Calgary 
The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth begins this Friday.
Credit: Calgary Stampede
The 113th Calgary Stampede Parade is the official kick-off to Alberta’s iconic summer festival and is the second-largest Parade in North America after the Rose Bowl Parade held in Pasadena, California.
Parade Prelude:
Once the parade route is cleared of traffic, the Parade Prelude begins at around 7:45 a.m. with 27 incredible and entertaining acts consisting of over 1,000 performers to warm up the crowd for the main show:
- Performers at 6th Avenue & 5th St SW: Indian Society of Calgary, Sunny City, Malayalee Cultural Association of Calgary (MCAC), Remix Baton, Calgary Sinulog Group
- Performers at 9th Ave & 5th St SW: Skip Time, Amor a Mexico Dance Group, Calgary Italian Folk Dancers, Youth Singers, Serbian Cultural Society Frula, Vanshaw Academy, Band of Outriders
- Performers at 6th Ave & 10th St SW: U of C Cheer Squad, Stampeders Hype Team & Dynasty Cheer, Polanie Song & Dance Association, Gujarati Mandel, Canadian Indonesian, Chinook Country Line Dancers, Netball Alberta, Missions PH Foundation, The Philippines
- Performers at Centre St & 9th Ave: CS Downtown Square Dancers & Antique Trolley, Renegade Cheer, Aztec Sky Ballet, Cochrane Sings, Lucid Martial Arts & Wellness, Keepin’ It Country Line, Dance Club
The Parade:
Calgary Stampede Parade, which kicks off at 9 a.m. on 9 Ave. S.E. at 3 St. S.E., is approximately 5 kilometres in length and takes almost two hours to pass any one point on the route. In other words, the route is the same length as just over 25 Calgary Towers laid end to end.
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Shania Twain will lead the Parade as Parade Marshal. celebrations. The five-time GRAMMY Award winner will also take the stage at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday, July 5, as part of the Stampede Concert Series.
Calgary’s own Devon Cole joins as Parade Celebrity Judge and will choose her favourite parade entry while also opening for Twain.
This year’s parade will feature over 100 entries, 700 horses, 35 floats, nine bands, 30+ horse entries, and 8 mounted colour parties.
Credit: Calgary Stampede
Historically, First Nations have played a prominent role in the Calgary Stampede since 1912 when 1,800 members of Treaty 7 led the Parade at the request of Stampede visionary Guy Weadick.
Calgary Fire Chief Cappy (James) Smart has the most appearances – 35 consecutive Parades – as Parade marshal, followed by Mickey Mouse with three appearances. Minnie Mouse has made two appearances as Parade marshal.
Following the Parade on Friday, July 4, guests can Parade to Park for free admission between 11 a.m.—1:30 p.m. The main gates are just a short 10-15 minute walk away from the end of the parade route, located at 9 Avenue and 4 Street SE.
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The Parade is organized by a team of passionate volunteers who make up the Calgary Stampede Parade Committee, some of whom have served on the Committee for more than 40 years.
If you are interested in watching the Calgary Stampede Parade, here is what you should know:
Credit: Calgary Stampede
When: Friday, July 4, 2025
7:45 a.m. – Parade prelude (on-street entertainment) begins.
9 a.m. – Parade Begins
Watching from anywhere in the world:
Global Calgary is the 2025 broadcast partner of the parade. Global will be providing an Alberta-wide broadcast on Global Television beginning at 8:45 a.m.; the Global TV App, GlobalNews.ca, the Global News YouTube Channel, and Amazon Prime.
Watching in person:
When: The Parade begins at 9 a.m. on July 4th, and the Parade Prelude begins at 7:45 a.m.
Parade Route:
The parade begins on 9 Avenue at 3rd Street SE and runs west to 10 Street SW, then turns north at 9th Avenue and 10th Street SW, turns east at 6th Avenue and 10th Street SW and finishes at 6th Avenue and 4th Street SE.
The entire Parade route will remain closed to traffic until the last entry has left the route (approximately 1:30 p.m.)
