Must-do at Stampede: Speed ​​of Life and Death in Cowboy Rodeo

1. Bull Riding: 8-second Hellish Challenge

Location: Scotiabank Saddledome (Main Arena)

Time: Afternoon & Night

If you think riding a horse is exciting, then Bull Riding will definitely let you redefine "crazy"! This competition requires cowboys to stay on the back of a manic bull for 8 seconds, and most people are thrown off in the 3rd second... The audience will scream along with the countdown, and the cowboys who fall down often have to face the "second pursuit" of the bull - yes, I am the unlucky audience who was almost chased by the bull! (Safety Tip: Don’t sit in the first row unless you want to experience the real-life “bull rush.”)

Best viewing position:

Close to the railing (exciting but dangerous)

Family area with children (safe but less exciting)

2. Chuckwagon Races: Western version of “Fast and Furious”

Location: GMC Stadium

Highlights: The chaotic aesthetics of overturning, crashing into rails, and neighing horses

This is the oldest and most dangerous event at the Stampede—four horses pulling a wooden carriage, racing on a dusty track, and people and horses will fall down if you are not careful! The audience can not only feel the roar of the horses’ hooves, but also smell the burnt smell of the wood rubbing against each other, as if they have traveled back to the Wild West in the 19th century.

Trivia:

This competition was once protested for being too dangerous, but the cowboys insisted: “What kind of tradition is it if no one has died?”

The prize for the winning team? A ton of beer! (Very Alberta style)

3. Calf Roping: The basics of a real cowboy

Suitable for: People who want to pretend to be the protagonist of a western movie

If you think bull riding is too hardcore, you can try the Calf Roping experience area. The rules are simple: catch up with the calf on horseback, throw out the lasso to tie it up, then jump off the horse and tie the legs of the calf - sounds easy? Try it and you will know that 90% of people can't even throw the lasso!

Stampede Survival Guide: How to Play Like an Old Cowboy

Safety first! Don't do these things

Wear flip-flops into the rodeo (horse shoes + spike shoes are the standard)

Whistle at the performing animals (may anger them, such as the bull chasing me)

Try to imitate bull riding (Stampede Hospital receives a large number of "self-taught" fracture patients every year)

Must-have for foodies: Stampede's "hell-level" food

Deep-Fried Oreos: a calorie bomb, but you can't stop eating

Scorpion skewers (yes, real scorpions! Stampede exclusive hunting snacks)

Alberta steak sandwich (local cowboy certification: more satisfying than bull riding)

Hidden gameplay: cowboy carnival after midnight

Stampede Casino: win money to buy a new cowboy hat

Honky Tonk Bar: learn to dance Two-Step, otherwise you will be treated as a tourist

Indigenous camp: experience the real First Nations culture, more shocking than the daytime parade

Calgary Stampede is not an ordinary festival - it is a western carnival about courage, chaos and freedom. Here, you can see the world's craziest rodeo, eat fried snacks bigger than your face, and even almost get chased by a bull... But this is the charm of Stampede: it allows every modern person to temporarily abandon the rules and experience the taste of "wildness". So, next July, get your cowboy boots and courage ready and come to Calgary for this wildest date!