With just one sleep to go until the Calgary Stampede officially gets underway, Calgarians have a chance to show their western spirit with pancake breakfasts and Thursday night’s Sneak-a-Peek on the grounds.

Dignitaries including Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Premier Jason Kenney made the First Flip at a pancake breakfast on Stephen Avenue at 9 a.m. Thursday.

Later in the day, Stampede-goers can head down to the grounds for the annual Sneak-a-Peek, which gets underway at 5 p.m.

Stampede spokesperson Jennifer Booth says Sneak-a-Peak is a chance for people to map out the next 10 days and experience everything they can take in before full crowds descend on the grounds.

“Lots to see and do on the park but it’s really a good way to get snippets for what you really want to experience at Stampede,” she said.

Booth says there’s 90 new food items to try on the Midway this year and she expects a new ride, dubbed Star Dancer, to be a fan favourite.

“As you would expect, it twirls you around, turns you upside down and spins, so it’ll be popular this year, but we also have the classics,” she said.

There are some concerns of wet weather ahead of Friday’s massive parade downtown, but Booth says they expect a large turnout regardless.

“Parade first thing Friday morning kicks off the Calgary Stampede, rain or shine, so bring your umbrella or your poncho,” she said.

The parade is considered the second-largest in North America after the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California’s and draws in some 350,000 spectators.

A map of the parade route and other information can be found on the CTV News Calgary Stampede page.

Following the two hour parade, the Stampede grounds open to the public at 11 a.m. for a reduced fare until 1:30 p.m.