Stampede Parade - View from Fairmont Palliser Hotel
Just returned from the Canadian Rockies & Glacier National Park trip and thought it would be nice to share an unexpected surprise. We arrived a day ahead of our tour. We fully expected to miss the Stampede because our tour was the same days (July 5 to 14). However, the opening parade passes in front of the Fairmont Palliser hotel. The hotel puts chairs out on the street/curb in front of the hotel. The Bell Captain told me that people reserve those chairs a year in advance. I was content to sit on the steps. However, about 30 minutes before the start of the parade, the Bell Captain offered me a chair and a container of water. The parade is very good and includes some interesting floats about the history of Canada. If your hotel room faces the street, you can see the parade from your window.
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When we did our Canadian Rockies tour, our tour ended in Calgary during the week of the Stampede. An alert Tauck agent advises what was taking place, and encouraged us to stay on, sharing that for many Canadians this is a big event. We enjoyed attending the Stampede thoroughly, and encourage you if interested in the Stampede to buy tickets well in advance so you can try to getting seating underneath the grandstand, if you value the covering for rain or harsh sun. Beyond the parade, during Stampede week there were outdoor community breakfasts open to all throughout the city. Very fun.