Latest news with #CowboysMusicFestival
Calgary Herald
09-07-2025
- Calgary Herald
Downtown residents say public urination — not noise — is top concern near Cowboys Music Festival
Article content 'At the end of the day, both our bylaw officers as well as Calgary police have the jurisdiction to enforce bylaws,' Wong said. 'When it comes to festival events, obviously there's more people on the streets and . . . you're gonna see more of this happening. But is that acceptable? No. Article content 'We have bylaws and we expect our bylaw enforcement and Calgary police to enforce it.' Article content Wong noted Calgary police officers can take private contracts working off-duty shifts at events such as Cowboys Music Festival, but are 'still acting as police.' Article content Article content Brett Robertson, who lives on an upper floor overlooking Cowboys Park, said the music doesn't bother him. He said it's the aftermath, as crowds spill out of the festival, that's keeping him up at night. Article content 'I got to bed at 4 o'clock last night . . . it's been no sleep,' he said, adding: 'The thing that gets me is the people . . . (urinating) in the parking lot.' Article content Article content One floor down from Robertson, Mike Holloway echoed those concerns. Article content 'When you have people living in the basement and somebody (urinating) on their window — that's not right,' Holloway said. 'There's no one over here looking after this. There's no enforcement.' Article content Tina Leslie, who lives on the ground floor, said she's seen multiple people urinate on her window since the festival began. Article content 'I heard it at first and I thought there's a water leak or something,' she said. 'I yanked the curtain open and I was faced with a penis. I was like, 'Do you mind?'' Article content She said the same thing happened the next day, with two men urinating on her window this time. Article content Despite these encounters, Leslie said the festival has been good for the area overall, and she's been able to enjoy the music from a neighbour's balcony. Article content 'They've really kept it under control,' she said. 'It's great fun.' Article content Article content Young suggested a solution would be for festival organizers to provide more options for attendees to relieve themselves. 'I'd like to see them put a couple of (portable toilets) over here,' he said. Article content Despite the frustration, some residents acknowledged that festival-goers may have few alternatives. Article content 'If you've gotta go, you've gotta go,' said Leslie. Article content In a statement, the City of Calgary acknowledged disorderly behaviour near Cowboys Park during the festival, such as public urination, defecation and jaywalking. Article content 'We have proactive patrols around the area to deal with any social disorder which might arise,' the city said. 'We take all types of complaints very seriously and do encourage anyone with complaints/concerns to contact 311 or 911 if they are in immediate danger.' Article content The festival's relocation to Cowboys Park has added new challenges for traffic and crowd management, the city said. Article content 'With the relocation of the Cowboys Music Festival tent, it has challenged us to stay agile, collaborate seamlessly and continue delivering exceptional service to Calgarians and visitors alike,' the city said. 'An event of this magnitude is no easy task, which has called for all hands on deck from our Emergency Management & Community Safety peace officer groups.' Article content To help manage congestion, the city has implemented special traffic signal timings and nightly road closures. That includes closing 11th Street S.W. between 6th Avenue and 9th Avenue, and a left lane closure on 9th Avenue west of 11th Street. Article content 'There are also designated taxi and rideshare pickup zones for Cowboys on 10th Street and 8th Avenue to help improve access and reduce congestion,' the city said.
CTV News
08-07-2025
- CTV News
Cowboys and Badlands Music festival breached sound levels Monday: City of Calgary
The Cowboys Music Festival continues to be a popular destination for Calgary Stampede revelers while also irritating some of those who live in the area. The City of Calgary says 23 noise complaints were filed about the tent on Monday night and into Tuesday morning. In comparison, just seven noise complaints were filed about the Badlands Music Festival tent, located in the 700 block of Ninth Avenue S.W., during that same time. In years past, the Cowboys Music Festival was located near the Cowboys Casino on 12th Avenue S.E., but this year the tent moved to the newly renamed Cowboys Park, formerly Shaw Millennium Park, at 1220 Ninth Ave. S.W. The festival's 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. In a statement, the city said between midnight and 1 a.m. on Tuesday, officers found both Cowboys and Badlands were 'in breach' of the sound levels. 'Both sites were educated, and the sound was adjusted to comply,' said the statement. Some nearby residents have been frustrated by the noise from the music festival. The total of noise complaints filed about the Cowboys tent is now 39. On Monday, Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong apologized for any disturbance the festival has caused, saying he was committed to addressing concerns with residents.
