More than 32,000 people attended Sneak-a-Peek Thursday as the Calgary Stampede prepared for its official opening Friday with its annual parade, free park admission, live music, midway food and agriculture and western events.<\/p>\n
The Calgary Stampede reported 32,024 guests attended Sneak-a-Peek on Thursday, July 2.<\/p>\n
The total 2026 Stampede attendance to date is also 32,024.<\/p>\n
Related Stories:<\/p>\n
The Calgary Stampede officially begins Friday, July 3, with the Calgary Stampede Parade presented by Suncor.<\/p>\n
The parade starts at 9 a.m. and travels through downtown Calgary, beginning at 9 Avenue S.E. and 3 Street S.E. before ending at 6 Avenue and 3 Street S.E.<\/p>\n
More than 120 parade entries are expected, including floats, hundreds of horses, marching bands and cultural performers.<\/p>\n
Early spectators can also watch the Parade Prelude, which begins at approximately 8 a.m. and includes 34 acts featuring live music, dance and cultural performances.<\/p>\n
In 2025, the Stampede Parade attracted more than 350,000 spectators.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s parade will be led by Parade Marshals Courtney Sarault and Mika\u00ebl Kingsbury.<\/p>\n
According to the Calgary Stampede, Sarault made history at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games as the first Canadian short track speed skater to win four medals at a single Olympic Games.<\/p>\n
The Stampede said Kingsbury added two more Olympic medals, including gold, to his career total in moguls skiing.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach year, thousands of volunteers and participants come together to create an unforgettable experience for hundreds of thousands of spectators, making the Stampede Parade one of our city’s most cherished traditions and the official start of the Calgary Stampede,\u201d said Stuart O’Connor, President and Chair of the Board at the Calgary Stampede.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re proud to welcome everyone as we celebrate the community spirit, Western hospitality and volunteerism that make the Calgary Stampede The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Award-winning comedian, actor, producer and host Andrew Phung will serve as the Celebrity Judge for this year\u2019s parade.<\/p>\n
Phung is best known for his role as Kimchee on the CBC\/Netflix series Kim\u2019s Convenience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Parade is a tradition that is shared by the entire city,\u201d said Keith Marlowe, Volunteer Chair of the Calgary Stampede Parade Committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we prepare to welcome thousands of spectators, we encourage everyone to plan ahead and arrive early to enjoy the outstanding Parade Prelude, where a lineup of spectacular performers helps build the excitement ahead of the main event. Our volunteers work year-round to make sure families and visitors have a safe and unforgettable start to Stampede.\u201d<\/p>\n
Road closures, transit and free admission<\/p>\n
Calgary Transit is expected to be one of the easiest ways to get around downtown Calgary on Parade Day and throughout Stampede.<\/p>\n
According to the Calgary Stampede, Calgary Transit service runs around the clock beginning the evening of Thursday, July 2, and ending the morning of Monday, July 13.<\/p>\n
Street parking restrictions on roads immediately south of downtown Calgary and in East Village came into effect at noon Thursday.<\/p>\n
Most roads in and out of the downtown core are expected to close at 7:30 a.m. Friday.<\/p>\n
Vehicle access will be restored after the parade ends and Calgary police determine it is safe to do so, around 2 p.m.<\/p>\n
Those who cannot attend in person can watch a live broadcast presented by Corus Entertainment and Global Calgary.<\/p>\n
After the parade, guests can head to Stampede Park for free admission from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Parade to Park presented by Suncor.<\/p>\n
Opening day music, food and western events<\/p>\n
Stampede officials are also promoting a full opening-day music lineup across the Coca-Cola Stage, Nashville North Bud Light Stage and The Big Four Roadhouse.<\/p>\n
Friday performers include Alessia Cara, Scott Helman, Ashley McBryde, Dax, Garrett Gregory, Kelsi Mayne, Foxx Worthee, ZENON, Dempsey Bolton, Danny Nix and the Heat, Logan Ryan Band and Nickola Magnolia.<\/p>\n
The 2026 Stampede Midway is also opening with new food offerings and a new foods map.<\/p>\n
Agriculture and western events are scheduled Friday in the Nutrien Western Event Centre.<\/p>\n
The Cutting Horse Competition is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.<\/p>\n
The Heavy Horse Show is scheduled for 11:15 a.m.<\/p>\n
Stampede officials said Calgary is preparing to welcome more than a million guests during this year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n
Shave for the Brave raises more than $52,000<\/p>\n
The fourth annual Stampede Shave for the Brave raised more than $52,000 for Young Adult Cancer Canada, according to the Calgary Stampede.<\/p>\n
Eleven participants took part in the fundraiser, including Calgary Stampede Executive Vice President, Business Services and Chief Financial Officer Graeme Ryder; Calgary Stampede Board Director Michael Wetherup; Calgary Stampede volunteer Max Stretch; Sam Centre Team Lead, Digital Operations Drew Thibeault; and Philanthropy Specialist Ryan Hancock.<\/p>\n
\u201cI absolutely love what Young Adults Cancer Canada does for young adults fighting probably the greatest battle they\u2019ll ever have in their lives,\u201d Ryder said.<\/p>\n
Ryder, who donated his hair for the fourth year in a row, added, \u201cContinuing to support through the Stampede and how we give back to the community is pretty special to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wetherup took part for the first time this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m grateful to those who donated, and a huge part of that group was from our Stampede family. I will definitely participate in Shave for the Brave again,\u201d Wetherup said.<\/p>\n
DH Ranch Relay returns to Stampede<\/p>\n
The DH Ranch Relay team is also returning to the Calgary Stampede this year.<\/p>\n
The team will compete in the ENMAX Relay Races at GMC Stadium during the 2026 Calgary Stampede.<\/p>\n
Team owner and captain Brent Dodginghorse helped launch the DH Ranch Relay team in 2025, when the team entered the Rotary International Relay Race qualifier on Stampede Park.<\/p>\n
The win earned the team a spot at the 2025 Calgary Stampede.<\/p>\n
The team later posted strong results at other major relays, including at Enoch Cree Nation in central Alberta and the Championship of Champions in Casper, Wyoming.<\/p>\n
According to the Calgary Stampede, the team\u2019s finish as the top Treaty 7 team in Casper secured its return to Stampede this year.<\/p>\n
The Calgary Stampede runs from July 3 to 12.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More than 32,000 people attended Sneak-a-Peek Thursday as the Calgary Stampede prepared for its official opening Friday with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":777745,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48],"class_list":["post-777744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-calgary","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}