Calgary Stampede Parade (Arabians in Costume)

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Arabian horse members and owners showing off at the parade in Native Costume
A big thankyou to K. Carter and helpers for organizing the horses and people in the parade and Horse Haven!
http://parade.calgarystampede.com/ Come and have fun JULY, 2009.

The first parades in Calgary were associated with the exhibitions held in the early 1900s and were historical pageants on a grand scale. Then as now, the parade was synonymous with the Exhibition and Stampede experience – many would even say their enjoyment of the festival today would be incomplete without it.
The modern parade is a two-hour celebration of the Stampede and its place in the city. Its unique western theme permeates the city. About 350,000 spectators line the route, and a Canadian television audience of 2 million is joined by countless millions more viewers around the globe, courtesy of numerous international media outlets. Of all the world’s parades, the Rose Bowl is the only one larger than the Stampede’s. On parade morning, most downtown offices and businesses are closed, and people spill onto the streets to celebrate the beginning of another Calgary Stampede.

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To help the police maintain the safety of the crowd and the parade participants, deputized volunteer marshals are stationed along the route. Competing informally to work on the best-behaved block, many volunteers ask for the same assignment year after year, having developed a rapport with the “regulars.” As he choreographs his section’s “yahoos,” volunteer Basil Nobbs, a 73-year-old former Royal Marine, learns to count “1, 2, 3” in Russian, Taiwanese, and Chinese. Such multicultural community building is another ritual, another Stampede tradition.

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Coming up next? Many more bands and dozens of floats, with entries varying from year to year. Cowboys and spacemen. Miniature donkeys and chuckwagons. Tiny Shriner airplanes. Politicians and clowns. Water guns and princesses. Pipe bands and dancing music. Members of the Treaty 7 First Nations dressed in traditional regalia, their horses with beaded adornments as beautiful as their riders’.
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Downtown Calgary. This city stops working (no Joke) and parties for the full 10 DAYS.
The parade is the annual ceremonial kickoff to a community celebration that takes back the west for 10 days every July.


Horse Haven - Light Horse Demos & Displays
For the horse lover an interactive “fort” setting located in the north end of the Agriculture barn. Throughout the ten days there will be a variety of horse breeds on display in the stalls and in action at the Northern Lights Arena located across from Horse Haven. Come on in and see the horses.

Known as the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" this event has so much to see and do. 100's of horses and livestock shows and events, Rodeo that pays out over $2,000,000., Chuck Wagon racing, beer tasting, concerts, park rides, shopping and tons of stuff to win. Come out and see if for yourself!

Just wanted some input from others. Would you consider coming out this July? What would be the number one thing you would like to see or experience?