2026 Whoop-Up Days includes increased programming, party celebrations

There will be more parties each night of Whoop Up Days this year in Lethbridge.

More programming is being added to this year’s Whoop-Up Days as cornerstone programs celebrate five-years since being introduced.

“Outside of like the show starting, today is probably one of my favourite days of the year,” said Paul Kingsmith, director of event development with Excite Lethbridge.

“For us it really is a year-round enterprise, and so much hard work has gone in by the team to get to the point where we’re ready to say, ‘this is the entertainment we have.”

This year’s summer festival marks the fifth year of both the Lethbridge and District Pro Rodeo and Siksikaitsitapi Powwow and Princess Pageant. To celebrate the milestone, Excite Lethbridge has added a series of parties each night of the fair.

“We open up with a kick-off party on night one, we have the Siksikaitsitapi music showcase on night two and then we have our brand-new rodeo cabernet on nights three, four and five,” said Kingsmith.

“So, brand-new parties, brand-new ways for people to stay late and kick up their boots and have some fun.”

The festival will begin on Aug. 18 with the Whoop-Up Days parade and run through Aug. 22.

Family fun zone and more

Along with the powwow and pro rodeo, the event will feature the Westcoast Amusement Midway, entertainment stages, beer gardens, family fun zone, Sixth Street Eats, food trucks, marketplace and more.

New this year is the Strathcona Mounted Troop Musical Ride with two shows daily, Ride the Vibe, a freestyle motocross display right in the middle of the midway and the Rodeo Zone, celebrating the sport inside the family fun zone.

The Lethbridge and District Agricultural Society will also host a new Ag Showcase, which includes games, a vintage market and more.

“We’re trying to make it so that when you come to Whoop-Up Days you have a wide variety of things you can do and see and be a part of,” said Kingsmith.

Music headliners for the festival include JUNO Award nominee Fefe Dobson on Aug. 20, Canadian rockers Default on Aug. 21, followed by country music legend Gord Bamford on Aug. 22.

“What we have seen from our community over the past five years is a renewed and reinvigorated excitement in Whoop-Up Days,” says Kim Gallucci, Excite Lethbridge CEO.

“We want to keep that excitement growing, while saying thank you to the community that has supported us.

Whoop-Up Days will include more than 107 hours of entertainment and 53 hours of live music throughout the five-day event.

This year’s event comes on the heels of a new modern-day attendance record set in 2025, when nearly 55,000 people attended Whoop-Up Days.

“Attendance numbers are important, they help us, they drive it, but I think what we look at is if attendance numbers are going up then people like the programming,” explained Kingsmith.

“It’s not trying to chase the attendance, it’s about trying to put on the best possible show.”

The annual Lethbridge and District Pro Rodeo will return on Aug. 20-22, with an increase in cash prizes.

“Rodeo in Canada started in southern Alberta and so I think we deserve to have an event that puts us on the map as part of the rodeo industry and a big player in it,” said Kynan Vine, executive producer of the pro rodeo.

“We just thought it was important to present the strongest event possible, keep improving, keep making it better for the athletes and also for the community. We want to be able to say that we are attracting top athletes and competitors from across North America and around the world.”

Tickets for this year’s Whoop-Up Days go on sale in June.