Attendance at the Calgary Stampede is on track to break its record, with 338,000 guests through the gates as of Saturday night.
With 142,199 people walking through the gates of the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth” Saturday, attendance is up from 337,000 this time last year. The current record, set in 2024, is 1.47 million visitors over the 10 days.
Julie Forget, manager of communications with the Calgary Stampede, says breaking records isn’t the top priority, but, if it happens, that’s nice, too.
“We actually don’t focus so much on the numbers. We really are focusing on the experience,” she said.
“And you know, if we provide a great experience for people, then the numbers will follow.”
She says the bulk of visitors to Stampede Park come from the Calgary area, while the next portion of visitors come from Alberta and other western provinces.
Visitors from Canada outside the areas listed make up about 7-8 per cent of attendance, while international visitors make up three per cent, Forget says.
This also comes as a recent BMO survey suggests many Canadians are skipping travel to the U.S. and choosing to stay home instead.
While exact reasons aren’t clear, a weak loonie can disarm the idea, and the ongoing trade disputes from the current U.S. administration have spurred boycotts of travel to the U.S.
Regardless of the reason, Forget believes some people are choosing to stay closer to home and might look to the Stampede as a destination to check off their bucket list.
“I think if people were trying to make that decision to stay in Canada this year, then I think for a lot of people, the Stampede would be top of a list of maybe something they’ve thought about doing in the past and haven’t, for whatever reason,” she said.
“And this year, if they are deciding to stay in Canada, then yeah, they could come here and have a good time.”
The Calgary Stampede continues Sunday, and if you want to check out any concerts, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit play at the Big Four Roadhouse at 4 p.m., Lights and Arkells are on the Coca-Cola stage at 8:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., respectively, and Midland performs at Nashville North at 10 p.m. while Calgary’s own FOXX Worthy close the show at midnight.
If you want more details on the Calgary Stampede, check out the CityNews roundup of events at the Stampede here.