The masterminds behind Calgary Stampede are always finding new ways to catch our attention, and this year they’re doing it by launching Bulls After Dark, a brand new event that is unlike anything else happening during this year’s festival. So no matter how much of a Stampede veteran you are or how legit your cowboy cred may be, when it comes to Bulls After Dark, this is your first rodeo. Intrigued? Here’s what’s going down:
It’s happening for 2 nights only, and you need a ticket.
Don’t toss this on the maybe I will, maybe I won’t side of your to-do list. The free spirit approach will work for a lot of things during Stampede, but this 18+ licensed event is happening only on Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13, and you’re going to need a ticket to get in. Time to take the plunge and learn to commit.
This bullriding-showcase-slash-dance-party starts – you guessed it – after dark.
As two pseudo-teenagers once sang, oh, those summer nights. Bulls After Dark is going to be spiking your adrenaline after the sun goes down with a 10pm start time. Consider this timing your opportunity to catch a pre-show show, enjoy a relaxed dinner, or for all of us not-so-teenagers maybe indulge in a nap before heading over to the evening’s main event.
Bullriding like you’ve seen before, followed by bullriding like you definitely have not seen before.
In addition to a special run of after-hours, outside-the-regular-rodeo bullriding, Bulls After Dark features a Freestyling event that is to bullriding what the slam dunk competition is to the NBA. Sure, it’s got the same athletes and the same basic skill set, but this select line-up of pros has been practicing some crazy stuff that definitely does not happen during regulation action. If you’re curious about why and how a cowboy would ride a bull if staying put for 8 seconds was not the end goal, get a ticket and find out.
But wait, there’s more – it’s got live music too.
Don’t expect to sit in your seat all night watching the cowboys do all the work – mixed in with all that muscle-bound action (we mean the bulls, keep it clean) there will be live music to get you up and on your feet. This is Stampede after all – live music is as ubiquitous as pancake breakfasts.
(PSA: Check out our full Stampede 2019 concert listing if you haven’t planned your daily show lineup yet.)
To celebrate this new event, we present to you an expert’s tips on riding a bull, and one aspiring cowboy’s mixed results. Check out #StampedeBro on Instagram for more.
Photo credit:
calgarystampede.com
