Calgary Stampede is inching closer to a million visitors, on a day to remember on the grounds and at both the rodeo and chuckwagons.
Nearly 111,000 people braved a 30+ Celsius day to get their Calgary Stampede weekend started. That brought the 2022 attendance to 966,435. Stampede officials say things have almost return to pre-pandemic form and the economic impact is substantial.

On Friday, the Calgary Stampede broke ground on another new addition (the BMO Centre construction is ongoing), the SAM Centre. It will be a place where people can appreciate Alberta’s western heritage all year round.
The Centre will open in late 2023.
On the Cowboys Rangeland Derby track at GMC Stadium, Chanse Vigen broke the previous track record with a time of 1:11.71. That wasn’t enough to put Vigen atop the leaderboard as Layne MacGillivray leads through eight days of racing. (Full results here.)
It was also a record-breaking day at the rodeo (photos below).
Texas barrel racer Kassie Mowry broke the arena record with a time of 16.86 in the event. (Full results here.) Â
Rookie bareback rider Rocker Steiner, also from Texas, had an 89.5 ride, which was the second highest of this year’s Calgary Stampede.
Sunday Drag Brunch
There’s still time to catch many of the Calgary Stampede events, including the high-flying bikes at the Monster Energy Compound, blacksmithing demonstrations, and performances of the Calgary Stampede Showband and the Band of Outriders.

Today’s Stampede Insider said there are still tickets available to the Blake Shelton concert, too.
On Sunday, the Calgary Stampede Drag Brunch will go ahead at noon at the Nashville North tent. Tickets are still available, and they include park admission. (No minors.)
Catch Jade Eagleson at Nashville North Saturday night, and Kaskade at the Coca-Cola Stage. DJ Jazzy Jeff will be at the Virgin Plus Stage in the Big Four Roadhouse.