After two years of little fanfare, the Calgary Stampede Parade will be back with a bang this year to ring in the 10-day event.
Whether you're looking to head downtown to watch the action or stay wrapped up in bed, you don't want to miss seeing the iconic parade.
The parade will be kicking off the Calgary Stampede festivities on Friday, July 8, at 9 a.m. The procession will start at Ninth Ave. at Third St. S.E. and end on Sixth Ave. S.W. and Fourth St. S.E. It will run for about two hours total.
The Calgary Stampede Parade route.Courtesy of Calgary Stampede
The parade prelude kicks off at 7:30 a.m. and over 30 acts and 1,500 performers will be helping warm up the crowds before the parade gets underway.
Most access to downtown Calgary will be closing at 7:30 a.m. so people looking to attend the parade should take Calgary Transit instead.
Who's taking part
Around 90 entries are expected to be making their way through downtown Calgary, including 25 floats, marching bands and mounted colour parties. Some of the highlights will be Calgary’s Ukrainian Community marching with their “Glory to Ukraine” entry and a new colourful display by the Consulate of Mexico.
Hollywood legend and Yellowstone star Kevin Costner is the parade marshal and will be heading up the procession. The parade marshals for 2021 and 2020 – Katari Right Hand and Filipe Masetti Leite – will also be riding in the parade due to the absence of a full parade for the last two years.
David Spence, the beloved CTV Calgary Meteorologist, will be the celebrity parade judge and he'll be in charge of picking the parade entry that best exemplifies the spirit of the Calgary Stampede.
You'll also be able to vote for your favourite entry too by texting the entry number to 403-692-0977. Each vote gets you a chance to win Stampede prizes.
Where you can watch the parade
If you can't get down to see the parade in person, you'll be able to stream the event too. There'll be an Alberta-wide broadcast of the parade on Global television and the Global News YouTube channel.
Also if you are attending in person, you'll be able to get into the Stampede Park for free between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.!
Calgary Stampede Parade
Price: Free
When: Friday, July 8 2022. The prelude starts at 7:30 a.m. while the parade starts at 9 a.m.
Address: The parade starts from Ninth Ave. at Third Street S.E.
Why You Need To Go: Check out the return of the Calgary Stampede Parade with parade marshal Kevin Costner and over 90 entries to get the 10-day event started.