You get a triple-header of major holiday events in Alberta during July, when the Calgary Stampede fires up with Edmonton’s Capital EX festival and the Indy car race. These are the biggest summer draws in the province.
Here’s a look at highlights for each event. You can compare and book packages for these events and other Travel Alberta getaways here.
The Calgary Stampede Fires Up
Come to Calgary this summer, Alberta’s gateway city to the Canadian Rockies, and for 10 wild days from July 4-13 you can lose yourself in a city that goes entirely Western in a Mardi Gras-like whoop up that goes night and day.
It’s the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, and what does that mean for you? If you like rodeo, it means one of the richest purses on the planet drawing the world’s top competitors. If you’ve never seen a chuckwagon race, it means you can stand by the rails as huge chuckwagons hurtle past you, towed by thundering horses that sometimes seem so close you can feel your hair get blow dried. Don’t worry, you’re at a safe distance. If you like musical entertainment, it means seeing top acts like The Judds and Sugarland.
Enjoy Old West and New West
You can stroll into this celebration of the Old West and dress up Western, and hit the city saloons, but you can also acquaint yourself with the New West by wandering Calgary’s downtown Stephen Avenue to enjoy its summer patios, fine dining, and art galleries. Check out attractions such as the Calgary Tower, Glenbow Museum and the nearby Calgary Zoo, the second largest zoo in Canada.
This year there’s a new campaign called Come Down and Get Away. “We’re really focusing on families this year,” says Doug Fraser, media relations manager for the Calgary Stampede. “There will be new special family programming in the Indian village, the agricultural area and special stage shows, as well as meet and greets with children’s costumed characters.”
There’s a new interactive zone geared to kids and teens that includes fashion shows, hip hop crew shows, on-stage contests and fashion shows. It’s called, appropriately enough, The Getaway.
Discover Capital EX
From July 17-26, Edmonton launches its biggest summer party, Capital EX. This gateway-to-the-North metropolis is known as Festival City, because it runs music, arts and sports festivals throughout the year. Capital EX attracts more than 700,000 visitors during its 10 days, which is as many people as go to the other festivals in the city combined.
This year, a great attraction is the Cirque Mechanics Birdhouse Factory, which features Cirque acrobats, dancers, clowns and contortionists telling a story about flight and birdhouses. And Black Umfolosi, Zimbabwe’s most famous singing and dancing group, will be taking the stage – just one of hundreds of musicians and performers.
See New Bull Riders
Also new this year is bull riding featuring top pro bull riders, in the Professional Bull Riders Built For Tough series. But if you want something a bit more delicate, visit Explore Butterfly, a massive butterfly house with 15,000 of the world’s butterflies. It was a huge hit last year, says Capital EX spokesperson Kate Olsen, and it will be featured in the Sportex and called Spirit of the Butterfly.
Capital EX provides music for all tastes and you’ll find great Canadian acts including Sam Roberts and Hedley at the ED Fest stage.
Do It All in One Place
“The greatest thing about Capital EX is that there is truly something for everyone,” says Olsen. “So you can go on the midway, see a live band and shop in our international market and sip some wine, sample some food, watch a Cirque performance and then enjoy the fireworks at night.”
If you’re coming to the event with family, there is a family focus at attractions such as the Fun Town Fire Hall where kids can meet firefighters, and the Family Fun Town Farm, where kids can learn about farming, pick apples and burn off some steam.
Indy Race Roars
It’s three days of gas, guts and glory. The Edmonton Indy runs July 24-26 this year, building on the success of previous years and continually growing. You can twin the open-wheel Indy Car Race with Capital EX while you’re in Edmonton, and why not enjoy shopping at one of the world’s largest indoor malls – The West Edmonton Mall.
The Indy attracts some of the best racecar drivers on the planet. In its fourth year, this event at the Rexall Speedway offers bronze, silver and gold three-day passes for the three-day event.