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A new grandstand building that could also accommodate field sports. A live events zone where the to-be-demolished Scotiabank Saddledome currently sits. A multipurpose venue to replace the aging Big Four Roadhouse.<\/p>\n
Those are some of the ideas included in the new 20-year master plan for Stampede Park, announced on Wednesday by Calgary Stampede and Calgary Municipal Land Corporation officials.<\/p>\n
They say the goal is to turn Stampede Park into a year-round gathering place for Calgarians and visitors alike.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no reason Calgary can\u2019t be the Nashville of the north,\u201d said Joel Cowley, CEO of the Calgary Stampede.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I think of success for the Culture + Entertainment District, if I walk down Stampede Trail and walk along Scotia Place and I come across five different bachelorette parties, we\u2019ll know we\u2019ve made it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The plan has seven different zones: agriculture and animals, discovery and heritage, live events, multipurpose venue, Stampede gateway, outdoor flex space, and stadium and track.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773870369_565_default.jpg\")
A rendering that shows the seven zones in the Calgary Stampede’s 20-year master plan for Stampede Park. (Calgary Stampede\/Calgary Municipal Land Corporation)<\/p>\n
Cowley said the master plan explores the possibility of creating a new home for the Calgary Stampeders at Stampede Park, as its current home, McMahon Stadium, is \u201cbeyond its expiration date.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vision is to build a new infield grandstand building to the east of GMC Stadium, with track facilities. But Cowley said that comes with a caveat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to figure out a way \u2014 and this is the work to be done \u2014 for a field to coexist with the rodeo arena and track without either compromising the other,\u201d said Cowley.<\/p>\n
One of those possibilities could be a layered stadium as seen in other parts of the world.<\/p>\n
“I have a napkin drawing in my office that envisions this,” said Cowley. “Engineers will have to prove to me it won’t work.” <\/p>\n
Robert Hayes, CEO of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, said that space would have to be \u201ccity-led.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you build it, maybe they will come. I think we would have a keen interest in that,\u201d said Hayes.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773870370_423_default.jpg\")
A rendering of the 20-year master plan for Calgary’s Stampede Park. (Calgary Stampede\/Calgary Municipal Land Corporation)Live events zone on Saddledome land<\/p>\n
The plan also answers a frequently asked question, said Cowley: what happens to the land the Scotiabank Saddledome currently sits on?<\/p>\n
That building is set to be demolished in 2029 or 2030, and Cowley said the land will be converted into a year-round live events zone. People could watch hockey playoff games there on the big screen if they can\u2019t score tickets to Scotia Place, for example.<\/p>\n
The idea is modelled after similar event spaces across North America, said Cowley: \u201cThink of the ICE District in Edmonton, but much, much better.”<\/p>\n