Visiting the Canadian Rockies has been on my bucket list. We saved it for when we moved to Florida…read moreand wanted to get out of the summer heat. We arranged our travels around the annual stampede, The Calgary stampede is considered to be "the greatest outdoor show on earth." This 10 day annual rodeo, exhibition & festival annually in July attracts over 1 million visitors. It features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon racing, and First Nations exhibitions. It started in 1886 when the Calgary & the District Agricultural Society held its first fair. In 1912, The first rodeo and festival, known as the Stampede began when World War I veterans came home. In 2008, the Calgary Stampede was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.

Does Calgary know how to do a parade! Friendly people, well organized, diverse and the sanitation…read moredepartment cleaning the horse manure during and after the parade. A bucket list experience that if you have the opportunity to do it, do it!

A million dogs,a million strollers and 4 million people at this one day fest…read more... It was an overcast, drizzly day but that did not keep the people from coming out to seemingly Calgary's first Spring fest. This was great to see. The roads were closed appropriately and the main attractions (live performers) were still in the main stream but off on the side streets aways. Regardless, my first time at this festival grades a bit low as we absolutely had to walk on the sidewalks to get anywhere, not in the street. No flow on the street at all. This means there was no way I could see who all the vendors were there or take part in much by way of looking or purchasing as the lines were just too long. Tons of food trucks though if you have the patience! But, it is what it is in this great, big city and I am sure there were many out of towners here as well taking part. Great for Calgary's already booming economy! Wear comfy shoes as you will be walking a lot esp. if you drive downtown as parking is scarce close by. We walked 11 blocks back to our car. Not a day to try a new restaurant on 4th Street either as they are all packed! Free admission.

It was a fun event. Very rich in culture- colorful and very exciting to explore. Lots of food…read morestalls and food trucks. Lots of varieties of booths- from selling merchendise to meditation classes, to animal care, etc. I love the bands playing too in different sections with different song genres. I could walk around all day browsing. Though I hope it lasts more than a day.

I have to admit I had a preconceived idea about Calgary and it's Folk Fest and I was so so so…read morepleasantly mistaken. This festival is completely wonderful. The location is really the highlight and location can completely make an event. The festival sits on an island in the rushing blue of the spectacular Bow River. The stages all have great sight lines and tons of shady seating options and amazing sound. It was a dream to wander about here with a stroller listening to world class music. I saw Tune Yards and Sharon Van Etten on the same day, it was magical! I agree with a previous reviewer that the food truck alley can get quite congested, but on the flip side I loved the options available here. Especially the all vegan food truck with snacks so good even non-vegans we're lining up for it. I'll find the name and make sure they get their own review. I loved the artisan vendors too, especially the ones that are actually handmade in Canada. I think Folk Fests that are strict about their artisan curation and then serious about how they treat all their artists are the ones that are truly world class.

I agree with much of what Tara M. has to say. My favourite…read morethings about the CFMF? It has shade -- regardless of stage, you'll find a place that's not sunny. Also, the beer gardens are next to a stage, so you can enjoy live music while enjoying sangria, wine, or beer. Also, the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire hotel is about a 4 minute walk away for out-of-towners, or for Cowtown folks who want to really enjoy the entirety of the festival. Also, the festival organizers has people walking around with water tanks, filling up the bottles of anyone who needs water -- how awesome is that? One thing that troubles me greatly, however, is how we are forced, essentially, to run a gauntlet of food vendors on our way from the front gates to the main stage. It's overcrowded when it's busy and it's just not fun. But that's greatly outweighed by the many good things this festival brings. Give it a try, it's worth your time and money!

It was my first time to attend Global Fest. I really don't know about it, not until one of my…read moreoffice mates asked if we are going. In GlobalFest, you'll see different food stalls representing various countries. Yes, I basically went there because I heard there's going to be a lot of food! For your convenience, tickets can also be purchased from CO-OP, First Calgary Financial, London Drugs, Chinook Financial, and Marlborough mall. There were several gates to enter the event. Security was really tight because police started blocking roads as early as 6pm. Parking fees will range from $10-$20 (depends on the distance of the parking area to the main ground). If you're planning to attend the event I suggest bringing a bug spray (not unless you're willing to be sprayed by natural bug repellant which cost $10) with you as well as folding chairs or outdoor blankets. Think of it as if you're going to a camp site but not to have bonfire but to watch fireworks Overall, it was a nice experience!

