With all the things you could do in this world, going to a crappy Carnival with diesel powered rides operated by junkies, with a flea market selling Shamwow's, fine artists like Shania 'Twin' headlined by Street Hart and/or Helix, a cute rate fireworks display and a totally rad display of animal abuse display to top it off...... What an absolute waste of a week of your life.
IMHO, if the Stampede Board really wanted to make the thing world class... which it absolute isn't right now, they should ditch the Rodeo aspect (or at least move it to a true country venue) and have the worlds largest 10 day Country Music Festival. They could even go off the board... and (gasp) actually bring in some big eclectic acts to attract some non-country people. I would still hate it like the plague, but it would likely attract way more tourists, shed the whole animal abuse image, and also give us a good use for the Saddledome after the Flames move.
But that's just me.
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My dad had some business friends from overseas over and they didn't speak English, Russian I think. They came over in July and didn't really work. They all bought cowboy outfits and partied every day until they left.
6 months later they showed up unannounced in cowboy gear, boy were they surprised when it wasn't a year long party. Guess it's not that world famous.
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I had the opportunity to meet many Aussies, Kiwis, Brits Etc while working at one of the larger downtown hotels about a decade ago. I've seen people in their 60's/70's absolutely giddy and sometimes near tears when speaking with them at the end of their stay during Stampede time. I've had people tell me that attending the Stampede had been their dream since they were a young child. I've also had people tell me the Stampede parade was one of the neatest things they have ever seen and raved similarly about witnessing the rodeo.
As locals, we see the less glamorous side to Stampede being exposed to it every year. I don't think there's any question that it holds a certain mystique to many people around the world. Of the hundreds of people I met, there were maybe a handful who had negative things to say about it or were unimpressed.
I guess for most people that have lived in Calgary or Alberta it doesn't mean much anymore i guess you get used to it and bored i can say the same thing about deep sea fishing on the west coast or going to the beaches in Vancouver it gets boring after a while.My mom is in town for stampede she is 65 and has never been so she is excited and she has been to Oktoberfest and a few other festivals in Europe.Stampede is all the best parts of summer rolled into one and its only here for ten days and then its only two months till winter.
Pretty much this...
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"With a coach and a player, sometimes there's just so much respect there that it's boils over"
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- Met many people completely amazed that the sun is still out after 9:00 on summer days which meant more time to play around. When they say they like it better than where they come from (insert close to the equator, large city) I laugh and say the winters are a completely new adventure in themselves.
This is one of the most unappreciated things for us locals, and absolutely one of the biggest surprises I find visitors are in awe about. It's absolutely a huge deal that we have long summer days. Clearly our winter is a big trade off, but it's truly a big advantage to living here. Even heading down to Arizona or California I'm always disappointed how quick things get dark.
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To be honest, I kind of feel a little sorry for anyone who travels across the world with the Stampede as their main destination. I mean the rodeo part is somewhat unique and interesting, but at the end of the day the whole thing takes place in a pretty crappy and dated location (yay giant dusty parking lot), and the Midway rides are of the same craptastic quality that I remember as a kid. If I paid thousand of dollars to attend that, I'd be a little let down after all the hype.
The Rockies are something that truly is world-class and I whole heartily recommend them to anyone I meet...but I don't think the Stampede can come anywhere close to the great festivals around the world. If a visitor wants the cowboy experience, I think they are better off heading into the beautiful ranch country outside of the city.
You could say pretty much the exact same things about Munich and Oktoberfest.
I was surprised by how much Oktoberfest was exactly like the Stampede, big drinking tents on a dusty parking lot surrounded by a bunch of cheap midway rides and games.
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I guess for most people that have lived in Calgary or Alberta it doesn't mean much anymore i guess you get used to it and bored i can say the same thing about deep sea fishing on the west coast or going to the beaches in Vancouver it gets boring after a while.My mom is in town for stampede she is 65 and has never been so she is excited and she has been to Oktoberfest and a few other festivals in Europe.Stampede is all the best parts of summer rolled into one and its only here for ten days and then its only two months till winter.
Please read your post, and then before punching your computer screen, please consider how others feel when reading it. I'm not talking about what you wrote, but how you wrote it. I know this is a dick post so sorry, but... that first sentence is a train wreck.
