Stranger Things At The Calgary Stampede

A Stranger Stampede

This year at the Calgary Stampede they surprised us with a Stranger Things ‘town of Hawkins’ theme! Rides decked out in Stranger Things decals and fresh paint, disease infested rats and other things from the upside down, even games and rides named after the series. Lots of cool little details all over the midway that you might miss if you didn’t know what to look for. That said, there were no actual Stranger Things rides, they just re-branded existing rides. Still though, it’s pretty well done and added an extra layer of fun to the grounds this year. A Stranger Things Calgary Stampede indeed!

If you’ve been living under a rock or don’t use the internet (what are you doing here, now?!), Stranger Things is a Netflix series that follows a group of kids around a fictional town called Hawkins where creepy things keep happening and residents start disappearing. It’s eerie, a little supernatural, and focuses on one strange little girl. Not going to get into any more than that. No spoilers here my friend. If you haven’t seen Stranger Things, they just came out with season 3 and it’s really decent.

Start watching. Today.

“There will be snacks and delights for everyone so don’t be a stranger – things get started at 5 p.m. on the fourth of July. But watch where you go, as one misstep could transport you to The Upside Down. Take a trip on the stranger slide or the big ferris wheel, dare to ride the monster-fied spider or try your luck at the balloon pop game.”

• For more on the Calgary Stampede, check out LiveWireCalgary – they just did a piece on the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show.

Stranger Things Photos From Calgary Stampede (2019)

Benches on the Stampede midway have various fake advertisements for Hawkins.

Along the bottom front wall of the Big Four Roadhouse building are two ST3 murals that are meant for people to take pictures at and share on Instagram. Instagram walls are all the rage right now.

I wanted to give you an idea of how large the murals are, and I couldn’t find a banana, so I took a picture with a few people in it.

Really loved the detail and effort they put into this! Kudos!

Conclusion

If you haven’t seen Stranger Things yet, you need to. Be careful though.. once you start, you may not be able to stop until you’re out of episodes. Happy Netflix and chill. Do people still say that?

Starting today until July 14th we’re bringing Hawkins to Calgary. Visit Mayor Kline’s Fun Fair only at the Calgary Stampede. pic.twitter.com/FQG9PiXLVT

— Netflix Canada (@Netflix_CA) July 5, 2019