On the website, we purchased a three day package with good grandstand seats to see chuckwagon races as well as the evening grandstand show portions of the Stampede.
The Stampede Grandstand was renamed GMC Stadium in 2022. It seats 17,000 with space for 8,000 standing room. It annually hosts the rodeo. There were lines to get into this grandstand and lines to purchase food. There were vendors serving beer and food at our seats. Lammie's has a western shop that we walked through on our way inside.
We found our seats easily in the grand stand. There were big screens showing the televised events. The seats were narrow & very close together without much legroom.
We stood for the national anthem. Chuck wagon race events were explained. We watched the Chuck wagons pulled by 4 horses race around the track to cheers. I learned that
Chuckwagon racing is an equestrian rodeo sport where drivers of a chuckwagon are lead by a team of Thoroughbred horses that race around the track. This sport is popular in the Prairie Provinces of Canada, where the World Professional Chuckwagon
Association & the Canadian
Professional Chuckwagon Association are the 2 major racing circuits. The most famous chuckwagon race in the world is held annually here at the Calgary Stampede, with a total prize money for the 10 day event toping C$2 million. Major construction, oil, energy, aeronautics ... companies sponsor wagons with advertising rights.
The best Indigenous Relay Racing teams take to the track each night at the Calgary Stampede after the Cowboys Rangeland Derby Chuckwagon Races. Ten teams show off their incredible skills, with riders mounted bareback. They race the track at fast speed, then leap off to swap horses before taking off on another lap.
There was a children's chuckwagon race, and all kinds of entertainment. Each evening show ended with fireworks. read more