Stampede 2025: What made it so iconic

Introduction

If you grew up in Calgary, you already know once July hits:  it’s Stampede or nothing. And if you didn’t grow up here? That’s ok because today I’ll be telling you about the most chaotic, cowboy-coded, deep-fried, boot-stomping event of the year. Stampede. 

Stampede 2025 was chaotic.. Here’s what I thought made this year’s version so unforgettable (and why it’s way more than just a rodeo).

The Music: 

The music this year was amazing! There were so many different artists performing their hearts out on the co co cola stage, ranging from indie local acts to TikTok-famous performers. At this point, most people went to the stampede, solely for the music. Just to name a few, Don Toliver, Meghan Patrick, Cole Swindell, and Tinashe. I think that Stampede isn’t just a carnival, because at this point it’s a lowkey music festival.

The Food: 

I would describe it in 3 words: Deep-Fried Chaos

The food at Stampede this year (and honestly every year), is absolutely mind-boggling. These carts are selling not only a variety of different tasty delicacies, but also creating the most insane combinations. Here are a couple of them:

• Deep fried pickle cotton candy
• Ramenritto
• Fruity Pebble Korean Dog
• Dubai Chocolate funnel cake
• Deep-fried pickle oreos
• Lemonade-in-a-bucket.

Stampede food reminds me of the game Truth of Dare. When I was little, me and my friends would play Truth or Dare a lot and we would dare each other to try crazy food combinations (like Doritos and nutella). Stampede is definitely giving a 10 year olds classic dare turned into an awesome business. .

What to Do (More Than Just Rides)

First of all, the rides were crazy, flipping people up and down and all around. But beyond the spinning and screaming, here’s what else was iconic:

• Rodeo
• Dog shows
• Fireworks
• Pancake Breakfast
• Parade
• A whole lot of food and shopping

Personally, growing up I absolutely loved the rides, but now that I’m older, I’m interested in the other attractions that the Stampede has to offer too! 

Conclusion

Stampede is an absolutely amazing experience that really brings countless Calgarians together (both patriotically but also physically as almost 200,000 people showed up on July 9). The crazy food, awesome music, thrilling rides, and entertaining shows all make Stampede so popular and awesome. If you haven’t had the chance to go yet, it’s still open till July 13, so make sure to stop by for some deep fried oreo pickles!

Sources: https://www.calgarystampede.com/