Downtown Calgary residents voice concerns over Cowboys Music Festival tent noise

The Stampede is roaring across Calgary for another six days, and for those on the west side of downtown, sleep is being lost to a loud new party scene.

It was a loud few nights for Calgarian Brian Owens, who lives right across from the recently relocated Cowboys Music Festival.

In years past, the festival tent sat near the Cowboys Casino on 12th Avenue S.E., but this year it moved to the newly renamed Cowboys Park, formerly Shaw Millennium Park, at 1220 Ninth Ave. S.W.

“I don’t mind festivals being here; what I mind is it being that loud all the way till 2 a.m.,” he said.

“Especially on weeknights when most of us have to work the next day.”

Owens filed a noise complaint with 311 at 1:45 a.m. on Friday while live music was still playing.

“A concert at the Saddledome doesn’t go until 2 a.m. I see no reason that [a concert] that takes place in a park across the street from a building that houses nearly 1,000 people has to go that late,” he said.

Owens says city officials told him his complaint will be grouped in with many others already filed.

He told CTV News he found the noise level to be the loudest on Saturday, keeping him awake until 2 a.m.

“Keep in mind, this is with earbuds in, trying to play some relaxing music to override what I’m hearing,” Owens said.

Owens says the music wasn’t nearly as loud on Sunday.

His live-in partner, Michael Dettner, says they knew the festival would be noisy but didn’t have an understanding of just how bad it would be until things kicked off last Thursday.

“We were up most of the night,” Dettner said.

“There is this constant ‘thud, thud, thud, thud, boom, boom,’ and then the crowd is huge.”

The festival tent has been granted a noise exemption, allowing it to play music at 85 decibels until 1:30 a.m., which is about as loud as a lawn mower.

After that, it must be reduced to 60 decibels, equivalent to what you would experience in an office or restaurant.

The music needs to be completely over or off by 2 a.m.

The decibel reading takes place from the point of reception—or where the complaint is being made—or as near as possible.

Measurements are monitored from all around the location during the evening.

The City of Calgary has received 16 noise complaints related to the tent.

“Our bylaw officers have been actively monitoring the site, and to date, no infractions have been recorded,” the city said in a statement.

Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong says his office has received several complaints regarding noise and garbage issues stemming from the Cowboys Music Festival.

“I’ve been there every day,” he said.

“You’ll hear the noise intensity, certainly loud, in the centre, but when you walk away from the area, the noise levels are 70 to 80 decibels, which is within city limits.”

Wong says he wants residents to know he empathizes with their concerns.

“There are people who are much more sensitive, or they’re on shift work, or seniors that obviously want to get to bed sooner,” he said.

“We need to recognize that we are during the 10 days of Stampede—it’s a festival. These are some things that we need to regulate to make sure they stay within the bylaws.”

CTV News has reached out to the Cowboys Music Festival for a comment regarding the noise complaints and will update this article if and when one is received.

The 2025 festival runs through July 13.