If the Calgary Stampede were a city, it would be the third largest city in the province, according to officials.
For just 10 days out of the year, Stampede Park becomes the third most populated city with an average of 120,000 daily visitors spilling through the food, midway, rides and inside attractions.
“It’s pretty amazing to watch Stampede Park grow into a city, almost overnight,” said Calgary Stampede vice-president Paul Rosenberg. “It may only be 10 days, but we have the necessary infrastructure in place to deal with the needs of a small city.”
Within 193 acres, the Stampede has shopping, entertainment, food, amenities, parking, medical services, police, recycling and even diverse communities, Rosenberg said.
Stampede senior manager Duane Horpinuk said more than 3,200 people were recruited and now employed at the Calgary Stampede in various positions.
“This year we are employing a large number of staff strictly for food services during the 10 days. Everyone is fully trained and we also have health and safety inspectors on site daily,” he said.
But part of maintaining a city is also maintaining the environment, Stampede operation manager Gerry McHugh said.
“We take our environmental responsibility seriously,” McHugh said, adding there are staff and volunteers cleaning and maintaining the park daily.
The Calgary Stampede recycles 10,000 plastic beer cups from Nashville North every year, not to mention various other recyclables. There are 250 beverage recycling barrels on site.
Regardless of the size of the park and the amount of people, one thing is for certain, park officials say: This is the greatest outdoor show on Earth, and a city within a city.
