Council votes to keep noise limits as Farkas calls out politicians over Cowboys tent debate
Posted Jun 23, 2026 7:56 am.
Last Updated Jun 23, 2026 7:26 pm.
Calgary city councillors held an emergency debate on late-night sound levels during Stampede on Tuesday as the mayor calls out politicians who are decrying the local noise bylaw.
Ward 1 Coun. Kim Tyers put forward a notice of motion at council on Tuesday for a reversal of the noise limits on music venues like the Cowboys and Badlands tents.
The motion asking for further amendments was defeated 6-9.
It means reduced volume levels and a hard stop for performers at outdoor festivals at 12 a.m. on weeknights, and 1:30 a.m. on weekends, remains in place. Council did agree to extend a cool-down period on weeknights from 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. to allow more time for patrons to exit.
The new rules lower the allowable decibel levels during concerts by five.
Despite previously criticizing the new rules, Premier Danielle Smith and Cowboys Music Festival organizers released statements following the council vote saying they were encouraged that there was an emergency debate and that the city agreed to extend the weekday cool-down period.
Last year, there were over 220 noise complaints during Stampede, according to the city, with 125 directed at the Cowboys Music Festival.
“Thousands of Calgarians raised their concerns. And just like when we repealed blanket rezoning, the city chose to listen to the people rather than answer to the money,” said Mayor Jeromy Farkas in an online post.
He also says the bylaw change wasn’t last-minute, as the city reached out to festival organizers about it in February.
During the Tuesday debate, Ward 7 Coun. Myke Atkinson held up a letter signed by the owner of Penny Lane Entertainment and Cowboys nightclub from April, indicating cooperation with festival organizers and city administration.
“Cowboys heard about this in February,” says Atkinson, adding that members of Penny Lane attended a townhall about the issue.
“This is not cancelling Stampede, we are talking about one single egregious bad actor who has been treating their neighbours like garbage,” says Farkas. “I’m very happy to see compromise and work with operators who respect Calgarians.”
The Calgary Stampede itself has an exemption to the bylaw and remains unaffected by the changes to outdoor events.
Mayor calls out ‘out-of-town’ politicians
In a post to social media late Tuesday, Farkas responded to criticism of the change to the city’s noise rules, saying it’s time to cut the “bullshit” about the framing around the bylaw and the Cowboys Music Festival.
“A few operators do not get to treat neighbours like garbage and damage the reputation of an event that belongs to us all,” his post reads.
The blowback to the change came loud and fast after Penny Lane President Paul Vickers published an opinion piece voicing his displeasure, saying it would negatively impact jobs and force the venue to operate at sound levels below what paying customers would want.
Several politicians commented on the local bylaw changes, slamming them while citing the Vickers piece. Premier Smith framed the new rules as the “fun police,” while her chief of staff Rob Anderson, Calgary MP Michelle Rempel Garner, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also criticized the change.
Farkas has been firing back, including by framing an alcohol price increase announced earlier in the month in the same manner Smith did on the bylaw, which led the province to reverse the price hike on Monday.
The mayor went so far as calling it a coordinated smear campaign, saying the various politicians who spoke up are conflating the Stampede with the Cowboys Music Festival.
“They think you’re stupid and want you to believe that we’re somehow cancelling Stampede by asking the big tents to use the same rules in place at Coachella, Lollapalooza, and all the other world class festivals,” he says.
When red tape minister Dale Nally announced the rollback of the alcohol price increase, he urged Calgary to repeal what he called a “misguided noise bylaw” and to work with event organizers.
Tourism Calgary CEO Alisha Reynolds confirmed her organization has formally asked the city to delay the changes until proper consultation occurs.
Alberta sheriffs to patrol Stampede, outdoor festivals
Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis announced Monday that Alberta sheriffs would be assisting Calgary police in patrolling the Stampede grounds.
Ellis said the extra officers would help ensure the festivities remain safe but still fun, and he specifically cited the noise complaints and public disorder last summer, mentioned by Farkas.
“This kind of nonsense is unacceptable,” the minister said. “That’s why we’re expanding our law enforcement presence to protect nearby residents and ensure all Calgarians and visitors have an enjoyable Stampede experience.”
A spokesperson for Ellis said the plan is to deploy a dozen or more sheriffs to start, but additional members could be sent if needed.
With files from The Canadian Press
