Summer is coming and it’s time to get your Stampede on!

The Calgary Stampede holds a special place in my heart and is without a shadow of a doubt the greatest outdoor show on earth. In 2007, I moved to Calgary and was constantly told how amazing the Stampede is and that the entire city turns into the old west for 12 straight days. Initially I was a little skeptical and did not want to buy into the whole Cowboy lifestyle but from my very first second on the Stampede grounds, I was hooked. When I first walked onto the grounds I was dressed in a baseball hat, Burton t-shirt and my vans and within the first five minutes I was wearing a cowboy hat, plaid shirt and leather cowboy boots. There is a certain atmosphere that you just can’t deny when you are at the Calgary Stampede, even if you never really took to the whole Wild West lifestyle. Believe me that if you decide to go check it out the stampede that you will want to dress the part of a cowboy or cowgirl as that is the norm. In fact you would look very out of place if you were not dressed up in some form of a western get up.

I still kept my awesome shades on though!

The Chuckwagon races are a must when visiting the Stampede

One of the biggest and most exciting attractions at the Calgary Stampede has to be Chuckwagon races. Let me tell you from firsthand experience that the adrenaline that gets pumping through you body from just watching these real cowboys do absolute crazy things with these animals is unrivalled. I remember my first time just like it was yesterday watching Kelly Sunderland come screaming down the track with the reigns of the Chuckwagon in one hand and waving his cowboy hat it the other. I thought to myself that I want to be that guy and it gave me an immediate love for the Chuckwagons. Every year since then while living in Calgary I made sure to go the Chuckwagons at least three times during the Stampede and one of those days being the finals. Also anytime I had friends or family come visit for Stampede I would always be sure to show them how amazing the Chuckwagons are. Every single person I brought to the Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon races left with a new love for this action packed sport.

I would love to be one of these guys!

Enjoy the music and atmosphere at Nashville North

With every stampede grounds entry you also get access the biggest beer tent/live venue I have ever seen in my life, that very fittingly goes by the name of Nashville North. Now I have to warn you that the lineup to get into Nashville North can sometimes be very intense and can sometimes take 2 -3 hours to get in but trust me in that it is 110% worth it. An option to avoid the lineup is, if you are planning to go to the Rodeo, you can purchase a buck the line ticket that includes your Rodeo ticket, two drink tickets, beef on a bun and VIP entry to Nashville North before 9 pm. I would highly recommend getting this package as this way you don’t have to stand in line for hours and can go check out the rest of what stampede has to offer without having to worry about your entrance into Nashville North. You can learn more about the stampede packages here.

Yes there is drinking in Nashville North

What are you waiting for? Start planning your 2014 Calgary Stampede Experience!

The Calgary Stampede really is something that you will not regret going to and I think it is something that every person needs to experience at some point in their life. Some tips that I could give you that would make your trip that much more cost effective is to go over Flipit and browse for some deals that you can take advantage of while in Calgary. Also be sure you check out their Photobook promo code so you can make a nice keepsake after you have had a blast at Stampede! Do you like going to festivals? Be sure to go over and browse our festival’s category page to discover other great festivals that you can attend! Not into festivals that much but are planning a trip to Canada? Go to take a look at our Canada category page and discover all that Canada has to offer.