By Canadian Press

Floats, horses and bands but no spectators as parade kicks off return of Stampede

Jul 9, 2021 | 10:27 AM

CALGARY — The Calgary Stampede is back and kicked off Friday morning with the usual array of floats, bands, horses and dignitaries.

But the first parade since the COVID-19 pandemic was missing one main ingredient from the past — spectators.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi says he felt a sense of pride that Calgary is hosting the first major event since the pandemic, but notes he really missed the hundreds of thousands of cheering fans that would normally line the parade route.

The 40-minute scaled down version travelled through the Stampede grounds to mark the 10-day cowboy festival opening to the general public.

It was televised, but only Stampede staff and volunteers were allowed in.

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The event was cancelled last year for the first time in its history.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2021.

The Canadian Press