Last year marked the second-highest Calgary Stampede attendance on record at 1,384,632, just short of the record of 1.4 million set in the Centennial year of 2012.
This year could be even better says Joel Cowley, CEO of Calgary Stampede.
“Our tickets are up over last year, year to date. Our premium seat sales are pretty much sold out. The canvas auction that we held in April set records as far as average amounts per driver,” Cowley said.
“So, it’s looking like a fantastic year. And on top of all that we have this extra space that we can open up to our guests through the BMO Expansion.”
The Calgary Hotel Association says bookings are at least on par with last year while corporate bookings are up. It projects Stampede revenue could top $100 million this year for the very first time.
Carson Ackroyd, vice-president of sales at Tourism Calgary, says all indications are that Calgary is becoming a bigger tourism destination. This Stampede season, over 300 musical acts are expected to play in Calgary as well.
“During stampede there are so many venues around. It has become a massive music festival. And our marketing side has been leaning heavily in to share that. And we have seen huge interest,” Ackroyd said.
“All indications show Calgary is in a great position to see visitor economy grow significantly in the years ahead,” Ackroyd said.