As Stampede creeps closer, the city is slowly becoming filled with brightly coloured windows, random bales of hay and rickety old wooden fences.
While those small pieces of Western décor may look out of place next to the city’s skyscrapers, they help to get Calgarians into the Stampede mood, said Stampede’s spokesperson Doug Fraser.
“Calgary Stampede isn’t just a celebration on the park, it’s a citywide celebration,” he said.
“When they’re putting up Western decorations they’re really speaking to the heart of Stampede and what it really is and that’s a community celebration.”
Fraser said that window painting has become a long-standing tradition in the city and has become more popular over the years.
Caralyn Macdonald of the Downtown Calgary Association said the atmosphere in the downtown core changes during the lead up to Stampede.
“It definitely creates excitement,” she said. “It shows Calgarians and tourists alike, just how much the city embraces the Calgary Stampede and how much everyone enjoys participating in it.”
