Calgary Stampede Breakfasts feed 25,000 people on Family Day

The gates at the Stampede grounds opened at 8 a.m. Sunday, but many people had been waiting outside since 7 a.m., ready to reap their rewards of a free breakfast on Family Day.

Rena Chopra is a Stampede regular who makes a point of coming down to the grounds several times during the week and doesn’t mind the wait for the pancake breakfast.

Hundreds of volunteers make the whole event possible. This year, the Stampede Caravan pancake flippers were joined by volunteers from Cenovus, which took over sponsoring the annual Family Day event this year.

“This year has been a tough year in Calgary, certainly for the oil and gas industry, but for the whole city. So with the thought of bringing families here, 25,000 people, to have a free breakfast and free entrance during a difficult year, it was kind of a slam dunk for us,” said Vicki Reid, Cenovus director of community affairs.

This year, the Stampede did things a little differently to help accommodate more meals.  Normally, the free breakfast was held at the Grandstand courtyard, but this year another location was added at the steps of the Saddledome.

“Two locations makes it a lot faster for our guests, so that they’re not in line so long and they get out and enjoy the park,” said Kyle Corner, Stampede Manager of Entertainment.

For many families, coming to Family Day at the Stampede has been a lifelong tradition.

For visitors to Calgary, the Family Day breakfast was a great way to wake up and get to know the city’s history.

“The breakfast was wonderful. We were really appreciative that they were putting it on,” said Micheal Rennick from Ottawa. “I love it. I think the spirit of the community is great and seeing the Western heritage and everything, it’s a ton of fun.”

The Stampede Caravan hosts two breakfasts each day up to the final Saturday of Stampede.

Saturday’s attendance at the Calgary Stampede was 107,692 which was up from 97,415 last year.