How to watch:
The Calgary Parade is free to watch and more than 80% of the Parade route along 9th and 6th Avenues is available for free-of-charge seating on a first-come, first-served basis.
Reserved seats are available for a fee.
Arrive as early as possible to get good seats. Remember to take refillable water bottles. Portable water stations will be available along the route.
Calgary Parade committee asks spectators to remember to wear a broad-brimmed hat, stay hydrated with water, wear a minimum SPF 30 sunscreen to protect themselves from heat-related emergencies, and use raingear instead of umbrellas, in case it rains as umbrellas may block the view of other spectators.
Portable toilets will be available along the route.
Spectators are asked not to cross the Parade route at any time. The Parade operations require five full lanes of traffic: the center three for entries and the outer two lanes for parade operations and emergency vehicle access.
Calgary Transit:
Calgary Transit is the best way for spectators to get downtown to the Parade route, with the most access to downtown Calgary, closing at 7:00 a.m. on Parade Day.
CTrain service will run before, during and after the parade.
To reach Stampede grounds after the Parade on July 4:
Route 510 will begin service right after the parade. You can catch 510 shuttle bus at one of these locations:
-
- Northbound 4 Street SW at 7 Avenue SW
- Eastbound 7 Avenue SW at 1 Street SW
- Southbound 1 Street at 8 Avenue SE
CTrain service runs 24 hours during the Stampede week (July 4 to July 13) and to reach the grounds, you can take the CTrain to Victoria Park/Stampede or Erlton Stations. Erlton Stampede Station is the nearest option to reach Midway.
Please be aware that Centre Street and City Hall/Bow Valley College Stations become extremely crowded between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
The following routes will be on detour during the parade: Route 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 13, 17, 22, 24, 62, 64, 66, 70, 90, 101, 109, 116, 117, 131, 142, 151, 300, 301, 302, MY, MP & 449.
Accessible Viewing Zones:
The eight accessible viewing zones will be reserved for people with mobility challenges until 8 a.m. Accessible viewing zones will be located on 6 Avenue and 9 Avenue at:
- On 6 Avenue at: 1 street S.E., 2 Street S.W., 6 Street S.W. and 9 Street S.W.
On 9 Avenue at: Centre Street, 2 Street S.W., 6 Street S.W. and 9 Street S.W.
Calgary Transit Access will provide drop-off and pick-up services near the designated accessible viewing zones at 801 – 6 Street S.W., and 855 – 2 Street S.W. Drop-offs will be between 6:40 a.m. and 7 a.m. The first pick-up will be at 12:30 p.m.
See here to plan your trip using Calgary Transit:
Parking & Parking lot closures:
The Parade Day parking restrictions will begin from 12 p.m. on Thursday, July 3, till 2:00 p.m. on Friday, July 4, 2025. The streets will be clearly marked as no-parking zones, and enforcement will be strict in these areas while the parking restrictions are in effect.
On-street ParkPlus zones along the parade route will not be accessible during the parade, but will be in effect once roads reopen.
Parking Lot Closures:
The following Calgary Parking Authority lots will be closed until the streets have been fully swept and the roads re-open at 2 p.m.:
Thursday, July 3, from 8 a.m. until Friday, July 4, at 2 p.m.
- Lot 55, East Village (full lot) – (724 – 4 Street S.E.)
Friday, July 4 from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Lot 74 (6 a.m. closure) – East Village (656 Confluence Way S.E.)
- Lot 77 (6 a.m. closure) – East Village (415 – 7 Avenue S.E.)
- Lot 78 (6 a.m. closure) – East Village (424 – 8 Avenue S.E.)
- Lot 79 (6 a.m. closure) – East Village (427 – 8 Avenue S.E.)
- Riverwalk Parkade (6 a.m. closure) – (620 – 6 Avenue S.E.)
Friday, July 4 from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Lot 7 (208 – 9 Avenue S.W.)
- Arts Commons Parkade | Lot 24 (829 Macleod Trail S.E.)
- City Centre Parkade | Lot 25 (9 Ave access closed, only) – (221 9 Avenue S.W.)
- City Hall Parkade | Lot 36 (322 – 9 Avenue S.E.)
