Christa Sinclair
July 2025
Stampede, Then & Now: 20 Years Later and Still Wearing a Cowboy Hat
Well, would you look at that — after twenty years, I’m headed back to Stampede.
This time? We’ve got actual tickets to the rodeo and chuckwagon races. We are doing it properly. No line-jumping, no sneaking through back fences, no leaning over temporary barricades to get a glimpse of the fun.
Just me, my husband, my sister, some sunscreen (please no rain), and a day full of dust, denim, and deeply fried food.
But two decades ago? That was a very different Stampede story.
20-year-old me? She was thriving.
Twenty-year-old me was living in Calgary, bar-hopping her way through a summer that felt like it might never end. Stampede week wasn’t just an event — it was an era. A moment in time where your only plan was where’s the next party? and how low can I wear my jeans?
Back then, we didn’t have tickets to the rodeo — we had 'friends' that got you into the best parties, wristbands for Nashville North and a loose schedule built around who was playing at the Cowboys tent (which, I’ll have you know, WAS still at its original downtown location and absolutely wild).
I remember one night watching 3 Doors Down perform, thinking this is the peak of life, only to end up in the upstairs VIP later that night hanging out with their opening band, a little group called Shinedown, who we had literally never heard of. But them beggin you and your bestie to join them on tour. YES that did happen and No we did not go, clearly I had to work at my Scrapbooking store job the next day, like 'as if'!
But honestly, just a regular Stampede night for me at the time, no big deal for this small town girl.
Glitter, low-rise jeans, and the booze cruise era
In those days, fashion was an extreme sport. Low-rise jeans ruled. Dangleing Bellybutton rings glinted in the sun. Body glitter was mandatory. Britney and Christina were at the top of the charts, Pamela Anderson and the Playboy mansion were everywhere on TV and there wasn’t a single tank top that didn’t require a strapless push-up bra and a backup plan.
And Stampede? It was a full-blown festival of it all. Add in a cowboy hat, a cut up animal print tank, and a strong lip gloss — and we were ready. Booze cruises on opening and closing weekend were the crown jewels of the my whole experience. I still remember piling onto those buses with the music blaring, drinks in hand, and the world feeling wide open. And of course hitting EVERY nightclub worth stopping at in Calgary.
Believe me I WAS living my best life!
And now? 40 looks a little different.
This year’s Stampede will be slower. Sweeter. Probably with more electrolytes, actual food, SPF and less sparkling body lotion. And I honestly can’t wait.
I’ll be swapping the dancefloor for a stadium seat. The booze cruise for chuckwagon races. And let’s be real — nobody’s going to be seeing my bellybutton this time around (you’re welcome, Calgary).
But I am still wondering: what am I going to wear?
Just because I’m 40 doesn’t mean I’ve stopped loving the feeling of dressing up a little. I will ALWAYS love a Theme.
Finding the right denim, a fringe moment, maybe a bandana or some cowboy boots that say fun but composed. Country chic? Festival fashiom? Something that feels like grown-up glitter, if you will.
What hasn’t changed
I still love the Stampede. I still love Calgary. I still love the energy of the city that week. I still love the cowboy hats, the rodeo sounds,the denim on denim (ALWAYS), the country music in the background everywhere you go, and the people watching that can’t be beat.
And while this trip won’t be filled with bar hopping and booze cruises, it will be filled with something that feels even better — coming back to a place that holds a thousand of my best memories, during a time that only happens once a year, and getting to experience it all over again with fresh eyes (and definately comfier shoes and alot more sleep).
My sister’s coming with us this time, and I already know we’re going to laugh ourselves silly, complain about the heat, and leave way too full of mini donuts and nostalgia.
Whether you’re 20 and shimmering in body glitter, or 40 and trying to find the right denim that still lets you breathe when you sit, Stampede has room for you. Just grab a hat, say yes to the rodeo, and don’t forget your sunscreen.
I’ll report back after the chuckwagons. Yeehaw.
xo Christa
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