The Calgary Stampede officially announced on Thursday the cancellation of this year’s edition of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Dana Peers, Calgary Stampede President and Chairman of the Board, cited the COVID-19 pandemic, the banning of all gatherings of more than 15 people for an indefinite period of time by the Chief Medical Officer of Health of Alberta, and the City of Calgary’s local state of emergency for the tough decision to not go forward with the annual extravaganza.
“This is an extremely difficult announcement to share, but it is the right thing to do,” said Peers. ”As a community celebration, the cancellation of our annual event comes with our community and public health and safety front of mind.”
“This is hard, but we need to make these types of decisions right now in order to stay safe and move forward,” said Tom Sampson, Chief, Calgary Emergency Management Agency. “It’s not what anyone wants to see happen but it’s pretty much mandatory at this time, and we applaud the Stampede for putting the safety of all Calgarians and their guests first.”
“The Stampede is a critical part of who we are as Calgarians. It’s almost impossible to imagine a summer without it. But these are extraordinary times, and the Stampede has done what they always do: put the community first,” added Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “For me, riding a horse at the front of the parade is a moment, even with all the people and all the noise, for some introspection on who we are as a community. I’m sad to not be at my tenth parade this year. But we’ll dust ourselves off and come back even better. Together.”
The Calgary Stampede has been around for 108 years, through two World Wars, the Great Depression and a devastating flood.