We got the VIP.experience which was disappointing. There was truly no real benefit to paying the…read moreextra money for his experience. We even had to leave the VIP area for cheaper beer. The lines were as expected the parking and ubering in was a nightmare. The email they send you with your tickets told you exactly where the drop.off was and the security wouldn't let.them in there. Unfortunatly there was no drone show which we were looking forward to. I wouldn't spend the money for VIP again but the fireworks show was nice.

This is a great way to try ALL the new breweries in Alberta. Samples of beer range from $2-3…read moredollars. Tickets to get in are $20. I won my tickets via Yelp. My husband bought $30 worth of tokens and we sampled enough to make me tipsy. If I had to pay for my entry tickets, the night would have cost us $70. Not bad if you really like beer and you want to see what's new. The experience was cool. There were at least two large rooms of breweries and restaurants and it was crowded. Most notable of the food options include Cluck and Cleaver, Spolumbos, and Raw Bar. There were plenty of places to stand or sit and sip your beer and nibble on your food. My pick of breweries: Freehold Brewing Co, Caravel, Ol Beautiful, and Six Corners. We were quite impressed with Ol' Beautiful's Okami-Kasu beer. We'll have to make a point to stop by their brewery in Inglewood.

What a great event. I was amazed at how many Alberta based craft breweries I had not hear of that…read morewere there. Albeit this was an international beer festival there were plenty of local eateries and brewers on site. I had never been to one before, and was able to attend thanks to Yelp! There were some pretty cool tent/stations set up. The prices were a bit on the high side, considering it costs about $2-$4 bucks for a mouthful of beer (maybe I have a big mouth). The atmosphere was fun and it was packed. It's great that you can experience and indulge in so many options in one room. We had a blast!

It felt a bit like stepping into a wild western dream. From the high energy chuckwagon races to the…read moreincredible traditional Native American horse race, it was exciting and eyeopening all at once. The grandstand show after the races was amazing, with a huge stage, live music, dancing, a bike show acrobatics and so much energy. And just when you think it's over, the fireworks light up the sky with music playing in the background. It was perfect. Definitely one of the best ways to spend time with family and soak in something truly unique.

On the website, we purchased a three day package with good grandstand seats to see chuckwagon races…read moreas 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.

This was a fun little festival over the Family Day long weekend. It was spread out around a few…read moredifferent plazas and parks downtown from Olympic Plaza to 5th St SW. Each stop was an art installation of various size and purpose all themed around light. The event was completely free too with a couple of the installations located indoors so you could warm up if needed. The fun part of this was that many of the installations were interactive. At Olympic Plaza there were giant shards that you could spin. At The Bow you put your face into a lit up ring and when you smiled a large happy face lit up on the wall. At another location there was a screen inside a door playing a video of a landscape. When you closed the door and opened it again, a different landscape was seen through the door.

I love the Calgary International Film Festival for so many reasons. It has finally picked up steam…read moreand become the go-to Film Fest in Western Canada and the various programs are just brilliant. The International films are wonderful, the shorts and local films are quirky and funny and sad, the volunteers are plentiful and supportive and there are always shining gems. The Galas are fun, expertly planned and sometimes heaping with directors and film people, and sometimes just people out to have a good time. My favourite aspect of CIFF is the sheer variety of films: I try and go see films that I wouldn't otherwise see, and I rarely regret it. There is so much to see and do. Of course, I'm a total film nerd so I'm totally biased.

As one of Calgary's best annual events the Calgary International Film Festival is, to put it…read moresimply, amazing. Running for nine years now the CIFF has come into its own. Canadian, international, animated, drama, horror, short or long, find it all and something for everyone at the CIFF. Personally, I suggest trying to see as many films as possible and make the ten day event just that- an Event. The festival is spread out over ten days, from Friday to the following Sunday, giving the busy cinephile lots of opportunity to catch a few flicks. Several of the movies have a few show times making it easier to schedule. And the volunteers and staff, while not always able to answer every question, go out of their way to make sure you're having a good time. The price for tickets is more then reasonable with regular tickets being $12.00, student price at $10.00, children $6.00 and package deals for those movie lovers who can't stay away. Unfortunately the advertising at the festival can be a bit of a drag, in line you might be accosted by an American Express representative or by someone promoting Fido phones and before every movie there will usually be the same commercials (by the end of the ten days the hardcore festival goers will be reciting the bad beer ads word for word.) But the cheesy ads are easy to ignore or at least laugh about. The lines to get in are sometimes long and the start times delayed but I can't think of a better place to have interesting conversation about movies then in a film festival queue. The few problems with the festival are easily overlooked and the films (and the festival) are even more easily enjoyed. So, go see a film.