Calgary Stampede: 35 Facts & Infographics

June 29, 2024
By Cody Battershill

35+ Fun Facts on the Calgary Stampede

With more than a million visitors every year, the Calgary Stampede is not only the "greatest outdoor show on earth," but also one of the largest!

A lot of time and work goes into making this annual show happen. The logistics of the entire show are actually pretty insane to think about.

With that in mind, here are more than 35 fun facts that will give you a good idea of just how epic the annual stampede really is!

Stampede Attendance: By the Numbers

#1 – The very first Stampede took place in 1912 with 80,000 people^[4]

#2 – Today, well over 1 million visitors from around the world visit the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth [4]

#3 - Approximately 300,000 people attend the Stampede Parade every year [8]

#4 – The very first Stampede Parade attracted a crowd of 75,000, which was more than Calgary’s total population of 60,000 residents [6]

#5 - Around 4 million people visit the Stampede Grounds every year [1]

#6 - The first Stampede in 1912 attracted about 80,000 people to a city with a population of nearly 90,000 [4][5]

#7 - The 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede (2012) set an attendance record with 1,409,371 visitors [7]

#8 – More than 800,000 people visit the BMO Centre’s market every year at the Stampede Grounds [13]

Stampede Participation: By the Numbers

#9 - More than 1,500 people are employed by the Calgary Stampede year-round [1]

#10 - About 3,500 people are seasonally hired during the 10-day event, many of whom are youth or young adults [1]

#11 - More than 4,000 people and 200 horses participated in the 2022 Stampede Parade [8]

#12 - Every year more than 3,000 people, a majority of whom are from Calgary, dedicate their personal time to volunteer at the show [1]

#13 - These volunteers sit on 29 different volunteering committees [9]

#14 - Over 2 million Canadians nationwide watch the Stampede Parade on television every year [10]

Stampede Food & Drink: By the Numbers

#15 - More than 2 million mini-donuts are eaten every year at the Stampede [11]

#16 – During the 2017 Stampede, more than 3,475 litres of Ketchup and 1,571 litres of Mustard were consumed [11]

#17 - Over 200,000 pancakes are served at community breakfasts throughout the city during the Stampede [11]

#18 - A total of four beer grounds are found at the Calgary Stampede [1]

#19 - In 2024, there are 50+ new foods on the Stampede midway for all to enjoy [12]

#20 - In 2024, there will also be dozens of midway food and drink options from previous years [1]

Stampede Rodeo & Midway: By the Numbers

#20 - Stampede Park itself covers more than 200 acres of land [14]

#21 - More than 7,500 animals are hosted by the Stampede Park during the 10-day event including over 600 chuckwagon horses [15]

#22 – More than 200 horses participate in the annual parade watched on live TV [8]

#23 - Approximately 2 tonnes, or 4400 pounds of manure is left behind by animals on the parade route [16]

#24 – The 2024 Stampede will host 6 rodeo events and have $1.85 million in prize money for rodeo competitors [17]

#25 - 30,000 flowers are planted in Stampede Park each year [18]

Stampede History & Economics: By the Numbers

#26 - The very first Calgary Stampede in 1912 lasted just 4 days, from September 2^nd to September 5th [19]

#27 - In the mid 1940s, admission to the grounds was just 25 cents. Today, it’s $25.00 for ages 13-64 [20]

#28 - A 2019 analysis by the Conference Board of Canada estimated the annual economic impact of the Calgary Stampede to be $540 million, with 52% of that coming directly from the 10-day event in July [21]

#29 - More than 30,000 posters promoting the greatest outdoor show on Earth are distributed worldwide every year [18]

#30 - The “Big Four” businessmen: A.J. MacLean, A.E. Cross, George Lane and Pat Burns made a crucial contribution of $100,000 towards the first-ever Calgary Stampede [22]

#31 - A poll taken in 2011 showed that 40 percent of Calgarians who were expecting they would attend the Calgary Stampede estimated they would spent anywhere from $150 to $500 [23]

#32 - The first Calgary Stampede Rodeo awarded $20,000 in prize money to competitors. According to inflation rates, that cash would be worth $529,890 in 2024 [2][3]

Stampede & First Nations: By the Numbers

#33 – First Nations People of Treaty 7 have been an integral part of the Calgary Stampede since its dawn in 1912, an honoured relationship that continues today. Approximately 1,800 Indigenous Peoples travelled to Calgary to take part in the festivities. [25]

#34 – The Stampede’s 16-acre Elbow River Camp is home to 26 tipis set up in a traditional circle during the 10-day event [24]

#35 – Seven of the tipi designs have been present for all 112 years of the camp [25]

More from Calgaryism

_SOURCES:

_{1 - https://www.calgarystampede.com/stampede/about}_{2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Stampede}_{3 - https://inflationcalculator.ca/}_{4 - https://www.visitcalgary.com/things-to-do/stories-from-calgary/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-calgary-stampede}_{5 - https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/daab9fce-c2f6-49d1-a433-375b2b7aee24/resource/ff3cbef0-1638-4885-b156-e8077fa3ead4/download/population1913.pdf}_{6 - https://www.avenuecalgary.com/Things-to-Do/Calgary-Stampede/The-First-Calgary-Stampede-Parade/}_{7 - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-stampede-sets-new-attendance-record-1.1193512}_{8 - https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/back-in-the-saddle-stampede-parade-set-to-kick-off-the-greatest-outdoor-show-on-earth-1.5979488?cache=yes}_{9 - https://corporate.calgarystampede.com/volunteer/committees}_{10 - https://ucalgary.ca/news/stampede-parade-no-other}_{11 - https://news.calgarystampede.com/releases/new-foods-and-fantastic-flavours-to-arrive-at-2023-calgary-stampede-midway}_{12 - https://www.calgarystampede.com/new-midway-food}_{13 - https://www.calgarystampede.com/exhibitors}_{14 - https://www.bestcalgaryhomes.com/things-you-didnt-know-about-calgary-stampede/}_{15 - https://corporate.calgarystampede.com/about-us/animal-care/questions-answers}_{16 - https://globalnews.ca/news/710830/stampede-by-the-numbers-2-million-mini-doughnuts/}_{17 - https://www.calgarystampede.com/stampede/rodeo}_{18 – Stampede 2015 Media Guide}_{19 - https://gsa.ucalgary.ca/calgary-stampede-101-for-first-timers-2/}_{20 - https://www.stettlerindependent.com/community/stampede-fans-extraordinaire-6606339}_{21 - https://globalnews.ca/news/9826666/business-leaders-calgary-stampede-economic-impact/}_{22 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Burns_(businessman)}_{23 - https://stories.td.com/ca/en/news/2011-07-05-calgarians-are-big-spenders-during-10-days-of-stampede}_{24 - https://venues.calgarystampede.com/event-spaces/enmax-park}_{25 - https://weexplorecanada.com/calgary-stampede-indigenous}