Stampede Roundup: An updated Stampede grounds of benefit to all of Medicine Hat

By Ryan McCracken on November 3, 2023.

After nearly 45 years, the time has come for the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede to look toward the revitalization and enhancement of its grandstands and interior facilities.

The Stampede’s north grandstand was constructed in 1966 (followed by the south grandstand in 1979), and is rapidly reaching the end of its structural lifespan. These facilities are also sorely outdated, with limited accessibility, wi-fi and audio-video capability and washroom access.

The Stampede’s new revitalization proposal would replace the north grandstand and update its surrounding facilities with a cement foundation, elevators, easily accessible washrooms and seating, a new commercial kitchen, banquet rooms, meeting facilities, breakout rooms and more.

These changes would cement Medicine Hat’s position as a leader of entertainment and commercial events in southeastern Alberta while providing Hatters who use the facilities with a new standard of comfort and convenience.

It should be no secret that the Stampede brings far more than a one-week fair to this great city. A 2019 report by the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Event Council showed the Stampede provides more than $15 million in local economic impact each year.

Events on the grounds touch every month of the year, with more than a dozen put on by the Stampede itself. A tradition since 1887, the Stampede continues to be one of the biggest draws this city has to offer with two professional rodeos and four days of chuckwagon racing each year – one of just 12 stops on the World Professional Chuckwagon Association tour.

These updates would only serve to expand upon an already robust calendar of events, while providing our community groups with better access to educational and team building opportunities and greater earning potential.

Every month, the Stampede offers family-friendly and educational events – some hosted by our staff and volunteers, and others by outside organizations. These include school and camp tours of Co-op Pioneer Village, interactive experiences at the summer fair through Country in the City and Methanex Kiddies Day, trade shows like the Fall Into Christmas Market, drive-in movie nights and much, much more.

The Stampede is also home to dozens of trade shows and markets, offering discounted rates to charitable and non-profit organizations hosting events on the grounds. Weddings, funerals, graduations, sporting events and banquets also fill the Stampede’s facilities throughout the year – but these facilities are aging and are often booked solid alongside many of the city’s more sought-after venues.

Simply put, Medicine Hat needs more event space, and the Stampede is aiming to meet that demand.

Medicine Hat has made a trend out of updating this city’s aging facilities over the past decade, from the opening of Co-op Place in 2015 to more recent updates at Athletic Park and the Big Marble Go Centre, and the Stampede simply needs to be next in line.

The Stampede grounds are one of, if not the most regularly visited event spaces in Medicine Hat, and replacing the north grandstand and updating its surrounding facilities would ensure they are safe, accessible and in demand for many decades to come.