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<\/p>\nFrom pancakes to barbecue to the midway, food has always been a staple of the Stampede \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t mean the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth isn\u2019t trying new things.<\/p>\n
Welcome to the Culinary Cup, which just wrapped its preliminary rounds Tuesday. Inside the BMO Centre, visitors can be treated to watching local chefs go head-to-head in the inaugural Stampede competition, with bragging rights and prize money on the line. It\u2019s all part of showcasing agriculture and how produce is transformed in the kitchen, according to a Taste of Stampede committee vice-chair.<\/p>\n
But that isn\u2019t all there is to do on the grounds. There are, of course, the staples of music and rodeo \u2014 not to mention chuckwagons, which has become a family affair for Obrey Motowylo and his sons.<\/p>\n
None of it would be possible without being able to actually get to the Stampede, though. It\u2019s one of the busiest transit events in the city, which means Calgary Transit has to take extra steps to ensure everyone gets to where they need to go.<\/p>\n
And when travelling, consider bringing a rain poncho or be prepared to head inside for more goodies \u2014 Environment Canada is forecasting a 30 per cent chance of rain Wednesday afternoon and evening, with a risk of thunderstorm. It\u2019ll still be plenty hot, though, with a high of 27 C predicted.<\/p>\n
Wednesday is BMO Kids\u2019 Day, offering a free pancake breakfast in the GMC Stadium Courtyard from 8 to 10 a.m. Kids will also get free entry into Stampede Park all day, and everyone else can enter for free until 11 a.m.<\/p>\n
Attendance on Tuesday reached 152,182, bringing total Stampede attendance to 744,165.<\/p>\n
Follow along for full Calgary Stampede coverage.<\/p>\n
NEED TO KNOWMusic picks for July 8<\/p>\n
Jade Eagleson. Photo by Ryan Nolan<\/p>\n
On the grounds<\/p>\n
Jade Eagleson at Nashville North<\/p>\n
Calgary expat Jade Eagleson is blessed with an earthy baritone and a frosty cooler full of revel-ready songs about drinking (Whisky Thinks I Am), hangovers (Hangover Like You) and drinking \u2014 sometimes with others (More Drinkin\u2019 Than Fishin\u2019, which he sings with fellow country star Dean Brody). All of this makes him an appropriate headliner for Nashville North on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Nashville North at 8:45 p.m.<\/p>\n
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Rock singer Billy Idol.<\/p>\n
Off the grounds<\/p>\n
The Roundup Music Festival at Prince\u2019s Island Park<\/p>\n
Nostalgia rules on Day 1 of the Roundup MusicFest this year, with organizers bringing in 1970s-1980s icons Billy Idol and David Lee Roth as headliners for the show at Prince\u2019s Island.<\/p>\n
Idol had a number of hits in the 1980s, including Eyes Without a Face, White Wedding, Rebel Yell and Dancing With Myself, and is still filling stadiums<\/a>.<\/p>\n David Lee Roth was frontman of Van Halen during the band\u2019s 1974 to 1985 heyday and various reunions over the years, singing on hits such as Jump, Panama and Hot for Teacher before launching a successful solo career in the 1980s.<\/p>\n They will be joined by Canadian veterans Sloan and Canuck classic-rock supergroup Toque.<\/p>\n Prince\u2019s Island Park. Doors open at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n Stampede Caravan Breakfasts Pancakes fill the griddles at the Makami College Stampede breakfast on July 6, 2024.<\/p>\n July 8<\/p>\n 9-11 a.m.:\u00a0Southcentre Mall, 100 Anderson Rd. S.E.<\/p>\n 8-11 a.m.: YYC Calgary International Airport, Airport Road N.E. (arrivals level)<\/p>\n L-R: Chefs Alejandro Buzzalino from Salt + Brick and Heonyeol Jeong from Vintage Group during the Calgary Stampede\u2019s newest culinary event at the BMO Centre on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Alberta\u2019s top chefs battle it out in the Culinary Cup, a high-stakes, bracket-style tournament where the province\u2019s most exciting culinary talent compete for a $10,000 championship title over 10 days of timed challenges.<\/p>\n The stoves were hot but the competition was hotter, as two local chefs competed in the final preliminary round of the Culinary Cup at the Stampede on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n Inside the BMO Centre at Taste of Stampede, for 10 days Calgarians can watch cooking demos, community cook-offs and learn from seasoned professionals how to improve their own cooking, or watch local pros battle it out for the Culinary Cup.<\/p>\n The bracket-style tournament started with 16 local chefs, divided into old-school chefs born before 1985 and new-school chefs born after 1985. For the preliminary round, chefs were asked to come prepared with a dish in mind, and had to cook it in an hour.<\/p>\n Dishes were judged by the Taste of Calgary committee, who awarded points based on various criteria, including taste, creativity and presentation.<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chuckwagon driver Obrey Motowylo and his outrider sons (L-R) Hayden and Ethan, and one of their horses, Captain, at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n Racing at the Calgary Stampede has turned into a family affair for Obrey Motowylo.<\/p>\n Every night at the Rangeland Derby presented by Play Alberta, the veteran 54-year-old reinsman from Hoadley, Alta., proudly has his sons, Hayden and Ethan, working as his outriders.<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thousands stormed the gates for Family Day at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n With 1.5 million people expected to visit the Calgary Stampede this year, including both locals and tourists, Calgary Transit is in overdrive to manage the influx of passengers.<\/p>\n While Calgary Transit recorded more than 93 million trips in 2025, the agency sees a notable spike in ridership in early July, courtesy of Stampede Park\u2019s location just off the CTrain network.<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band will perform at the Wildhorse Saloon on July 8.<\/p>\n Last summer, actor Hank Azaria received a text message from a dentist\u2019s office that contained a video.<\/p>\n It seems the dentist is a mutual friend of both Azaria and his musical hero, Bruce Springsteen.