Calgary Stampede hopes for record-breaking attendance numbers as local businesses cash in on sales

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth is flirting with record-breaking attendance numbers as hundreds of thousands of visitors continue to pile into Stampede Park.

As of Friday, the Calgary Stampede says it has seen a total of 1,040,723 people pass through the gates so far, which is up from the cumulative total of 978,421 people for the same time last year.

An all-time single day attendance record of 201,260 people was also set on Sunday as organizers say this year’s event could have a chance at surpassing the official attendance record of 1,409,371 people set back in 2012.

“We put a big focus on our guest experience this year," said Stampede communications manager Shannon Greer. "We really want people to have a great time when they come to Stampede Park and I think we’re seeing that with the new BMO Centre now open."

“We have so much more room to roam, new experiences for people to see, as well as indoor space for them to cool off during the hot day or to let a storm pass through so we’re really so excited to welcome so many people to Stampede this year.”

The influx of people is also having a huge impact for local businesses off the grounds, including several shops in the downtown core.

Hat hub on Stephen Avenue

Calgary Souvenirs & Gift Shops is just one store on Stephen Avenue that relies heavily on Stampede and racks in 25 per cent of its annual revenue from this week alone.

“We probably sell about 2,500 cowboy hats in a single week,” said owner Amin Badani

“Our summers are really good, but our winters are really dead so this 10 days is so important, we do the bulk of our sales here and rely on them to cover off our slower times," said Badani.

Other businesses like Calgary Toonie Tours are fully booked with more than 160 people taking walking tours each day and dozens renting bicycles or scooters to get around town.

Local transportation with some added flair is also a popular choice as AM PM Limo & Party Bus Calgary receives a full month of its sales during Stampede week alone.

“Our record day this year is over 131 trips," said Sean Horvath, manager of sales and partnerships. "That’s a lot of limos and those can be going out for 13 hour days, with people running from downtown and back, it’s a huge variety and we love seeing it."

“We see such a range of people, tourists, corporate groups hitting the concerts, the infield, the rodeo and they’re here all day.”

Spreading their money around

The cash isn’t just flowing inside the grounds, either: tourists are spreading money around and checking out a wide variety of attractions across the greater Calgary area.

Georgianne Dwyer with the Downtown Attractions Committee says many of the visitors she provides information to are inquiring about day trips to the mountains.

“Almost everybody is going somewhere else here afterwards," she said. "If they come from the United States or the United Kingdom, a lot of them are asking about Banff or Jasper and continuing on through to British Columbia."

“It has quite a spread if you will across Western Canada.”

According to the Conference Board of Canada., the Calgary Stampede generates an estimated $282 million in economic impact for the province of Alberta.