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By Justin Goulet

Lethbridge one of four communities to hold Calgary Stampede fireworks display Friday

Jul 5, 2021 | 8:39 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Calgary Stampede kicks off this coming Friday, July 9, and Lethbridge will be part of the celebrations.

The summer event will begin with a province-wide fireworks display, known as the Fireworks Spectacular presented by Bell. Four identical fireworks shows will occur in Lethbridge, Red Deer, Edmonton and the Stampede’s host city of Calgary.

The fireworks will be accompanied by a synchronized musical soundtrack.

In a release, Lethbridge mayor Chris Spearman said, “on behalf of Lethbridge City Council, we congratulate our friends in Calgary for their creativity and collaboration on this fireworks spectacular.”

“We look forward to helping celebrate the beginning of the Calgary Stampede with what is sure to be a brilliant display of fireworks for residents and visitors to enjoy.”

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The show is being put on by Alberta-based company Fireworks Spectaculars Canada.

Interim CEO of Explore Edmonton, Maggie Davison, said “at this stage, we have to think about how we get major events up and running again.”

“The Calgary Stampede is leading the way and, one by one, other events will follow. As Explore Edmonton takes over management of K-Days in Edmonton, we are watching and learning from our friends at the Stampede. This will mark the beginning of recovery for the events sector and it marks a milestone moment for Alberta as we emerge from the pandemic.”

The fireworks displays will start up at 11:00 p.m. on Friday, July 9 in each of the four participating cities.

Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi stated that, “as we move hopefully into our post-pandemic future, this fireworks display will allow us to safely honour what we’ve been through, to express our gratitude to all the essential workers who [have] gotten us through, and to look forward with optimism.”

Red Deer mayor Tara Veer said, “Albertans have been hit hard by the pandemic, but together we can rebuild and demonstrate our resilience on July 9^th.”

EXHIBITION PARK

Exhibition Park Lethbridge has announced that those wanting to watch the display can do so for free at the Exhibition Park Grandstand (Rocky Mountain Turf Club). The facility will open at 9:00 p.m. and seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Bully’s Casino will have features all night and there will be food vendors throughout the grounds.

Additional viewing will be made available in the parking lot of Exhibition Park, but space will be limited due to the event setup of the Smoke, Wind and Fire BBQ competition.

Exhibition Park CEO Mike Warkentin said, “this is a tremendous way for the community to finally come together and celebrate.”

“Thousands of Albertans will be able to watch this in their own communities, neighborhoods and homes and it was absolutely something we needed to be a part of.”

More information on the 14-minute fireworks display, and how you can watch outside of the participating communities, is available at the Calgary Stampede website.