The 2023 edition of the Calgary Stampede kicks off on Friday, July 7, 2023. (Photo: Canadian Press)

By Canadian Press

Calgary Stampede kicks off Friday

Jul 5, 2023 | 11:15 AM

CALGARY, AB – Calgary Stampede officials are looking forward to things fully returning to normal as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth kicks off Friday.

After a few years of uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the advice they’re handing out this year is to simply wear a cowboy hat and stay hydrated.

Kerrie Blizard, the Stampede’s director of public safety, says it’s a nice change to be getting back to a normal, full-on event.

The 10-day celebration of cowboy life was cancelled in 2020, for the first time in its history, due to COVID-19.

It returned the following year with a scaled-down version that included rapid COVID-19 tests being required to enter tents, a limit on how many people could be at Stampede Park and physical distancing guidelines.

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Last year, many who attended wore masks.

The Stampede kicks off with a downtown parade Friday morning and wraps up on July 16.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2023.

The Canadian Press