Calgary Stampede 2016

Hello everyone! This is Travelin’ Rick and I have just been on the adventure of a lifetime. I was at the Calgary Stampede 2016.

The Calgary Stampede is a ten day event. It is celebrated all across the many different communities with many free and some paid events.

The celebrations started mid-week last week with cowboy hats and cowboy boots seen everywhere.

My Calgary Stampede celebrations started Saturday morning with a free pancake breakfast which was located at the Marlborough Mall.

The line-up for the free breakfast was quite long, so I skipped that. However, there was still lots of activities going on.

I saw Harry the Horse, who is the official mascot for the Stampede. He went around dancing with people, shaking their hands and even sitting in a child’s little red wagon.

There was a small petting zoo which had three little piglets, some goats and some bunny rabbits. Good thing the big bad wolf stayed away.

They had line dancing and pony rides as well. It was a fun time.

The real fun was getting up at 5:30 am this morning and going to the Stampede grounds on the C-Train.

This morning between 6:00 am and 9:00 am, anyone who arrived at the Stampede Park got in for free. This was sponsored by Suncor. Also, the first 20,000 people got a free pancake and sausage breakfast.

I arrived at the Stampede grounds at around 7:00 am and upon entry, was given a ticket for the free breakfast. The line-up for the breakfast was quite long but after 45 minutes, I was enjoying freshly cooked pancakes and sausages. It was delicious and filling too.

I walked around the grounds. None of the exhibits were open yet but I got to see the midway, the outside of the Saddledome and a few military vehicles, such as fight jet and army tanks.

It was a fun morning. The Calgary Stampede was something I have always wanted to visit and now I can say that I have officially visited the Calgary Stampede.