Restaurants and hotels bounce back as Calgary Stampede welcomes over 1.2 million people

Over a million people came out to the Calgary Stampede this year, giving local restaurants and hotels the boost they need as they continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Calgary Stampede welcomed 1,216,859 people over 10 days for its first full event since 2019. That is just shy of the all-time attendance record of 1.4 million, set in 2012.

The weather was nearly perfect for the entire event and it was just what Calgary’s hospitality industry needed.

The Metropolitan Kitchen & Bar on Stephen Ave was fully booked every day during Stampede from open to close, with many flocking to the patio.

“It’s just great to have everyone back downtown. It was a ghost town beforehand,” said Nick Gallagher, assistant general manager at the Met.

“Having a full restaurant again, that we haven’t had in two years due to restrictions or even table sizes," Gallagher said. "It’s nice to see everyone out and enjoying it.”

Hotels also got an extra boost in business over the duration of The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

Ian Jones, the general manager of The Westley Hotel, said it was either completely or 98 per cent full each day of Stampede.

“It’s just amazing to see a full lobby, a full restaurant. Seeing just the excitement and the energy in the hotel,” he told CTV News.

“It’s a benefit for everybody in the hospitality industry in Calgary.”

The Calgary Hotel Association said the full return of Stampede has played a crucial role in helping local hotels recover from the pandemic.

“Over the 10 days of the Calgary Stampede, Calgary’s hotels had the highest occupancy in the past 10 years and the average daily rate for Calgary hotels was near levels last seen in 2015,” said Sol Zia, executive director of the Calgary Hotel Association.

According to a survey of people at the midway, nearly 30 per cent were from outside of Calgary.

Tourism Calgary calls that number encouraging and says it goes to show that Stampede is driving people back into the city.

“Any city in the world would die to have an event like this to profile their city on the world stage and Stampede truly puts Calgary on the world stage,” said Carson Ackroyd, senior VP of sales for Tourism Calgary.

Ackroyd said while Stampede only happens a few days out of the year, it helps sell the city year-round as a place to live, work and host other events.

“It supports talent attraction, it supports community gathering and so, all of those elements coming together, it just supports the long-term sustainability and growth and viability of the city,” he said.

The Calgary Stampede is set to return from July 7 to 16 next year.