<\/p>\n Springsteen was in the chair suffering from a bad toothache but wanted to send the actor a message about a YouTube clip he had seen of Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band in concert.<\/p>\n \u201cI got a surprise one day by Bruce,\u201d says Azaria, in a phone interview with Postmedia before offering a pitch-perfect imitation of The Boss: \u201d \u2018I\u2019m sitting here with a terrible toothache and while I\u2019m sitting here with a toothache, I was fabulously entertained by your version of Prove it All Night.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n It was a monumental moment for the busy actor, who is best known for the multiple characters he voices on The Simpsons. It may even lead to what of one of Azaria\u2019s dream scenarios since he began the project, which is to have Springsteen join the band on stage. For now, he will have to settle for The Boss\u2019s nod of approval from a dentist\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n Azaria will be bringing the tribute act to Wildhorse Saloon for a July 8 performance during the Calgary Stampede.<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n A family photo of Guy Weadick, centre, belonging to his niece Barbara Merback was copied on June 6, 2012.<\/p>\n By 1932, the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede was a combined institution made up of two cultures: E.L. Richardson\u2019s Exhibition and Guy Weadick\u2019s Stampede. Weadick saw the Stampede as the attraction that made the whole thing work.<\/p>\n A big legal clash would soon take to the stage.<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Calgary Stampede midway pictured on Sunday, July 6, 2025.<\/p>\n Calgarians are dusting off their cowboy duds and getting ready to kick up their heels and welcome visitors from around the globe for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.<\/p>\n The Calgary Stampede will once again bring parades, music concerts, rodeo and a host of other events to the city, in celebration of its Western roots.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a showcase of Western hospitality, Western heritage,\u201d said Stampede spokeswoman Julie Forget. \u201cAnd then sprinkling in a massive festival with all the music and the midway rides and the crazy foods \u2014 there really is something for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2026 Calgary Stampede Princess, Sarah O\u2019Brien with the What The Duck dumpling as the Calgary Stampede held there famous New Midway Food sampling event before they hit the Midway as 68 new foods will be on the menu at The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth July 3-12 in Calgary on Thursday, May 14, 2026.<\/p>\n When it comes to food, the Stampede is best known for its midway fare, from the wacky and downright weird to classics like good ol\u2019 corn dogs and traditional slow-cooked barbecue. When it comes to gourmet cuisine, ground-breaking dishes from the city\u2019s top chefs, and award-winning fine wine, though? Not so much. But if you\u2019re willing to go deep and explore beyond the countless rows of midway booths, you may be surprised to discover the Stampede is secretly a bit of a foodie wonderland.<\/p>\n Read more from food writer Elizabeth Chorney-Booth<\/a>.<\/p>\n Saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston rode Virgil to win the championship round of the Calgary Stampede Rodeo on Sunday, July 13, 2025 with a score of 92.5.<\/p>\n The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth begins Friday at GMC Stadium, and with it comes the world\u2019s largest outdoor rodeo.<\/p>\n The Calgary Stampede Rodeo features 210 of the globe\u2019s top cowboys and cowgirls competing for a prize purse of more than $2.1 million in 2026.<\/p>\n It\u2019s big money for the toughest and most talented rodeo stars.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year\u2019s lineup brings together proven champions, rising stars and athletes with powerful stories of grit, family legacy and incredible comebacks,\u201d said Kristina Barnes, director of agriculture & western events at the Calgary Stampede. \u201cFrom lightning-fast rides to edge-of-your-seat competition, every afternoon at GMC Stadium will showcase the strength, precision and determination that make the Calgary Stampede Rodeo unforgettable.<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jamie Laboucane, right, finishes just ahead of Obrey Motowylo in Heat 9 of the Rangeland Derby at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday, July 6, 2025.<\/p>\n While chuckwagon racing may look a little different than when it debuted at the Calgary Stampede in 1923, the general principles haven\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n Chuckwagon historian and commentator Billy Melville said that although the sport has been around for more than a century, the objective remains the same.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though it\u2019s gone through a number of changes, there are three underlying principles that have guided the chuckwagon races since Day 1,\u201d said Melville, who loves talking about the sport that his grandfather Orville Strandquist excelled in at as both a driver and an outrider for seven decades from the 1930s to the \u201990s. \u201cWhat they are is that a chuckwagon race does three things: No. 1 is that it tests the skill of the driver; No. 2 is that it tests the skill of the outriders; and No. 3 it demonstrates the speed of the team. It\u2019s really no more complicated than that.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n A forklift pauses by the \u2018YAHOO\u2019 sign during set up at the Stampede grounds in Calgary on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.<\/p>\n For those cowpokes who are new to these parts, it\u2019s time for a little Stampede 101. When you want to holler out your enthusiasm for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, the preferred expression is \u201cyahoo,\u201d not \u201cyeehaw.\u201d While all whoops of joy are welcome around town, a look at Stampede history shows \u201cyahoo\u201d has been the favoured choice for many a year.<\/p>\n The word has long been associated with the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/69561864602e3c4f7e5c29c0781181fd.jpeg\"\/)
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