It’s been dubbed “a win-win agreement” by Mayor Jeromy Farkas, as the City of Calgary has reverted to 2025 noise rules for Stampede-time music festival tents.
Over the past two weeks, beginning with the Cowboys Music Festival debacle, and then the cancellation of the Country Thunder music festival, the City of Calgary has been pushed and pulled on the delivery of its noise exemption permits for pop-up music venues during the Calgary Stampede.
Last week, after ongoing conversations with venues, the City said that they had relaxed rules to end music at midnight, allowing cool-down tunes at a lower volume until 1 a.m. This allowed for more time for festival-goers to exit the area.
Though that aspect was changed, the previous five decibel reductions were still in place.
A memo sent to councillors on June 26, from Ryan Pleckaitis, Chief Community Standards, and obtained by LWC, indicated that for all 11 days, Cowboys Music Festival live concerts will still end at midnight. Noise levels before that, however, will remain at last year’s levels (75 dBA max), and bass levels will be reduced to 82 dBA.
On Friday and Saturday nights, after concerts end, outdoor music speakers can play at a reduced volume of 65 dBA and further reduced bass levels (80 dBC).
Pleckaitis thanked Penny Lane Entertainment for collaborating with the City of Calgary on the solution.
“I had the opportunity to meet with operators on site to better understand new investments in sound mitigation technology and changes in production design and operations that should help reduce noise concerns from area residents,” he wrote to councillors.
Some of the sound improvements made by Cowboys included a redesigned beam steering system that directed sound to the audience while reducing spill, along with a redesigned directional cardioid subwoofer to contain bass within the venue.
Cowboys said they also redesigned the stage setup to use sound dampening mats, trailers, shipping containers, vendor structures and tent walls to reduce sound transmission. They will also be constantly monitoring sound both at the site and around the perimeter.
Along with the changes to the Cowboys noise exemption permit, the City of Calgary amended the noise permits for Badlands and Wildhorse music festival permits to reflect the same decibel limit changes before midnight.
‘Willingness to compromise’: Mayor Farkas
During debate on potential changes to the noise exemption permits last week, Ward 11 Coun. Rob Ward had suggested that it’s the bass decibel levels that we should be concerned about.
“I think dBC (bass measurement) is the bigger issue here when people are talking about their walls rattling,” Ward said on June 23.
Mayor Farkas posted to social media Saturday about the deal. He said that it delivered stronger late night noise protections for nearby residents, particularly addressing the bass concerns Ward had raised. Farkas also applauded Cowboys for coming to the table.
“People reported shaking windows, rattling shelves, property damage, public disorder, and excessive intoxication outside their homes,” he wrote on a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“So, this year we introduced new rules that were still more permissive than anywhere else in North America.”
He acknowledged that despite this, operators still had concerns, including performance quality and making it more difficult to attract artists. Farkas noted the City’s review of new technology to direct noise away from residential areas.
“So, here’s the deal. The City agreed to restore pre-midnight sound levels to last year’s limits while keeping bass lower than last year, because it’s all about that bass. Bass generated the most complaints. In return, the operators agreed that live music will end at midnight on weekends too,” Farkas wrote.
“That means giving up some of their busiest and most profitable hours out of genuine respect for their neighbours.”
The Calgary Stampede runs from July 3 to 12, 2026.
