Get ready to pair your cowboy boots with Canadian flags at the 2017 Calgary Stampede because The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth will also host some of the best Canada 150 events.

A 10-day event held every year in July, the Calgary Stampede is a rodeo and an exhibition that regularly attracts over a million visitors. The Stampede grounds also host a midway, concerts, stage shows, chuckwagon racing, and agricultural competitions.

The Calgary Stampede will officially commence on July 7 with the Calgary Stampede Parade. A parade worth seeing every year, this year the Stampede Parade will have a special Canada 150 focus in order to set the tone for the following 10 days. Hundreds of thousands of locals and visitors are expected to line the streets of downtown Calgary to take part in the energetic Stampede kick-off.

Another major Canada 150 event at the Calgary Stampede is the reimagined TransAlta Grandstand Show, which this year will be called Together. Described as being “150 years in the making,” Together is produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Dave Pierce, who also worked on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics opening and closing ceremonies. It will be hosted by iconic Canadian recording artist Jann Arden. 

Together promises to showcase Canada with breathtaking performances by dancers, acrobats, and musicians. The grand show of pageantry will be accompanied by fantastic special effects, promising a true visual spectacle. Water effects, fire effects, flying set pieces, and many more surprises await anyone who purchases a ticket, which start at $49 and include admission to Stampede Park. Together will be showing at the Calgary Stampede every single day, so make sure you add a viewing to your schedule.

You should also try to make time to check out the Calgary Stampede Showband, which will be performing music from its 2017 production, Mosaic, on the steps of the Saddledome every evening during the Calgary Stampede. If you like what you hear and you’re interested in seeing the whole production, then you can see Mosaic on July 9 and July 11 at Showbands Live! in McMahon Stadium.

Inspired by Canada 150, Mosaic explores Canada’s past, present, and future through themes of diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation. It also represents a collaboration between the Calgary Stampede Showband and the Stampede’s Indian Events Committee, led by Indigenous artistic director Alanna Blackrider Onespot, an acclaimed local poet. Mosaic will also feature local Indigenous youth singers, dancers, and drummers.

Finally, Canada 150 will be helping some Calgary Stampede goers save money on one of the Stampede’s five value days. On June 11, officially dubbed Canada 150 day, admission to the Stampede grounds will be free for all seniors (65+) for the entire day (10 AM to midnight). This will include a free Skyride, along with rodeo and evening show standing-room tickets.

Whether you’re eligible for the Canada 150 day discount or not, you should definitely try to make it out to the Stampede for a unique Canada 150 celebration if you plan to be in or around Calgary this July.