Every July, the world famous Calgary Stampede takes place in the city of Calgary, Alberta. This event is a real pride for the inhabitants as it’s considered as one of the biggest outdoor exhibitions in the world. It lasts 10 days, with rodeo and agriculture honoured.

The first agricultural fair took place in Calgary in 1886, organized by the “Calgary and District Agricultural Society”. In 1912, the American Guy Weadick arrived in town and decided to transform the event into a giant rodeo competition, with a big fair as a tribute to the Old West culture.

Since then, the Stampede has become bigger and bigger, and today, people from all over the world comes to Calgary to participate or simply enjoy this outdoor competition.

On the first day, the parade opens the Stampede with plenty of local or international celebrities (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were present in 2011, for example).  The main theme of the Stampede is the rodeo, and you can watch the competition every day and support your favourite candidates. There is also a big market where you can find a lot of handmade items, such as toys, food and household goods, and the agricultural exhibition is open throughout the whole event. Farmers show the public their skills, products, animals, and sometimes compete, for example in the World Championship Blacksmith Competition.

The Calgary Stampede is a great way to start summer if you have the chance to be in Alberta in July!

Further reading

To learn more about living in Calgary, check out some of our other articles about Alberta’s number one city.

Photo Credit : Flickr.com