Live events zone, replacement for Big Four among projects on tap for Calgary’s Stampede Park

Major changes are coming to Calgary’s Stampede Park over the next two decades.

A new master plan unveiled by the Stampede and Calgary Municipal Land Corporation Wednesday outlines projects across various zones.

Those projects include an expansion or renovation of the original grandstand and track facilities, a new modernized multipurpose venue to replace The Big Four building, a live events zone adjacent to the new Scotia Place, a new agriculture facility, an outdoor ‘flex’ space for the Stampede midway, and a ‘discovery and heritage’ zone for year-round Indigenous programming and storytelling.

The grounds will be sectioned into seven districts.

CMLC and the Stampede say the updated Calgary Stampede Master Plan was created over 18 months.

The original plan was made in 2004 and is responsible for the BMO Centre expansion, Nutrien Western Event Centre, Sam Centre, Stampede Youth Campus, the greening and reclamation of Elbow River Park, the 17th Avenue Extension and Victoria Park/Stampede Station rebuild, Stampede Trail and the incoming Scotia Place and Autograph Collection Hotel.

CEO Joel Cowley says the plan leaves plenty of room for opportunity, including the potential for a football or soccer field in the infield.

“I have a napkin drawing in my office that envisions it… engineers will have to prove to me that it won’t work,” Cowley says.

A live event district south of Scotia Place, similar to Edmonton’s Ice District, will go where the Saddledome currently stands. The iconic building is expected to be demolished two to three years after Scotia Place opens.

“When the Saddledome comes down, it’s just going to open up that whole part of the park, and I’m kind of with other people who have said it, it’s a hidden gem over there,” says Robert Hayes, President & CEO of Calgary Sports and Entertainment.

Tourism Calgary says this plan will be a key part of achieving its goal of increasing the visitor economy to $6 billion by 2035.

No concrete plans are in place yet, and the Stampede says it will rely on its community partners to secure funding to turn these ideas into reality.

Details for each project are expected as the plan progresses.