The Stampede Is Calgary’s Christmas
photo by sweetviscapeI’m new to Calgary and freely admit I didn’t “get” all the hoopla surrounding The Calgary Stampede – until now.
There are banners on every lamp post, office building windows are painted and people are dressed up in hats, boots and jeans. Sure, there’s a fair bit of debauchery about to be unleashed on the city in assorted beer tents and gardens, but the only way you can fully appreciate what is happening in the city is to think of Christmas.
Christmas is a time when everyone has a special smile on their face, they’re breaking out their best outfits, the city and offices are decorated, parties are everywhere and people are in a giving and generous mood.
That’s exactly what The Calgary Stampede is.
More than 2500 people volunteer some time to make the Stampede tick and tick it does. The Calgary Stampede is the largest economic engine created by a fair in the country with more than $170M of impact. It’s the Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth and it’s Christmas in July.
Yahooooo!
The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?
Can't wait to experience my first Stampede as a Calgarian.
YAHOO!
[...] Buzz Bishop got it exactly right in his blog post yesterday: Stampede is Calgary’s Christmas (go read his blog post) — Everyone is in an awesome mood, and life seems to shine that much brighter in the Calgary [...]
[...] Bishop lets us know why the Calgary Stampede is such a big deal for the people of Cowtown: it’s their Christmas. The people of the city are happier and generally more festive during the Calgary Stampede, as long [...]
Until you've experienced your first Stampede, you can't imagine how much this one event consumes an entire province.