The price is right: What is the cost of attending the Calgary Stampede?

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth can also be one of the most expensive shows on earth. It’s 10 days of fun, but the cost could have your wallet saying boo-hoo instead of yahoo.

By Silvia Naranjo

The Calgary Stampede, known as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” is 10 days of fun, but the cost for even one day can add up fast and leave one barely croaking a Yahoo.

“I’m probably not going to do a ride. The food’s like twenty bucks or something. It’s not cheap,” one visitor to the grounds told CityNews.

Whether you take Calgary Transit or your car, there will be a minimum of $3.60 for the CTrain, while public parking can be around $30 daily.

Once you get there, Stampede Park admission is $23 for ages 13 and up, $14 for kids over seven years old, and $15 dollars for seniors.

It is roughly $75 for two adults with two children.

“Budget. Oh my goodness,” one guest said. “Well, we were just trying to figure that out; a lot higher than we thought it would be.”

“We didn’t even plan to come, and we saw from the Calgary Tower, and we thought, ‘That looks like fun,’ so we came over, and we paid to get in, and now we are looking at the price of the Midway for them so we probably are going to do a couple of rides each and then we’ll have to see from there,” she said.

Midway food, rides

There’s so much to see and do inside, but it can dent the wallet.

Each ride varies between $5 and $8 per person, while the food, which for some is one of the main attractions, will range between $10 for a drink and $15 for fries or a slice of pizza. The most expensive item is the $100 hot dog.

“It will be a couple of hundred, I imagine … if you add everything in. Plus entry, the rodeo, games, rides, and food,” said one man to CityNews.

“It’s expensive. It’s once a year.”


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Rodeo tickets start at $45 per ticket, including taxes, while tickets for the Chuckwagon races start at $52.

“And we especially come over from Scotland to see the rodeos and stuff, really cool,” said a man with his partner visiting from Scotland.

When asked if they think it is expensive, they explained “yes,” adding they pay “a couple of hundred dollars a day.”

“Without wine,” his partner added.

There are many souvenirs to choose from, and while the midway offers guests many chances to win free items, that still costs hard-earned cash to play.

A key chain, for example, goes for $10, while a hat is about $30.

Parking, entry fees, one snack and a drink, three rides, and one show can add up to $120 per person daily.


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Guests at the grounds gave CityNews various answers, from spending methods to keep their expenses low to spending over the average amount with the expectation of spending more.

“You know what, we packed our own lunch, so hopefully, under fifty bucks,” another woman told CityNews.

“We have paid about $150, I think. We probably got a little more lunch to go and a little more something else, too,” another guest said.

One visitor to Stampede Park said, “I don’t know, maybe a couple of hundred bucks — plus the rodeo tickets.”

And if night entertainment is your thing, prices can range between $60 and $200 for tents, parties, and concerts.

The Nashville North tent has free entry with general admission, while the VIP “Buck The Line” costs $129 per person if one wants to skip the line, while the Big Four Roadhouse stage is also free with general admission and has a skip-the-line ticket worth $40.

The Coca-Cola Stage is free with admission and has no line.

Of course, prices vary depending on your plan and choices, but you could end up a broke cowpoke if you aren’t careful.

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