Stampeding without the crowds

By Stacie Gaetz

If you want to share in the spirit of The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth but are not ready to head down to the crowded Grounds this year, we have you covered.

There are plenty of ways you can celebrate without spending your money and time at the Stampede.

Stampede breakfasts

Nothing says Stampede like a pancake breakfast.

There is no shortage of flap jack flipping this year with the return of many breakfasts that were cancelled for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

See our list of Stampede Pancake Breakfasts here.

Create your own parade

If the parade is one of your favorite parts of the action you can always re-watch it online but why not create your own?

Get your children’s favorite stuffed animal and put them in anything that rolls; wagons, toy cars and trucks, strollers, trikes and bikes. Let the good times roll with a trip around the interior of the house or front or backyards.

Grab or make your own hobby horse and get in on the action as well!

Fun food

You may not be able to make the more exotic things on the midway like the Korean Squid Ink Corn Dog or the Crazy Tongue Pizza (complete with cow tongue!) but there are a few (more appetizing) Stampede foods that you can have at home.

Corn dogs, cotton candy, ice cream and candy apples are readily available at your local grocery store and can make you feel like you are walking down the midway.

Snow cones, mini donuts, pancakes and beef on a bun are also easy to make at homes yourself. Why not create a challenge and try to eat something Stampede themed for the rest of the 10 days?

If you don’t want to go to the trouble to make the food yourself, there are a number of food trucks in and around Calgary that will be serving up Stampede themed fair this week. Learn where they will be here.

Midway games

One of the things kids like the most about the Stampede is the midway games and rides. There are a number of games that you can recreate at home with a few dollar store items and a bit of creativity.

• Shoot Out – Use water guns to shoot balls off of the top of upside-down cups
• Lucky Duck – Take any bath toy and mark the bottom as the winner. Take turns picking and see who wins it big
• Bottle Pyramid – Stack up some paper or plastic cups and throw a ball at them to knock them down
• Ring Toss – Use any bottles you may have around the house and create rings with pipe cleaners or keep it even more simple by using cups and balls

Don’t forget the prizes! What’s the best part of the midway games? The prizes! These can be anything from a treat like a cookie or mini chocolate bar to an already owned toy to trinkets that you pick up at the dollar store.

Western wear

Time to dig out that cowboy hat and polish those boots. Nothing says Stampede like some wranglers and a Stetson so take part in getting gussied up to show your Calgarian pride for any outings you may take during the next week.

You can even decorate your house in a Western theme and use sidewalk chalk to wish your neighbors a Happy Stampede (complete with illustrations of horses, cowboy hats and anything else you can think of).

Events around town

There is no shortage of Stampede related events that are putting on Stampede related events during the 10 days of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

Check out some of Calgary’s other attractions that celebrate Calgary’s Western heritage like Heritage Park and local museums.

If you are up for a late night, drive to a spot close to the grounds and take in the nightly fireworks shows at 11pm.

There are many ways to celebrate Calgary’s largest event of the summer without giddy up and going to the Stampede grounds. No matter how you choose to get your yeehaw on this year, the most important thing is that you spend some time together and have fun.