Tricks, tips, and deals to save you money at Calgary Stampede 2018

The Stampede is an important time of year for Calgary… and Calgarian wallets.

Entry to the show costs money, food costs money, taking in a concert or a rodeo event costs money. Everything at The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth seems to have a price tag attached.

So, to help out our readers, we’ve provided some tips for enjoying the show without filing for bankruptcy once it’s all said and done.

Parking

When it comes to saving money to park at the grounds, it’s best to avoid doing that at all.

There are plenty of stations along the train lines offering free parking and the cost of a train ticket is much cheaper than parking on the grounds.

Concerts

Photo Credit: Andy Nichols / Calgary Stampede

There are paid concerts to enjoy if you’ve got the dough, but if you don’t want to shell out extra coin, it’s best to keep in mind that every concert performed on the Coca-Cola stage is absolutely free to watch.

Food and drink

A mainstay of the Calgary Stampede is its free pancake breakfasts. Some of these happen on the Stampede ground, but many more happen around the city.

Another way to save money on food and drink is to grab dinner elsewhere, as there are lots of restaurants near Stampede Park, and of course there’s always the choice of eating at home before you head to the show.

On the show grounds, there are cheaper eating options as well. While there are full restaurants, eating there gets expensive fast. Focus on the food vendors selling corndogs and other snack foods for fairly cheap.

Bringing in an empty water bottle and filling it up at water fountains throughout the park is also an easy way to save a few dollars.

Stampede Deals

Clagary Fireworks (Nghi Le / Flickr)

Across Calgary there are all kinds of special deals to help you save money at Stampede.

From June 1 to July 16, you can buy two Stampede Park tickets and two Coca-Cola drinks for just $27, while supplies last.

At COSTCO, you can buy $50 in Stampede Bucks for $39.99. These are good to use on admission, rides, games, food, beverages, retail shopping, rodeo and evening show tickets, and even parking.

At Safeway and Sobeys locations in Calgary, you can buy a Ride-All-Day-Wristband with a Ride & Play Card for $37.85. You can use these on all midway rides, games, and even the WestJet Skyride.

Some special 12-packs of Coca-Cola drinks have white vouchers on the box. The vouchers are good for two admission tickets for $5 from July 10 to July 13 between 5 pm and 7 pm only.