The Calgary Stampede brings hundreds of thousands of people to Alberta’s largest city for a few weeks of horses, country music, deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and debauchery.
Every year, celebs also get in on the action. Whether they were performing on one of the various stages scattered throughout the grounds, judging horrible food competitions or donning their best cowboy apparel, a bunch of famous people joined in the 2019 yahoo spirit.
While we haven’t yet gotten my dream Lil Nas X / Guy Fieri collab, there have still been some top-tier celebrity sightings at this year’s Stampede.
Guy Fieri
The celebrity chef and mayor of FlavourTown was at the Stampede to judge the Cowboys Cook-off Barbecue Invitational. Along the way, he posed with fans and even met some students from the Southern Institute of Technology to assumedly teach them the secret recipe for Donkey Sauce.
He also took in some of the Chuckwagon action, and proved through his Instagram stories that having emojis of your face is always a good thing.
Fieri even stopped by Trolley Five Brewery, which gets this Calgarian’s endorsement. Great beer!
Terry Cahill
The ‘Fubar’ star brought his Stampede spirit to the fairgrounds in a produced video that positioned him as a carnie.
Cahill is a beloved Calgary icon, so it’s not surprising he comes out to Stampede every year. Like Fieri, he also took the opportunity to check out some of the Calgary brewskis at Toolshed brewery alongside WWE hall-of-famer Bret “Hitman” Hart.
Hanson
The trio brought ’90s boy-band spirit to the Stampede. And apparently the group that rose to fame for their treacly sweet pop music is really into country music now.
The boys are all grown up and performing all over. And while I question if they can still hit the high notes on “Mmmbop,” I admire their commitment to the country aesthetic.
And in case it’s not stuck in your head yet:
“Mmm bop, ba duba dop…”
WATCH: Hanson at the 2019 Calgary Stampede. Story continues below.
Kiefer Sutherland
He can do it all! He sparred with Ontario premier Doug Ford! He’s descended from prairie healthcare hero Tommy Douglas! He was Jack Bauer! And apparently, he’s a country music star.
Sutherland took over the Nashville North tent for a rolicked set of country rock. He also took time to stop by the midway and pick up a prize for fiancee Cindy Vela.
In a Twitter post, Sutherland says he won the water gun game as the only player. As a Stampede veteran, however, I call bull. They don’t run the water gun game without at least a few players! And you have to trade up if you want a high quality green M&M!
I guess if you’re the star of Designated Survivor, one of the perks is free Stampede prizes.
I’m not bitter. Yes, I spent hours as a child slaving away at the water gun game with the hope of maybe winning a tiny stuffed duck. Maybe I forced parents, friends and strangers to play alongside me to upgrade to a bigger prize. Maybe I spent way more allowance money than I should’ve in hopes of winning something. But, yeah, Kiefer Sutherland can just waltz in and win a green M&M. I’m not bitter.
Diplo
Based on the block party king’s Instagram, he had the time of his life at the Stampede this week. The music producer — who recently collaborated with viral rapper Lil Nas X on a remix of “Old Town Road” — brought country glam to the fairgrounds.
His Instagram stories are a sight to behold, and really capture the drunken mania through which many people navigate the grounds.
T-Pain
The rapper took to the Coca Cola Stage at the Stampede, but the real star of the show was T-Pain’s tweet about fried chicken tender poutine.
America is known for food monstrosity. But the Calgary Stampede proves that once a year, Canada takes the crown. I wonder if he got a chance to try the pickle cotton candy?
CORRECTION: A previous version misidentified the brewery Terry Cahill was pictured at as Trolley Five. It is in fact, Toolshed.