The Town of Banff is overhauling its Canada Day plans after January’s skijoring event drew unexpectedly large crowds and exposed traffic and safety challenges.
The biggest change is moving the annual Canada Day parade to 10 a.m. instead of its usual 4:30 p.m. start, in an effort to spread out traffic throughout the day and to reduce last-minute travel into the town.
In previous years, Canada Day activities took place throughout the day leading up to the afternoon parade, but this year the schedule will be flipped, with the parade taking place first.
Town council has also approved an additional $25,000 for more police, crowd control staff and tow trucks to manage traffic and illegal parking, on top of the nearly $120,000 already budgeted for Canada Day.
Earlier this year, skijoring drew large crowds that overwhelmed Banff’s streets, causing traffic congestion, illegal parking and safety concerns.
Mayor Corrie DiManno says the event was a turning point.
“Skijoring was in many ways a wake-up call as to what can happen when a growing Calgary decides to show up for the same event at the same time.”
The mayor says both skijor and the parade require closing Banff Avenue, the town’s main tourist street — a move that can exacerbate traffic congestion.
The previous 4:30 p.m. parade time also coincided with hotel check-in, adding further pressure to the downtown core, says Staff Sgt. Mike Buxton-Carr, the local RCMP detachment commander.
By moving the parade earlier in the day, the town hopes to ease some of that strain.
During the skijor event, parking filled early and hundreds of visitors parked illegally, including in unsafe areas outside of the townsite.
Buxton-Carr says more officers will be working on Canada Day to prevent similar issues.
“People resorted to illegal parking on the roadways, which contribute to other issues such as pedestrians walking in traffic, vehicles being left at intersections — and that’s something that we’re hoping to mitigate for not only Canada Day, but all future special events,” he says.
The town plans to set up a park-and-ride lot outside of Banff, with shuttle buses transporting visitors into the downtown core.
The town of Banff handed out around 160 parking tickets to people who came to watch skijorring in January 2026. Cars were parked in front of bus stops, fire hydrants and in front of residents driveways. (Rachel Maclean/CBC)
According to the town, Canada Day is its busiest day of the year, and officials expect that trend to continue this summer.
DiManno points to the return of the Canada Strong pass and Calgary’s growing population as factors that will likely lead to even bigger crowds.
“We also know that Canadians are likely staying closer to home this summer due to gasoline prices,” says the mayor.
DiManno says the Canada Day parade is an important tradition for Banff residents. She hopes the changes to this year’s event will help create a safer experience for both residents and visitors.
“I think during skijoring we learned we’re a small town, and suddenly we were hosting a big-city event,” she says. “That’s the lens we want to use moving forward with these larger-scale events, especially in our downtown core.”