Attendance tops 500K at Calgary Stampede 2021, chucks to return in 2022
The Calgary Stampede says it welcomed 528,998 people through its gates for 10 days of fun.
With international borders closed, event organizers say overall numbers were expected to be down significantly for the July 9-18 event.
On Sunday, officials said about 75 percent of visitors were from Calgary, 13 percent from Alberta and 12 percent from other provinces nationwide.
In 2019, 1,275,465 people went through the turnstiles.
“We know initially there may have been some skepticism,” said CEO Dana Peers on Sunday.
“But we committed ourselves to open, ongoing an honest communication.”
The Calgary Stampede says it saw daily attendance numbers average around 50,000. The Stampede also welcomed around 82,000 front line workers.
Event organizers are also proud of the fact it was the first time in Canada that a large scale event of this size was hosted, since the start of the pandemic.
The Nashville North Stampede tent required all partiers to have proof of vaccination or take a rapid PCR test on-site.
Over 10 days, not including Sunday, more than 60,000 people met the pre-entry requirement.
About 73 percent chose to show proof of vaccination, with the other 27 percent being tested.
Of those nearly 16,200 people who received tests, fewer than 18 people tested positive for the virus. All were sent home and asked to contact Alberta Health Services to secure formal testing.
“I’ve been watching friends who haven’t seen each other for two years getting together and making plans for the rest of the summer,” said president Steve McDonough.
“If the Calgary Stampede had anything to do with that, I’m super proud.”
The Calgary Stampede decided to cancel the chuckwagon races for this year, which was devastating news for many local chuck drivers.
But with chuck events occurring in High River and Strathmore this month, the Stampede does not regret its decision.
“We had to make some very difficult decisions early on,” said Peers. “And we certainly look forward to chuckwagon racing again in 2022.”
In 2019, the Stampede grossed $154 million and turned a profit of $2.2 million.
In 2020, the cancelled Stampede generated $25 million in revenue, resulting in a loss of $26.5 million.
Officials were not able to provide profit margins or deficits for this year until the event concludes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.