The City of Calgary has approved the new proposed location for the tent for the Cowboys Music Festival which is one of the biggest events at the Calgary Stampede.
Cowboys is not able to set up at their regular spot on Stampede Park because of ongoing construction on the expansion to the BMO Centre and so the city approved the alternate location which is a spot of land between 11 and 12 Avenue S.E., where the historic Enoch House once stood.
“We want to support our businesses and our communities to make this Stampede season successful and fun for all,” says Cliff de Jong, Issues & Strategy Manager, Calgary Building Services, The City of Calgary. “Cultivating a healthy business environment and ensuring Calgary is the best place in Canada to start and grow a business is vital to our work at The City of Calgary and significantly contributes to the city’s economic recovery.”
However, since the tent location is off the Stampede grounds the City of Calgary has put the following conditions on the permit:
- Music must be off by midnight to align with Community Standards Bylaw and community input.
- The tent operations will be vacated and closed by 1 a.m.
- There is a crowd management and security protocol in place as part of the event.
The City will have bylaw officers on site every night to ensure these terms are met. The tent will remain on the site throughout the summer for Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) to host family-oriented events, such as movie nights and roller skating. These family events would need to operate between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Residents who live in the community have mixed feelings about seeing the tent set up in the area.
Pennylane Group, the organization behind the Cowboys Music Festival, hosted a three day open house so residents could learn more about the plan and voice their concerns.
The city says the public will have an opportunity to appeal this decision between May 31st and June 20th to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.
