Cowboys granted exception to operate Stampede tent past midnight

Cowboys wins bid to extend hours A popular venue at the Calgary Stampede has won the ability to serve alcohol into the early hours. Stephanie Wiebe reports.

Cowboys Dance Hall has successfully appealed the conditions that had limited the operations of its music festival tent during the Calgary Stampede.

Penny Lane Entertainment, the operator of the Cowboys Music Festival, appealed to the Subdivision and Development appeal board on Thursday.

Cowboys was not able to set up at their regular spot on Stampede Park this year because of ongoing construction on the expansion of the BMO Centre, so the city approved an alternate location, on 12th Avenue S.E., where the historic Enoch House stood before burning down last year.

However, since that location is off the Stampede grounds, the City of Calgary placed the following conditions on the permit.

Cowboys requested a 2 a.m. closing time and for more time to take the tent down. During presentations to the board, representatives with Penny Lane say the midnight closing time would cause a glut of people in the neighbourhood, as the nearby Stampede events would also be ending at that same time. They added that special event tents are permitted to stay open longer during the 10-day festival.

The Erlton Community Association submitted a letter in opposition to the appeal and requested the conditions be upheld.

The letter cites the Calgary Stampede as a key economic indicator but says Cowboys must still respect noise bylaws. It also suggests allowing operation of the tent until 2 a.m. would create “the potential for disturbance at a time when there are a lot of people around” as the noise and intoxicated revellers would disturb nearby residents.\

On Thursday afternoon, the City of Calgary approved Penny Lane Entertainment's request to extend the tent's hours of operation. Live musical performances must end by midnight.

Pennylane Group, the company behind the Cowboys Music Festival, hosted a three-day open house earlier this month so residents could learn more about the plan and voice concerns.