Global News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
‘It's been pretty miserable': New Cowboys location prompts resident complaints
It's 10 days of food, rides, rodeo and music, but for some Calgarians, the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth is just 10 sleepless nights. Robert Scobel and his girlfriend live on the other side of downtown from Stampede Park, in the west end. They say it's traditionally been a quiet community with families and retirees, but this year they've got a new, partying neighbour. 'It's been pretty miserable; it's been like someone has just driven up with a really loud stereo system in their car, you know, with the windows rattling, except they don't leave,' says Scobel. 'It's been constant, pretty much every night.' This is the first year Cowboys Music Festival is operating in its new location at Cowboys Park, formally Shaw Millennium Park. While some fans say it's bigger and better than ever, drawing acts they've been waiting to see, those who live across the street aren't happy with the move. Story continues below advertisement 'I haven't been able to sleep. The noise generally doesn't quiet until at least 1:30 at night, sometimes much later than that,' says Scobel. 'And then there's noise not necessarily associated with the concertl; sometimes people continue the party out in the street.' The City of Calgary announced the 10-year partnership with Cowboys last July with public engagement opportunities in April of this year, but Scobel says, as a resident, his concerns have been ignored. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I reached out to the city when this was announced, and I never heard anything back. I'm trying to file noise complaints, and my neighbours are as well, to let the city know that this is being disruptive to a lot of people's lives.' Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong says his office has only received 11 emails about the tent, adding roughly half have been about the noise, while the rest are about crowd control. Residents contacting him live in West Downtown and as far away as West Hillhurst on the other side of the river. 'I'm surprised we haven't gotten more but I think people are accepting it,' says Wong. 'We need to appreciate this is Stampede time, this is an event time, not to say everyone enjoys it but it's something that puts on a great show for the world.' Story continues below advertisement Cowboys Music Festival has received a noise bylaw exemption for Stampede. The tent can play music at 85db until 1:30 a.m., at which point it must be turned down to 60db and shut off at 2 a.m. Wong acknowledges the sound travels and can permeate up into apartment buildings, but hopes residents in the area will understand it is for a finite amount of time. 'If you go inside, guaranteed you're going to sit in 90 to 100db, but when you stand outside the sound levels are at 82db and the further away you go it drops down.' But Scobel and his girlfriend are worried it won't just be for 10 days in July. With the sponsorship agreement set for the next decade, billing the park as a festival and event space that could host up to 100,000 people annually, the couple is worried their quiet corner of downtown is going to get a lot louder. '(If it's 10 years) we look at leaving,' says Scobel. 'This is extremely disruptive to the neighbourhood… we're really worried it's actually going to get worse instead of better going forward.'
Perth Now
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Fall Out Boy star to take 'rest of the year off' to undergo hand surgery
Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman is taking the "rest of the year off" from playing with the band to undergo hand surgery. The 40-year-old musician has been "managing ongoing issues" with his right hand, but he needs to go under the knife soon to avoid any "permanent damage" to his paw. He wrote on Instagram: "Hey everyone. "After years of managing ongoing issues with my right hand, it's become clear that I need surgery to avoid permanent damage. "Unfortunately, this means I'll have to take the rest of the year off from playing with the band." However, Joe insisted the Sugar, We're Going Down hitmakers will still be performing "all scheduled shows," and reassured fans he is "on track for a full recovery". He added: "The silver lining is that I'm on track for a full recovery. "The band will still be playing all scheduled shows." Joe also thanked Fall Out Boy's fans for their "love and support". He added: "I'm looking forward to recovering so I can get back out there with the guys. Thanks so much for the love and support. Joe." At the time of writing, Fall Out Boy are yet to announce a replacement for Joe. The band will next perform at the Cowboys Music Festival in Calgary, Canada on Tuesday (08.07.25), before playing at the Minnesota Yacht Club in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 19th. Fall Out Boy will head to Japan to headline two Summer Sonic music festival shows, in Tokyo and Osaka, in August. In January 2023, Joe took a break from the Dance Dance group to focus on his mental health, but he returned to the band in May of the same year. He wrote on Instagram at the time: "Hey everyone, I'm officially back! I want to thank everyone for the love and support while I took some time away to focus on my brain and get healthy for my family, my friends and myself."
CTV News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Downtown Calgary residents voice concerns over Cowboys Music Festival tent noise
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 12 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 that 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 ear buds 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 though 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. 'This 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 play music at 82 decibels until midnight. After midnight, the tent can still play music, but it must be turned down. Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong says his office has received approximately 10 complains regarding noise and garbage issues stemming from the Cowboys Music Festival. According to Wong, the tent is abiding by the rules. '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 from July 3 to 13.
