Calgary Stampede Question
May 20th, 2004, 09:48 AM
#1
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Calgary Stampede Question
My family and I have tickets to one of the afternoon sessions of the Stampede. We are not going to the Chuck Wagon race or anything else. How long does it last? I want to make a dinner reservation afterward, and I would like to be able to make a reasonable estimate of what time we will be there.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
May 20th, 2004, 11:00 AM
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Hi,
I'm a travel agent, specializing in Canada, and a huge fan of the Calgary Stampede. Most of the afternoon sessions last about 2-3 hours, so allow yourself about an hour beyond to get to your restaurant after the event. That will give you time to find the restaurant, park, etc.
Please feel free to e-mail me if I can offer any further assistance!
Best Regards,
Julia
I'm a travel agent, specializing in Canada, and a huge fan of the Calgary Stampede. Most of the afternoon sessions last about 2-3 hours, so allow yourself about an hour beyond to get to your restaurant after the event. That will give you time to find the restaurant, park, etc.
Please feel free to e-mail me if I can offer any further assistance!
Best Regards,
Julia
May 20th, 2004, 11:14 AM
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It's been quite a while since I've been to the rodeo, so I called the Stampede box office to check. The phone numbers, which aren't operational during the Stampede itself, are 403-269-9822 or toll free 1-800-661-1767 (good in Canada or the U.S.). The woman at the box office said the rodeo lasted roughly 3 hours. Since it starts at 1.30 p.m., you can expect it to finish at about 4.30 p.m.
I think you probably know that your rodeo tickets include admission to Stampede Park.
During the rest of the year parking is available in Stampede Park. During the Stampede, however, the place is so packed with attractions that there is no room for parking in Stampede Park itself. Limited parking is available in the surrounding area.
Another way to get to Stampede Park is by train (or LRT as our light rail transit system is known).
You can access Stampede Park from two train stops, Erlton / Stampede or Victoria Park / Stampede. The grandstand in which the rodeo events takes place is closer to the Erlton / Stampede stop.
Adult fare on Calgary public transportation of any kind is C$2.00. Youth fare (6 - 14 years) is C$1.25. I believe children under 6 ride free. One ticket is good for 90 minutes, and can be used for any train and bus combination you like. That is, you can use the same ticket to connect to another train or bus.
Bus drivers and the automatic vending machines at train stations accept overpayment, but they do not provide change. If there are several of you, and if you'll be catching the train a couple of times, it may be more convenient to get a book of 10 public transportation tickets. Books of tickets are available from supermarkets, convenience stores, news stands, etc.
If you use the train to depart from Stampede Park at certain times, e.g., when a certain event ends, you'll find yourself amongst hundreds of other people with the same idea. On top of that, if you're catching a southbound train during the late afternoon rush hour (say 4.30 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.), the train will arrive at Victoria Park and Erlton Stations already full of office commuters. So it will take patience, and you may not be able to get on the first train that arrives. Trains do come approximately every 5 minutes during rush hour, though, and every 15 minutes outside of rush hour.
Here's a map that shows the LRT routes.
http://www.calgarytransit.com/Routes/lrt_stop.html
When I previewed my message, I saw that Jelzie (Julia) had beaten me to it. I agree with her that if you drive to and from Stampede Park, an hour will be enough to get from there to your restaurant.
I think you probably know that your rodeo tickets include admission to Stampede Park.
During the rest of the year parking is available in Stampede Park. During the Stampede, however, the place is so packed with attractions that there is no room for parking in Stampede Park itself. Limited parking is available in the surrounding area.
Another way to get to Stampede Park is by train (or LRT as our light rail transit system is known).
You can access Stampede Park from two train stops, Erlton / Stampede or Victoria Park / Stampede. The grandstand in which the rodeo events takes place is closer to the Erlton / Stampede stop.
Adult fare on Calgary public transportation of any kind is C$2.00. Youth fare (6 - 14 years) is C$1.25. I believe children under 6 ride free. One ticket is good for 90 minutes, and can be used for any train and bus combination you like. That is, you can use the same ticket to connect to another train or bus.
Bus drivers and the automatic vending machines at train stations accept overpayment, but they do not provide change. If there are several of you, and if you'll be catching the train a couple of times, it may be more convenient to get a book of 10 public transportation tickets. Books of tickets are available from supermarkets, convenience stores, news stands, etc.
If you use the train to depart from Stampede Park at certain times, e.g., when a certain event ends, you'll find yourself amongst hundreds of other people with the same idea. On top of that, if you're catching a southbound train during the late afternoon rush hour (say 4.30 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.), the train will arrive at Victoria Park and Erlton Stations already full of office commuters. So it will take patience, and you may not be able to get on the first train that arrives. Trains do come approximately every 5 minutes during rush hour, though, and every 15 minutes outside of rush hour.
Here's a map that shows the LRT routes.
http://www.calgarytransit.com/Routes/lrt_stop.html
When I previewed my message, I saw that Jelzie (Julia) had beaten me to it. I agree with her that if you drive to and from Stampede Park, an hour will be enough to get from there to your restaurant.
May 20th, 2004, 07:35 PM
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In my opinion, the rodeo itself is boring unless you like rodeo. My son and I even found the chuck wagon races boring. However, I could not get my son to leave the midway with the rides and attractions. He and I also enjoyed the evening show which is very well done--almost professional but with all locals. The year we went it was Disney themed.
If I were to do Calgary again, I would not go during The Stampede. We just loved the mountains and the outdoor things to do (whitewater rafting out of Golden, BC, etc.). We discovered that chuck wagon races were sleep inducing.
Of course, this is just one person's opinion. I know many people love The Stampede.
If I were to do Calgary again, I would not go during The Stampede. We just loved the mountains and the outdoor things to do (whitewater rafting out of Golden, BC, etc.). We discovered that chuck wagon races were sleep inducing.
Of course, this is just one person's opinion. I know many people love The Stampede.
May 23rd, 2004, 01:52 PM
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Thanks to all that replied.
My parents used to take our family to the rodeo a lot when I was a boy growing up in Oklahoma, and I remember it well. It was a blast. I want my kids to see one as well, and why not the world's premier rodeo?
And I still think you have to be out of your freakin' mind to get on the back of a bull and let him toss you around like a rag doll. But if someone else is crazy enough to try it, I wanna watch!
Yee-Haw!
DFMcJ
My parents used to take our family to the rodeo a lot when I was a boy growing up in Oklahoma, and I remember it well. It was a blast. I want my kids to see one as well, and why not the world's premier rodeo?
And I still think you have to be out of your freakin' mind to get on the back of a bull and let him toss you around like a rag doll. But if someone else is crazy enough to try it, I wanna watch!
Yee-Haw!
DFMcJ
May 23rd, 2004, 04:01 PM
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We are not usually rodeo people, but we went to the Stampede last summer and really enjoyed it! One thing really impressed us...just before the rodeo began, the national anthem began and everyone sang along...yes, the American anthem! Then when it was over the Canadian one began. We were so impressed that another country would think enough of its guests to do more than one anthem.
