The owners of Calgary’s legendary Ranchman’s Cookhouse & Dancehall have announced that the iconic country music hotspot will be relocating in 2027.
The move necessitated by plans to redevelop the property, located at 9615 Macleod Trail South.
Ranchman’s, which opened 54 years ago, has been a launchpad for up-and-coming country music artists with Toby Keith, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts and Billy Ray Cyrus among the musicians who have played there before they became famous.
It has also been a hotspot for country music dancing and Calgary Stampede rodeo celebrations, complete with a mechanical bull for patrons to test their “bull-bustin'” skills.
It has also been used as a set for scenes in some famous locally-shot movies, including Brokeback Mountain and Cool Runnings, the story of the Jamaican bobsled team who shot to stardom during the 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary.
The property changed hands in 2017 when it was bought by a group of local business owners, following the death of Calgary businessman Harris Dvorkin, who co-owned Ranchmans for more than four decades.
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It was also forced to shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic and put up for lease before reopening in 2022.
The current owners of the business said the move to a new location means this year’s Stampede celebrations will be the final ones hosted in the current building.
While they aren’t revealing where Ranchman’s will be moving to, they said they have signed a lease for an existing larger location nearby, which the cookhouse and dance hall will be moving to in 2027.
It will continue to operate at its existing location until the end of 2026.
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