Stampede 2017

[Drummer]

Has anyone been down to the grounds yet?
Who watched the parade?
If anyone has seen this years Grandstand Show I'm curious to how it compares to the last few years.
It looks like gate admission attendance will be way higher this year than 2016.

[powderjunkie]

Fireworks seemed shorter than usual to me last night? I was up on McHugh Bluff, so maybe I just missed more of the low level stuff?

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Fireworks seemed shorter than usual to me last night? I was up on McHugh Bluff, so maybe I just missed more of the low level stuff?

Yeah they seemed short to me too. Five-six minutes at most.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Drummer

Has anyone been down to the grounds yet?
Who watched the parade?
If anyone has seen this years Grandstand Show I'm curious to how it compares to the last few years.
It looks like gate admission attendance will be way higher this year than 2016.

The difference in weather alone should see a massive increase in attendance...last year was brutal.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by transplant99

The difference in weather alone should see a massive increase in attendance...last year was brutal.

Weather to some extent (although incredibly hot weather does keep some people away), but yesterday was a big attendance figure in part because of the free admission until 1:30. They have added a number of those opportunities this year and I think that's a huge impact because paying full price for a family to get in is already a significant expense.

[GirlySports]

Is the Agrium new? That was fun to walk through

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Is the Agrium new? That was fun to walk through

I can tell I'm getting old, because aside from crushing massive amounts of lil donuts, this is all I really have an interest in doing at the Stampede this year. You got me excited to check it out now.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

I can tell I'm getting old, because aside from crushing massive amounts of lil donuts, this is all I really have an interest in doing at the Stampede this year. You got me excited to check it out now.

it's interesting, lots of horses, cows, donkeys and sheep to pet.
Get to learn a lot about grain and wheat too

[Wood]

What time are the fireworks?

[Drummer]

Usually around 10:50pm

[calf]

Went to the parade yesterday with my almost 2 year old. Parked at the office in the beltline and walked with a stroller to a spot some friends were saving. Lesson learned: don't take a stroller anywhere unless you are on the edge of an intersection. Way too much of a hassle and inconveniences those around you if/when you have to bail early.

[calgarygeologist]

I complained about this last year and possibly years before but the midway and Stampede need to get going a lot earlier than 11am especially on a weekend. Give the families an opportunity to do some rides and see some shows before it gets too hot. 9am would be awesome or even 10am.

Also, I really miss the Superdogs. The new dog show which they brought in starting last year sucks in comparison.

The Stampede was surprisingly empty this morning/afternoon. It wasn't packed or crowded and it was quite easy to move around. Maybe the heat is keeping people at home?

[gasman]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I complained about this last year and possibly years before but the midway and Stampede need to get going a lot earlier than 11am especially on a weekend. Give the families an opportunity to do some rides and see some shows before it gets too hot. 9am would be awesome or even 10am.

Also, I really miss the Superdogs. The new dog show which they brought in starting last year sucks in comparison.

The Stampede was surprisingly empty this morning/afternoon. It wasn't packed or crowded and it was quite easy to move around. Maybe the heat is keeping people at home?

Funny. I thought this years show was 10x better than the super dogs. I didn't go last year so maybe it was just the change in venue outdoors that made it seem better

[tete]

We went yesterday, took advantage of the free admission until 1:30. It was fairly crowded until mid-afternoon, and then was very quiet we when came out of the team penning competition at 5. Left at 7:45 and it was still quite dead. If you go early this week, team penning is super fun to watch - you watch a team of three riders try to corral three cows out of a herd and into a pen.

GirlySports - the Agrium centre is fairly new - less than 5 years old, perhaps around 3 years old, I think? Really is nice, gives a great smaller venue for agricultural events.

[Drummer]

On Sneak A Peak 36,953 people visited the park, an increase of 2,854 over 2016.
On opening day, Friday, attendance was 115,235 (the highest ever for opening day). 2016 it was 90,887.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by gasman

Funny. I thought this years show was 10x better than the super dogs. I didn't go last year so maybe it was just the change in venue outdoors that made it seem better

I liked the Superdogs as an escape from the heat. The Corral was a great venue and even when they moved it to the Big Four it was okay. The new show is too short in duration and their performance area is tiny. Superdogs had a big race course including weaving, bridges, ramps, tubes, multiple hurdles etc. The races in the new show are only like 50 feet long and it was just one tube and one jump.

Also, I'm a snowboarder and very comfortable with ski lifts and whatnot but the Westjet Skyride scares the #### out of me for some reason.

[Violator]

Originally Posted by Wood

What time are the fireworks?

Looked at my watch last night during the grandstand show they started at 11:10 and ended at 11:16

[TheFlamesVan]

Originally Posted by Violator

Looked at my watch last night during the grandstand show they started at 11:10 and ended at 11:16

Yeah but the boys had a tough time setting up the barrels for the chucks and everything was delayed about 20mins. It was actually hilarious. Obviously no practice runs before opening night.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Is the Agrium new? That was fun to walk through

It opened in 2014 I think. It was under construction during the floods.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Violator

Looked at my watch last night during the grandstand show they started at 11:10 and ended at 11:16

Only 6 minutes?