New Calgary Stampede holiday festival set to giddyup

Bucking reindeer may not quite be on tap, but the Calgary Stampede is combining its western spirit with holiday festivities in the lead-up to Christmas.

The Stampede is debuting its Stampede Christmas festival this weekend, a free-of-charge roundup of activities that won’t add to those mounting holiday bills.

Attendees can enjoy live music, hot chocolate and cider, roaming choirs and themed photo-ops while gathering around firepits at the BMO Centre Plaza on Stampede Park.

Festival-goers can also mingle with Stampede Royalty and Harry the Horse or saddle up for a pancake breakfast on two of the festival’s four days.

It’s another example of the Stampede striving for its vision of being a year-round attraction and boosting community spirit, said spokeswoman Julie Forget.

“It’s just a way of bringing the community together. There’s all these Christmas things going on and we thought we have this fantastic space, so let’s bring this to Calgary,” said Forget.

“We’re an important part of the community and we want to give back and bring the Stampede spirit to Christmas time.”

Kids can custom-order their own made-on-the-spot holiday tags, enjoy circus acts and everyone can take in the decorations outside the BMO Centre.

The festival runs Saturday, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 from 4-8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 14 and 21 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Both Sundays will feature a free pancake breakfast.

“It wouldn’t be the Stampede without a pancake breakfast,” said Forget.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the weather for the coming weekend is forecast to shed the current extremely cold conditions with high temperatures of -3 C on Saturday and 8 C Sunday.