By Samantha Tennent

Copyright farmersweekly

Reading Time: 3 minutes

If the Calgary Stampede isn’t already on your bucket list, I reckon it should be.

It is promoted as “the greatest outdoor show on earth”, and it wouldn’t be far off.

Rich in history, the event dates back to the 1880s, with the Calgary and District Agricultural Society forming in 1884 and holding its first fair two years later. It has evolved significantly, with over 1.4 million people attending the 2025 event.

While that tally probably includes all the vendors, repeat customers, media, etcetera, over the 10 days of the event, it’s still phenomenal. And it caters to everyone – competitions, shows, markets, sideshows, concerts, rodeos – it’s packed with action.

I was in Canada this year and went to the Stampede. I was fortunate to have a media pass, which meant my partner and I could come and go as we pleased and absorb as much as we could without running ourselves too ragged. Although it had its downsides – we didn’t fork out for seats at the daily rodeo, so we couldn’t see much and got bored standing.

We thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality in the International Agriculture & Agri-Food lounge, although we learned it used to be held in a separate space, encouraging better networking, whereas now it overlooks an arena so it’s more of a space to relax and watch various performances.

We did pay for night show tickets, and the event was next level. Four hours of entertainment with the legendary chuckwagon races and First Nations relay – organised chaos. But the kind of hype you expect for an event of these proportions.

The entire city gets behind the event, with free pancake breakfasts scattered everywhere and lots of decorations and an energetic vibe. We didn’t arrive in time for the opening parade, but we scored a free tour of the city on one of the last days, by horse-drawn carriage – an absolute treat.

After the event, we stayed with a local rancher who had a different perspective on the event, explaining how it had become commercialised and was losing touch with its rural roots. That became clearer after our experience with a smaller stampede in Medicine Hat later in the month.

The Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede showcased what I’d expect New Zealand Agricultural and Pastoral shows used to be – a true cohesion of town and country. Fun, educational, full of rural culture. It was a great comparison and experience.

But whether you go big or small with Canadian events, another comparison again was in the United States at the Kootenai River Stampede Rodeo we dropped into in Libby, Montana.

Not sure if it’s all the political guff happening in the US, or the fact that people can open-carry firearms, but we felt on edge during our 24 hours there. Not enough to stop us from camping in the rodeo car park overnight (the local campgrounds didn’t take car campers, so we improvised).

We enjoyed some surreal scenery while driving through Glacier National Park. However, I must say that Canada is definitely more my vibe.

The last big event worth mentioning from our trip was Ag in Motion near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It was basically our Fieldays with a sole rural focus. A farmer’s playground, “it had everything you wanted to see and nothing you didn’t”, was the summary quote from my farmer fiancé, who was in his element.

There were trial plots showcasing various seed varieties, a vast array of agricultural equipment, numerous demonstrations and displays, and even a vintage tractor pull. It gave us ideas on how our local events could cater differently, perhaps grouping the “lifestyle” type exhibitors in one area, such as at Mystery Creek, allowing farmers to focus on what they want to see if they’re there for business. And anyone not connected or interested in farming can concentrate on the lifestyle content they came to visit.

Anyway, that’s my take on the events we were fortunate to experience during our month in Canada earlier this year. And I think it’s true that investing in experiences is far more important than spending money on material objects. You see, you learn, you grow. I hope many more Kiwis will get to experience the Calgary Stampede; it’s worth it.