The City of Calgary reached a compromise with Penny Lane Entertainment on Friday to adjust concert hours and noise restrictions for the Cowboys Music Festival during the upcoming Calgary Stampede.
Under the new administrative adjustment, live music at outdoor festival tents will conclude at midnight every night instead of 1:30 a.
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m. , with weeknight activities completely wrapping up by 1 a.
m. rather than 2 a.
m.
In exchange, the city will restore allowable pre-midnight decibel levels to match last year's limits, while organizers agreed to implement additional sound mitigation measures and lower bass levels.
The agreement followed more than a week of political friction involving provincial and federal leaders after the city initially trimmed noise limits due to approximately 125 resident complaints last year.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith had issued a June 30 deadline for the city to resolve the issue or face potential provincial intervention, labeling the council the "fun police," while federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused the city of smothering country music culture.
Mayor Jeromy Farkas stated that the new regulations will also apply to other local music festivals operating under noise exemption permits, such as the Badlands festival, to ensure fairness across venues.
“These changes give residents quieter nights while preserving one of Calgary’s signature events,” said Mayor Jeromy Farkas.
Farkas noted that a majority of the previous year's complaints stemmed specifically from vibrating bass levels rather than general volume.