- Centennial Parkade | Lot 54 (608 – 9 Avenue S.W.)
- Convention Centre Parkade | Lot 60 (727 – 1 Street S.E.)
- Platform Parkade | Lot 62 (399 – 9 Avenue S.E.)
- Lot 83 (940 – 8 Avenue S.W.)
- Lot 87 (304 & 310 6 Avenue S.W.)
- The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland (750 – 9 Avenue S.E.)
On-street ParkPlus zones along the parade route will not be accessible during the parade but will be in effect once roads re-open.
Parking:
Calgary Parking Authority parking lots not mentioned above will be available for parking at any time on Parade Day.
Summer promo rates, including $12 and $15 parking, are also available at select facilities across Calgary. You can download MyParking app to receive the parking discount.
Stampede Taxi and Uber Zones:
Taxi Zone (24 hours):
- 14 Avenue S.E. east of 5 Street S.E.
- South side of Stampede Park, north of 25 Avenue S.E.
Taxi zones (8 p.m. to 5 a.m.)
- 12 Avenue S.W. between 1 Street S.E. and 3 Street S.E.
Uber/Lyft (24 hours):
- 14 Avenue S.W. between Stampede Trail S.W. and 5 Street S.W.
- South side of Stampede Park, north of 25 Avenue S.E.
Uber/Lyft (8 p.m. to 5 a.m.):
- 10 Avenue S.E. between 1 Street S.E. and Olympic Way S.E.
- 1 Street S.E. between 10 Avenue S.E. and 12 Avenue S.E.
Road Closures & Parking Restrictions:
All roads intersecting with the parade route, both in and out of downtown, will close at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, July 4th. They will reopen only when they have been cleaned by the Street Sweeper and given the “all clear” by the Calgary Police Service (approximately 2:00 pm).
Road closures, beginning at 6 a.m. (roads closed for parade set-up) Friday, July 4:
- 6 Street S.E. between 7 Avenue S.E. and 9 Avenue S.E.
- 5 Street S.E. between 7 Avenue S.E. and 9 Avenue S.E.
- 6 Avenue S.E. between 3 Street S.E. and 5 Street S.E.
- 7 Avenue S.E. between 4 Street S.E. and 6 Street S.E.
- 8 Avenue S.E. between 4 Street S.E. and 6 Street S.E.
Road closures, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Friday, July 4:
- 9 Avenue S between 8 Street S.E. and 11 Street S.W.
- 4 Street S.E. between 6 Avenue S.E. and 9 Avenue S.E.
- 3 Street S.E. between 4 Avenue S.E. and 9 Avenue S.E.
- Westbound 6 Avenue from 3 Street S.E. to 11 Street S.W.
- 10 Street S.W. from 6 Avenue S.W. to 9 Avenue S.W.
The morning connector from Bow Trail to westbound 5 Avenue S.W. will only be open from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.
Restricted Access to West Ramsay: From Thursday, July 3, to Sunday, July 13, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., there will be limited vehicle access to West Ramsay from Spiller Road and 8 Street S.E. Ramsay residents and their visitors are assured of convenient access with their access permits at a vehicle entry point once their Stampede Access Permit is displayed.
Alternate routes into downtown
- Eastbound traffic on 9 Avenue will be directed to 11 Street S.W.
- Use 5 Avenue or 12 Avenue to bypass the closures.
- Uuse Blackfoot Trail, Stoney Trail, Crowchild Trail, 16 Avenue, and Deerfoot Trail as alternate routes into downtown.
Calgary traffic report and road closures
Fun Fact: Approximately 2 tons of manure will be deposited on the Parade route. Since 2001, the City of Calgary’s “Street Sweeper Critters” – Chestnut the Horse, Barlow the Buffalo, Outlaw the Bull, and Daisy the Cow – have been responsible for clearing the Parade route.
Where will porta-potty units be available along the parade route?
The press release says it will be available along the parade route. Specific locations are not mentioned.
What time will the c/train start running from the Dalhousie station, after the parade is over.?
It is not specifically mentioned in any of the press releases. It might start after road closures end at 3:00 p.m.