Meanwhile, why do we have to be famous? What does this matter to people, I don't really get it. People on this site focus all the time on being world class and all that, I don't really get it because I love Calgary, and I love living here, and the bigger and more famous it gets, the less it will be like the Calgary I grew up in, love and call my home. To be clear, with growth and prestige you get the odd bonus, but I'm (honestly) not certain the trade off is worth it. The Stampede doesn't have to be famous and it doesn't make a difference to me if others know or don't know about it, and I'm legitimately confused why people feel the need for Calgary to be famous.
I was in Dubai having a beer with a couple British chaps and one of them has already been to the Stampede, the other says it's on his list of "must-visits" for the foreseeable future.
It's well-known. Maybe not well understood, but well-known.
The wild west lifestyle is something that was romanticized by Hollywood in the 60's, so I think people who lived through that time are especially attracted to the idea of the Stampede. On top of that, to the rest of the world, the wild west is something that is a unique and different idea. Until you've traveled around and see how "settled" the rest of this planet is by humanity, the the idea of an unexplored wild frontier is a fascinating one!
The one thing that's huge for the Stampede that hasn't been mentioned yet is the parade. It's televised in a lot of places and a lot of different folks travel from a lot of different places to both observe it and participate in it.
To me living here, it means nothing. Just a few days in the summer where restaurants are extra busy and my two cop friends can't hang out. I see crowds, lines, an average fair and the rodeo bit is pretty neat but doesn't really interest me. Kind of like how to New Yorkers, Times Square is just a stupid busy intersection full of advertisements that they try to avoid, yet people around the world go to see it. That's just the jaded view of it after being surrounded by it for so long. We live here, we see the bad side of it.
I have friends and acquaintances from around the world that can't believe I don't take a week off work and go down the the Stampede every day. Then even more amazed when I say I go once every 5 years, maybe. People spend thousands to come check it out, and while it may seem silly to us, it's actually a pretty big deal, and known throughout most of the world.
I might not be the biggest fan of the stampede, but I still can't stand when people crap all over it. This is what Calgary is. Sure the party doesn't go all year, but the spirit of it sure does. I know a lot of people on CP like to pretend we're some sophisticated world class Canadian Paris, but that's crap. Grab a steak, get a beer, settle down and enjoy yourself.
Last edited by btimbit; 07-07-2015 at 10:42 PM.
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Heard a local comedian call it "Forest Lawn with rides/Walmart without a roof." I laughed - it was funny.
I've never been and won't go. Not because I think I'm too good for it or something - it's just way too many people for me and it's usually far too hot. One round with heatstroke was plenty. But, I know many people enjoy it and it brings in some coin so it's all good.
With all the things you could do in this world, going to a crappy Carnival with diesel powered rides operated by junkies, with a flea market selling Shamwow's, fine artists like Shania 'Twin' headlined by Street Hart and/or Helix, a cute rate fireworks display and a totally rad display of animal abuse display to top it off...... What an absolute waste of a week of your life.
IMHO, if the Stampede Board really wanted to make the thing world class... which it absolute isn't right now, they should ditch the Rodeo aspect (or at least move it to a true country venue) and have the worlds largest 10 day Country Music Festival. They could even go off the board... and (gasp) actually bring in some big eclectic acts to attract some non-country people. I would still hate it like the plague, but it would likely attract way more tourists, shed the whole animal abuse image, and also give us a good use for the Saddledome after the Flames move.
But that's just me.
It might attract more tourists but that number would have to be through the roof to compete with the economic impact the Stampede brings to Calgary.
The Montreal Jazz Festival is the biggest Festival in Canada in terms of attendance, bringing in 2.5 million people. The economic impact is an impressive 100 million dollars for the event.
The Calgary Stampede is the 7th largest in terms of attendance and sees 1.2 million through the gate (2nd is Ottawa's Interlude at 1.6). The economic impact for those ten days is an astounding 172 million. So go to the Stampede board and try explaining that to them. "Hey, I'm a guy and I have an idea how to lose 72 million dollars for you"
The idea that we need to scrap one to have the other is pretty stupid too, it takes a long time to build up a Festival, instead of wishing Stampede changes get out and support Sled Island and let's continue to see that grow.
The Rodeo, well yeah thats a separate issue and I wish we could do away with that, or at least some events somehow.
Went on a rant there but it always seems to be the born and breed Calgarians that get stuffy about the Stampede. Oh dear, the rides don't change. The rides rarely change at any of these events. The Midway crews unpack in Calgary, do this event, pack back up and do 100+ other events across North America.
It's just a big dress up costume party for ten days, and as someone us doesn't up costume parties, especially Halloween, I've managed to get over it.
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