‘The people are waving, smiling — it’s just a thrill’
The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth is officially up and running.
The 2024 Calgary Stampede kicked off Friday morning with the annual parade. The energy was palpable and tens of thousands of spectators lining the streets of 9th Avenue cheered as the procession began.
Calgarians and visitors alike came out bright and early to line the downtown streets and take in the yearly spectacle — many showing up before 6 a.m. to ensure an unimpeded view of the floats and entertainment on display.
For 17-year-old Tyleaha Smith, who lives in north Calgary, her day started at 3:30 a.m. She arrived at the parade route by 5:30 to snag a front-row spot on 9th Avenue near 1st Street.
“It’s our go-to spot — it fills up around 8 or 8:30,” she said shortly after 6 a.m.
With plans to head to the Stampede grounds almost every day during the 10-day festival, Smith said attending the parade has become a fun family tradition.
“We’ve been doing it for a couple of years,” she said.
“I think it’s just getting out and doing something, and seeing all the people come together to watch it happen. It’s just a different environment.”
‘It’s a phenomenal time’
This year’s parade marshal was actor Owen Crow Shoe, a member of the Piikani Nation and Blood Tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy.
The Hollywood actor — whose recent film Horizon: An American Saga, which features him and former parade marshal Kevin Costner, is now showing in theatres — said it was an honour to lead this year’s procession.
Crow Shoe, who resides in the Pincher Creek area but has spent much of this past year in California, said his and his family’s involvement in the Stampede stretches back decades. Many of his past memories of the Calgary Stampede involved singing and drumming performances in Elbow River Camp, as well as participating in the Warrior Ride during the Stampede Rodeo Grand Entry.
“The Calgary Stampede is the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” Crow Shoe told Postmedia prior to the parade getting underway. “I can’t say anything else about it. It’s a phenomenal time.
“It’s a big (deal) and I know there are going to be a lot of people out here. I think it’s a big responsibility to lead the parade this year and it’s such an honour.”
Though he said he enjoys everything the Stampede has to offer, Crow Shoe said for him, the best part of the 10-day shindig are the people and the conversations the festival sparks.
“The Stampede has a lot of great stories,” he said. “You just have to reach out and talk to people. Everyone has their own unique story.”
Crow Shoe’s entourage was one of more than 100 entries in this year’s parade, which included 21 floats, 11 bands and nearly 700 horses.
Many mainstays were well received by the cheering crowd, such as the Calgary Stampede Showband and Showriders and the Stampede’s official mascot Harry the Horse, who waved to the crowd from the back seat of a red convertible.
While the Stampede’s usual western theme was embraced and celebrated, Calgary’s multiculturalism was also on full display. Some floats represented the city’s Filipino, Korean and Japanese communities.
Many civic groups and organizations were represented along the parade route. The Heritage Park float promoted the site’s 60-year anniversary, while the Children’s Cottage Society’s float promoted its new Child and Family Centre in Montgomery.
Plenty of politicians also took the opportunity to get on the saddle of a horse and wave to potential voters. Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Premier Danielle Smith, Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre and newly elected Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi all participated in the parade.
Adding to the festive ambiance of the procession was a series of live entertainment that amped up the enthusiasm before the parade. Dubbed the ‘Parade Prelude,’ the warm-up acts included various drumming, singing and dancing groups, such as the Calgary Stampeders hype team, the Young Bhangra Club and Sparq Productions, among others.
Another group participating in the prelude this year was Cool Choir, a 400-member pop and rock choir for adults. The organization’s founder and creative director, Jamie Serafi, said this was the choir’s third time partaking in the parade, and the almost 100 members in attendance were eager to belt out their renditions of covers ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga.
“We bring together people who think they can’t sing, which is most people — car singers, shower singers — and we get to do some amazing experiences and performances. This is one of them,” Serafi said.
He added the best part of the parade is getting to walk down the street and see “the faces of thousands of people” cheering and waving the singers on.
“It literally gives you goosebumps when you get to walk through and sing,” he said. “The people are waving, smiling — it’s just a thrill.”