Our First Rodeo - At the Calgary Stampede

When we were booking our Calgary/Banff vacation we noticed that all of the hotels in downtown Calgary were either booked or very expensive. Turns out we planned our trip during the Calgary Stampede, an annual ten-day rodeo, exhibition and festival. It was also the Centennial Celebration for one of the world's largest rodeos.

While going to a rodeo has never been on my bucket list, when in Calgary during the Stampede,  you should do like the Calgarians (is that even a word).

70s television was chopped full of rodeo action, so Jonathan and I had a very good idea what to expect. Although we were at a loss on which events we were going to see ... rodeos have events?  The boys were a bit in the dark, since so much of kids programming today does not include rodeos, due mainly to animal rights concerns.

I should point out that on the animal rights front, the Calgary Stampede does a great job at putting the safety of the animals first. The organizers work very closely with the Canadian SPCA to ensure all of the animals are treated humanely. In fact on our rodeo day one cowboy was disqualified for unnecessary roughness when tying a calf. And the announcer kept assuring the crowd that the interest of the animal comes first.

The Calgary Stampede is much more than a rodeo... Though the rodeo was a lot of fun. We bought tickets to the rodeo which gave us admission to the fair-like festival and all of the animal exhibits. When we arrived we went to the Saddledome where the Calgary flames play and watched the miniature pony races. The boys enjoyed it (the little horses are so cute!) Then we headed to see the Budweiser Clydesdales. Amazing beautiful and massive horses. We also watched a performance on the Saddledome steps.

One great thing about the festival is that there were tons of free activities for the boys -- shows, exhibits and games.

When it was time for the rodeo we lined up and went inside. Jonathan had enough foresight to get us seats in the shade. Although we were miles from the action. Still on the hot afternoon, we enjoyed the breeze and felt sorry for those folks wilting in the sun.

I had my big lens with me, so I was able to get some pretty good pictures though. The boys liked it mostly, although they did get a bit bored.  We left after the bull riding, but before the kids pony rangling (even though the boys friend from the hotel pool was competing in that event).

It was a wonderful afternoon, and a great experience. Although rodeos still aren't my thing, and I thought the boys would love it more, it really was worth visit. Especially if you happen to be in Calgary during the Stampede.