midway, live entertainment and the Stampede Casino.