Celebrating the Past, Present & Journey of Calgary: The Calgary Stampede Unveils Three New Stampede Park Entrance Art Features

In June 2025, the Calgary Stampede will welcome people from around the corner and around the world to Stampede Park with three brand-new, larger-than-life entry features.

Today, the Calgary Stampede was proud to unveil the designs of the three entry features — The Buffalo, The Horse, and The Bull — which will each be installed at one of Stampede Park’s main entrances: Stampede Trail (north), Erlton (south) and 17 Ave/Flores LaDue Parade (west).

“We are thrilled to bring these three captivating entry features to Stampede Park where they will welcome community members and visitors to Stampede Park in a meaningful way,” says Kerri Souriol, Vice President, Park Development & Major Projects at the Calgary Stampede. “Stampede Park has always been a gathering space, and has now transformed into a world-class, year-round gathering place for the community.”

The three entry features will be fabricated byCalgary-based F&D Scene Changes Ltd. and feature artwork by Jason Carter, a public artist and graduate of both NAIT and MacEwan University in Edmonton. Carter has major, permanent art installations in the Calgary and Edmonton international airports, and both sculpture and canvas artwork in many public places, including the Museum of Aboriginal Peoples’ Art and Artifacts of Canada, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and YWCA Calgary, along with private collections globally. Carter was also the only Alberta artist to have his own solo art show at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

“It’s been an honour to be selected as the artist for the Calgary Stampede’s Entrance Art Features,” says Carter. “I was inspired by the concept of the ‘herd’ and selected these animals, which I felt figuratively embodied the Calgary Stampede’s Western heritage and sense of gathering, while more literally capturing the Stampede’s celebration of agriculture, Western events and cultures.”

The three entry features highlight 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. The entry features will build on the identity and sense of arrival to the BMO Centre, Stampede Park and the Culture + Entertainment District as a whole, creating vibrancy in the surrounding southeast downtown community.

The three pieces will join the additional 14 pieces in the Stampede’s public art collection, all of which are stewarded by the Stampede’s volunteer Public Art Committee.

“Art has always been an important part of Stampede history, and we are excited to add Jason Carter’s pieces to the collection of artwork we currently have on Stampede Park,” says Neil MacKimmie, Chair of the Calgary Stampede’s volunteer Public Art Committee. “During the selection process, we were incredibly impressed with the boldness of Carter’s pieces in their proposed setting, the consideration for the day and night representation and the resonance with our Stampede values.”

The artwork was selected through a public RFP process by an evaluation committee, which included three voting members of the Calgary Stampede, one voting member of the volunteer Public Art Committee and one non-voting member from the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation. The committee reviewed and shortlisted initial submissions, and then the short-listed entries were provided an honorarium to move into the design phase where they were asked to provide a detailed overview of fabrication and installation methodology. Following this phase, Carter and his artwork were selected for fabrication and installation.

Founded in 1982, F&D Scene Changes Ltd. has been internationally celebrated for transforming ideas into reality. Projects range from scenery for theatre and experiential tours, television and film to theme park elements, museum and trade show displays, zoos, libraries and malls. F&D has fabricated and installed products throughout North America and internationally for various clients such as Cirque du Soleil, Universal Studios, HBO, Netflix, Apple and Disney.

The project team is rounded out by Bond Creative, who will consult to ensure the project stays true to the Stampede brand and design the wayfinding and informational aspects of the features, ground cubed landscape architects, who will advise on the integration of the pieces into their landscape and with the greater area redevelopment plans, and Wolsey Structural Engineering, who will provide structural design and analysis for the entry features and all requirements to physically support them.

Installation of The Buffalo (Stampede Trail) and The Horse (Erlton) pieces will commence at the end of April 2025 and will be complete mid-June 2025 – just in time for the Calgary Stampede to welcome upwards of 20,000 guests to the Rotary International Convention and more than a million visitors to Stampede 2025.

When installed, the large Buffalo feature will stand just over 19 ft. tall, with the smaller Buffalo feature measuring at nearly 11 ft. tall. Similarly, the large Horse installation will stand just under 21 ft. tall, with its smaller counterpart standing at just under 11 ft.

About the Calgary Stampede

The Calgary Stampede celebrates the people, the animals, the land, the traditions and the values that make up the unique spirit of the west. The Calgary Stampede contributes to the quality of life in Calgary and southern Alberta through our world-renowned Stampede, year-round facilities, western events and several youth and agriculture programs. Exemplifying the theme We’re Greatest Together, we are a volunteer-supported, not-for-profit community organization that preserves and celebrates our western heritage, cultures and community spirit. All revenue is reinvested into Calgary Stampede programs and facilities.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Media Relations
Calgary Stampede
E media.relations@calgarystampede.com