Calgary Stampede to add three “larger than Life” entrance art statues

The Calgary Stampede has announced a new era for public art to entice and welcome visitors to the “Greatest outdoor show on earth”

The Buffalo, The Horse, and The Bull, will be installed in April to be ready for the more than 20,000 guests to the 2025 Rotary International Convention in June, and more than one million to the Stampede in July.

Indigenous Artist Jason Carter is behind the art.  His previous work has been showcased at major public spaces, including the Calgary and Edmonton international airports. He was also the only Alberta artist to have a solo exhibition at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Carters pieces will be installed at the park’s north entrance on Stampede Trail, south (Erlton) entrance at 25 Avenue and Macleod Trail S.E., and the west entrance on 17 Ave/Flores LaDue Parade and Macleod Trail S.E.

The Stampede says the art highlights the story of Calgary and the Calgary Stampede’s past, present and future, with the animals “overseeing their respective entrances as stewards of the land.”

Once installed, the Buffalo sculpture will stand over 19 feet tall, with a smaller version measuring nearly 11 feet. The Horse installation will reach just under 21 feet, with a second piece at about 11 feet.

With the addition of these new sculptures, the Calgary Stampede continues to evolve as a year-round cultural hub—and 2025 will mark another historic milestone.

For the first time in 46 years, the Stampede Rodeo is adding a new event: Ladies Breakaway Roping. The event, sanctioned by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), will offer equal prize money alongside the rodeo’s six premier events, making it the biggest step toward gender parity in competition since Ladies Barrel Racing debuted in 1979.

A total of 30 competitors will qualify for the event, with 24 spots awarded to top-ranked WPRA and Canadian Pro Rodeo riders and six spots decided through qualifiers in Salina, Utah (April 2025) and Calgary (June 2025).

The 2025 Calgary Stampede runs July 4-13.  Tickets are now on sale!