Country superstar Shania Twain pats her steed as they march together down 9 Avenue SE from the Confluence to kick off the Calgary Stampede Parade on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image). Alejandro Melgar
The Calgary Stampede Parade on Friday saw thousands flock to the city’s downtown to take in the beginning of the 10-day festival.
Canadian country superstar Shania Twain was this year’s parade marshal, and many Calgarians in the crowd were there hoping to snag a pic of the superstar.
Ahead of the event, Twain said at a news conference at the Confluence how special an opportunity it is to lead the iconic parade.
“I’m so happy to be here in Calgary. I am honoured,” she said. “It’s a privilege to be the parade marshal, it’s been a dream of mine for a very long time.”
She also spoke about how people were rearing to go, setting up camp to “watch this beautiful parade go by.”
Country superstar Shania Twain, with her steed, marches down 9 Avenue SE from the Confluence to kick off the Calgary Stampede Parade on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).
While showing up early to grab the best seat in the house is usually the best idea, several made their way downtown as early as 9 p.m. the day before.
Officials said Saturday that around 340,000 people are estimated to have visited the parade, a drop from 2024’s event. Regardless, Blair Barkley, the chair of the Stampede Parade Committee, said in a release that Friday may have been “one of the most successful Parades ever.”
An excited crowd at Calgary Stampede Parade cheers as Shania Twain approaches in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).Members of the crowd organize a cheer at the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025.The crowd at the VIP section of the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).
The parade held over 100 entries, including Vietnamese Essence by the Calgary Vietnamese Women’s Association, which won the Best Overall Parade award.
The Calgary Ismaili Muslim Association, which creates a new float every year focusing on an area of social concern on “local, national, or global” levels, won the best Community/Social Impact as well as the Fan-Favourite award. It collaborated with the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Society on its entry “Bridging the Gap.”
Members of the Calgary Vietnamese Women’s Association take part in the 2025 Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A participant in the Calgary Ismaili Muslim Association entry for the Stampede Parade waves at the crowd in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. The float titled “Bridging the Gap,” won Best Community/Social Impact Fan-Favourite awards at the 2025 parade. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).
Other entries include the Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway, winner of Best Parade Spirit, and the Nigerian Canadian Association of Calgary, the Celebrity Judges’ Choice.
Here’s a recap of the parade with photos.
2024 Calgary Stampede Parade in photos
Calgary Stampede Princess Breanna Correia, left, shares a laugh with First Nations Princess Pacey Strangling Wolf before the start of the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).Pacey Strangling Wolf, the 2025 Calgary Stampede First Nations Princess, waves as she marches at the 114th Stampede parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A group sporting attire from the ‘Mad Max’ movies hoot and holler at the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A man waves a huge flag seamlessly at the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A woman dances at the helm of the entry from the Nigerian Canadian Association of Calgary at the Stampede Parade on Friday, July 4, 2025. The NCAC won the celebrity judges’ choice award. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek waves at the crowd while at the Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, centre, and fellow UCP MLAs wave at the crowd in a wagon at the Calgary Stampede Parade on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A member of the Men with Kilts pretends to throw junk at the crowd at the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. His shovel had what looked like fake manure tied to a string that would swing back at him, receiving laughs from the crowd. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).Calgary Fire Department Chief Steve Dongworth waves at the crowd in the parkade on 9 Avenue and 3 Street SW at the Calgary Stampede on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).The Calgary Stampede Parade marks the official start of the 10-day outdoor show in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A woman representing Fiesta Filipino YYC poses at the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A sailor with the Canadian Navy chats with a young crowd member at the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A Calgary Stampede Parade participant in a banana costume poses and waves at the camera in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).Members of Siksika First Nation smile and pose for the camera as they make their way down the Stampede Parade route in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. There are events being held at the Elbow River Camp throughout the Calgary Stampede. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A firefighter with the Calgary Fire Department Pipes and Drums marches at the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A young girl freezes in a martial arts stance at the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A Calgary Stampede Parade participant in costume in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A sheriff with the Canada flag on hand at the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).A Stampede volunteer stands next to the empty wagon for Blackfoot Warrior Party Horsemanship Film Society at the Calgary Stampede Parade in downtown Calgary on Friday, July 4, 2025. A horse lost control and had to be removed from the event. (Alejandro Melgar, CityNews image).
