Music Tents Reach Noise Compromise for Stampede
Concerts will now end at midnight every night, with bass levels reduced and decibel allowances restored to 2025 levels.
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The City of Calgary and Stampede music festival organizers have reached a compromise on concert hours and sound levels after weeks of back-and-forth that drew intervention from Premier Danielle Smith and federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Under the agreement announced Friday, June 26, concerts will end at midnight every night, including weeknights — 90 minutes earlier than last year, when they ran until 1:30 a.m. A cool-down period will run until 1 a.m., down from 2 a.m. last year. Allowable decibel levels before midnight will remain the same as 2025, but bass volume will be reduced.
Mayor Jeromy Farkas said the festival organizers "showed a real willingness to compromise and even give up financially" by surrendering some of their busiest and most profitable hours. The city received about 125 noise complaints last year, with most related to bass levels.
The new rules apply to all music festivals operating under noise exemption permits, including Badlands, and did not require council approval — they were implemented as an administrative adjustment. Cowboys Music Festival runs July 2 to 12 at the former Shaw Millennium Park (1220 9th Ave. S.W.). Premier Smith said she was glad the parties reached an understanding; she had previously set a June 30 deadline for the city to address noise rules or face provincial intervention.