Tamama

🚨 BREAKING NEWS CALGARY 🚨 Country Thunder Music Festivals Alberta 2026 has officially been cancelled, and people have every right to be pissed. According to Country Thunder, they were in direct talks with the City of Calgary trying to fix escalating issues — active construction, loss of critical infrastructure, and a restrictive noise bylaw — and now the festival is gone. This is not some small little event. This affects vendors, hotels, restaurants, workers, food trucks, local businesses, and thousands of people who were looking forward to a massive weekend in Calgary. Once again, City Hall gets involved and regular people pay the price. Mayor Jeromy Farkas and council need to hear from the people on this one. Not in some quiet little comment section. In person. There is a Ward 12 Town Hall on June 25 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at the Seton YMCA Theater with Councillor Jamieson and Mayor Farkas. Show up. Be vocal. Be respectful. But do not let them brush this off like it doesn’t matter. Calgary should be open for business, not chasing away major events and crushing the small businesses that count on them. A huge thank you to John Williams from Alberta Public Affairs for advocating for small businesses in this province and putting us onto this story. Share this out and make sure people know where to be on June 25. (See attached graphics for full statement)

WE DID IT! This morning, Council voted for reasonable rules for off-site Stampede tents. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. It belongs to all of us. We want visitors, artists, workers, and businesses to have a great Stampede. This decision strikes the right balance. Calgary will have a vibrant festival scene while respecting the people who live nearby. On weeknights, concerts end at midnight, followed by wind-down music until 1 a.m. On weekends, music ends at 2 a.m. Calgary remains the most permissive major city in North America for outdoor music. We run later than Coachella, Lollapalooza, and other major festivals in North America. Thousands of Calgarians shared their views. Council listened. I also really appreciate the outreach from Cowboys management and commit to working with operators who respect Calgarians and their neighbours. Together, we will put on a safe, successful Stampede that brings people together. Stampede belongs to all of us. Let’s celebrate it with pride.

It's time to cut through the bullshit about the Cowboys tent. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. A few operators do not get to treat neighbours like garbage and damage the reputation of an event that belongs to all of us. By now you've seen the coordinated smear campaign from out-of-town politicians. They think you're stupid and want you to believe that we're somehow cancelling Stampede by asking the big tents to use the same rules in place at Coachella, Lollapooloza and all the other world class festivals. That's the first piece of bullshit. We're not talking about Stampede at all. We're talking about a few off-site tents that have been treating their neighbors like garbage. Here's the truth. In the last few years, the tents were given a special exemption way above and beyond what was in place up until about 2019. People living near these tents were told to call 311 and wait. Their windows shook and broke. Their shelves rattled. Music ran on weeknights until 2 or 3 a.m. They dealt with property damage, public disorder, and excessive intoxication outside their homes. Thousands of Calgarians raised their concerns. And just like when we repealed blanket rezoning, the city chose to listen to the people rather than answer to the money. The second piece of bullshit is that Calgary's rules suck compared to everywhere else. In fact, the changes are modest. There's no change on weekends. But on weeknights, concerts now need to wrap up by 1230am. Even with this change, it means that Calgary still allows outdoor music later than anywhere else in North America. The third piece of bullshit is that this was done last minute. This wasn't a last minute change. The big tents knew in February that their exemption was under review. Cowboys was told again in May. Their exemption depended on managing noise, safety, and impacts on nearby residents. They did not meet that standard. But what isn't bullshit is that as your mayor I'm fighting for you. I want you to know that a permit is not a licence to bully a neighbourhood. It is not a profit guarantee. I was elected to stand up for Calgarians, not to take orders from wealthy donors, lobbyists, or politicians protecting their friends. I am more than happy to seek compromise and work with operators who respect Calgarians. But I answer to the nurse on an early shift, the parent getting kids ready for school, and the worker who needs sleep. So no. We are not cancelling Stampede. We are protecting it. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. A few operators do not get to damage the reputation of an event that belongs to all of us. If you want to do business in Calgary, respect the people who live next door.

It's time to cut through the bullshit about the Cowboys tent. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. A few operators do not get to treat neighbours like garbage and damage the reputation of an event that belongs to all of us. By now you've seen the coordinated smear campaign from out-of-town politicians. They think you're stupid and want you to believe that we're somehow cancelling Stampede by asking the big tents to use the same rules in place at Coachella, Lollapooloza and all the other world class festivals. That's the first piece of bullshit. We're not talking about Stampede at all. We're talking about a few off-site tents that have been treating their neighbors like garbage. Here's the truth. In the last few years, the tents were given a special exemption way above and beyond what was in place up until about 2019. People living near these tents were told to call 311 and wait. Their windows shook and broke. Their shelves rattled. Music ran on weeknights until 2 or 3 a.m. They dealt with property damage, public disorder, and excessive intoxication outside their homes. Thousands of Calgarians raised their concerns. And just like when we repealed blanket rezoning, the city chose to listen to the people rather than answer to the money. The second piece of bullshit is that Calgary's rules suck compared to everywhere else. In fact, the changes are modest. There's no change on weekends. But on weeknights, concerts now need to wrap up by 1230am. Even with this change, it means that Calgary still allows outdoor music later than anywhere else in North America. The third piece of bullshit is that this was done last minute. This wasn't a last minute change. The big tents knew in February that their exemption was under review. Cowboys was told again in May. Their exemption depended on managing noise, safety, and impacts on nearby residents. They did not meet that standard. But what isn't bullshit is that as your mayor I'm fighting for you. I want you to know that a permit is not a licence to bully a neighbourhood. It is not a profit guarantee. I was elected to stand up for Calgarians, not to take orders from wealthy donors, lobbyists, or politicians protecting their friends. I am more than happy to seek compromise and work with operators who respect Calgarians. But I answer to the nurse on an early shift, the parent getting kids ready for school, and the worker who needs sleep. So no. We are not cancelling Stampede. We are protecting it. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. A few operators do not get to damage the reputation of an event that belongs to all of us. If you want to do business in Calgary, respect the people who live next door.

NASCAR should not be running street courses… F1 and IndyCar do it because those cars start and go on a dime, stock cars don’t stop… they sputter, wheel hop, and can’t turn at tight angles… how the trucks avoided this I still don’t know