Sam Centre: Keeping Calgary’s Stampede spirit alive year-round

Each year, the Calgary Stampede welcomes over one million visitors throughout the ten-day festival. It’s a short season, but a busy one, as the city comes alive with travellers and locals alike. Now, with the official opening of the Sam Centre right on the festival grounds, the spirit of the Stampede will live on year-round. The new centre provides an immersive experience for visitors of all ages to explore the rich history of this iconic celebration, no matter the month!

“What is the Stampede like? You might think of it as the brand, you might think of it as food, you might think of it as rodeo. But it's all that and so much more,” says Jennifer Holm, Manager of Sales and Guest Experience. “The Sam Centre [allows] visitors to get a deeper sense of knowledge about the Stampede, everyone who created the Stampede and how we all belong.”

As you might imagine, the organization has collected quite a few artifacts and unique items over the past 112 years. Sam Centre [brings] these pieces and their history to life, with multi-medium exhibits layered with digital augmentation including video and audio components, and tactile experiences.

The space also features the Stampede Sensations, a digital installation highlighting real stories from people who have had a connection with the Stampede for decades. This 15-minute 270° multimedia show brings all the excitement, sounds, and thrills that make the Calgary Stampede the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

The collection of vignettes makes space for people to share their Stampede story, illuminating how the Stampede has provided a place of connection and community. “We're sharing these stories to create a greater sense of community outside of those 10 days in July,” says Holm.

Building community through shared experiences

For many visitors who travel to Alberta for the Calgary Stampede, the Sam Centre is the perfect add-on to their busy itineraries, adding a layer of rich cultural history to their Stampede experience.

As for the rest of the year, the team will be hosting a wide range of events and programming that will attract visitors and locals alike. This includes a rotating gallery that will feature partnerships with local creators and organizations from the community.

In alignment with the Stampede spirit, the team also looks forward to fostering collaboration and partnerships to build community within Alberta. In fact, they have agreements in place with a few museums and organizations across the province.

“We’ll have items on display from the Museum of the Highwood, which will encourage people to go down to High River. We’ll have items on display there on loan from Glenbow, so we can encourage people to walk down the street,” explains Christine Leppard, Manager of Exhibits & Experience.

“We firmly believe that we, as an industry, are all better when we can get more people coming more regularly to these sites. It’s important for cultural organizations, but most importantly, it’s important for the vibrancy of the local community and allows us to provide an enriching experience to guests from around the world, who are welcome to our region with some really spectacular sites to visit.”

Shaping the next 112 years

While the Sam Centre serves as a space to explore the past, the organizers hope to provide a platform to discuss the future, too.

“We want to create a space for our community to come together and start to have conversations about what the Stampede means to us. What could it mean tomorrow? What could it mean in a decade from now?” asks Dr. Leppard.

The Sam Centre officially opened in May 2024.To learn more or discuss collaboration opportunities, contact CLeppard@calgarystampede.com or visit https://samcentre.calgarystampede.com/