What you need to know to plan your Calgary Stampede Parade Day

A crowd along 9 Ave. S.W. during the 2013 Calgary Stampede Parade

A crowd of 250,000 people is expected to descend on the downtown core on Friday morning for the official kickoff to the 102nd edition of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

The 2014 Calgary Stampede Parade is slated to begin at 9:05 a.m. at the intersection of 6 Ave. and 3 St. S.E. The five kilometre parade route will see the floats, horses, and marching bands travelling:

At any given point on the route, the parade is expected to last approximately two hours.

80 per cent of seating along 6 Ave. and 9 Ave. will be available to the public for free on a first come, first serve basis. Chairs and benches will not be provided.

The Stampede Parade Committee recommends visitors:

On Stampede Parade Day, access to the downtown core will be limited between 7:30 a.m. and the conclusion of the parade.

The Calgary Stampede Parade, the second largest parade in North America trailing only the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California, will have 130 parade entries in 2014 including:

Canadian actor and entertainer William Shatner will lead the 2014 Calgary Stampede and Calgary based speed skaters Gilmore Junio and Denny Morrison will be at his side as honorary Marshals.

The parade is the result of the efforts of the Calgary Stampede Parade Committee’s 131 volunteers who have contributed an estimated 19,000 hours of their time to the cause.