The Calgary Stampede is the most iconic festival weekend in Canada. From the rodeo to world-class musical talent, it’s not a Canadian festival to miss. Over the ten days, the Stampede brought in over 1.4 million people, marking its 114th anniversary.
Spanning July 3 to 12, the event had a rodeo purse of over $2.17 million across the events, with 100+ artists across the Coca-Cola Stage, Nashville North, and Big Four Roadhouse. We attended the second weekend and caught the back half of the excitement. Upon arrival Thursday, the entrance led straight to the Coca-Cola Stage at noon, where Calgary artist Frank Mighty welcomed us.
Being from Calgary and attending since he was young, it was clear this performance meant a lot to him. Running through tracks from his new album, Shoulder Season, he’s been described by Wonderland Magazine as sounding somewhere between Passion Pit and MGMT, proof that this festival isn’t just country music and rodeo culture.
We sat down with Frank Mighty and asked him, as someone from Calgary, what the festival means to him.
Growing up in Calgary, what did the Stampede mean to you?
I’ve owned cowboy boots since I was six months old. I went every year until I was 26, when I moved from Calgary. It’s like Christmas; all of my friends fly in the first Saturday of Stampede. I’ve seen all of my favourite bands at the Coke stage, all the big Canadian bands.
Was there anything special about this show compared to others you’ve done in the past, considering it’s at the pinnacle of where you grew up?
I had the full band, and we were able to play all the songs off the recent record, something we hadn’t been able to do yet, which gave it a different feel. Having the Coke sign behind me, knowing I was standing where bands I’d looked up to had stood, that had a different feeling too.
I live for festival performances. The sun’s out, people are dancing, it’s just so different from the average venue. A lot of my family was there; I even had family fly out for me. And all my friends, who are usually at the rodeo for work during Stampede, came over to see the show.
One of my best friends, who organizes the Stampede party we all go to, is a great keyboardist. So when I heard I was playing the Coke stage, I reached out to him months in advance, and he nailed it. It was so much fun having him up there. Playing with your childhood best buddy isn’t something you can replace.
After the show, the festival grounds had plenty to fill the rest of the day, including the agriculture building, where farmers from around Canada bring in pigs, chickens, sheep, and cows, and are happy to talk about decades of experience running their farms.
We were back on the grounds Friday for the rodeo, and day 8 of the Stampede delivered a stacked card. Luke Thrash topped the bareback with an 86, and Josh Frost closed out the night riding to an 89 in the bulls, the top score of the day across the board. Kassie Mowry blazed through the barrels in 16.68, while Hali
Williams and Riley Duvall kept the timed events honest with a 2.4 in breakaway and a 4.2 in steer wrestling. It was tight at the top in a couple of events too: Kade Bruno and Ryder Wright split the win in saddle bronc at 88.5, and Zack Jongbloed and Macon Murphy tied in tie-down roping.
Cowboys Park went full “Ella’s Fellas” Friday night: Langley’s cheekily branded male fanbase turned out in the merch (embroidered hats, “Ella’s Fellas” tees), joining a sea of denim, boots, and cowboy hats that Cowboys Music Festival practically mandates. She leaned on Dandelion through the middle of the set, working in “nicotine,” “paint the town blue,” and the title track, before “You Look Like You Love Me” (her 2x-Platinum Riley Green duet) drew the loudest singalong of the night, ahead of closer “Choosin’ Texas,” the song that made her the first solo woman in Billboard history to top the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, and Country Airplay charts at once.
After attending for the second year in a row, it’s clear that the Calgary Stampede’s tagline, “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” really holds up. From interacting with Canadian farmers and their animals to catching some of the best acts you’ll see anywhere, it’s without a doubt the spot to be. We can happily say it’s not our first rodeo, and it won’t be our last.
