Stampede noise complaints jump 186 as Cowboys tent dominates two-thirds of reports
As of July 9, the city received 186 noise complaints tied to Stampede events, with the Cowboys Music Festival accounting for 124 of them.
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The City of Calgary had received 186 noise complaints related to Stampede events and festival activities as of 7 a.m. on July 9, with the Cowboys Music Festival driving two-thirds of the total.
Of those complaints, 124 were due to Cowboys Music Festival, 37 from Badlands Music Festival, six from Whiskey Rose, one for National Saloon, and 18 for other events. This marks a significant increase from the same period last year, when the city received 91 complaints for Cowboys, 17 for Badlands, nine for Whiskey Rose, two for National Saloon, and 12 for other events.
The city's Community Standards unit completed an internal review and rescinded a ticket originally issued to Badlands Music Festival earlier this week. Chief Ryan Pleckaitis said the team has observed a reduction in decibel levels over the past three nights but noted that bass levels remain a challenge. "We will be monitoring this venue closely with the goal of achieving compliance through working with operators or through enforcement, if necessary," Pleckaitis said.
Ward 8 Councillor Nathan Schmidt told local media he's hearing more complaints from families in Sunalta this year, largely due to the Cowboys stage now facing west rather than toward buildings to the south. Schmidt said he can hear the bass from near the Westbrook LRT station. "I think this is something we're going to have to continue to work with all of our partners and bylaw around," he said.
City bylaw backed away from initial new noise rules and settled on a 75-decibel limit until midnight, with spillover permitted until 1 a.m.
