(Minghui.org) Accompanied by shouts of “Yeehaw,” approximately 350,000 people filled the streets as the Calgary Stampede Parade started at 9:00 a.m. on July 3, 2026, formally inaugurating The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
More than one hundred participating groups contributed to a grand procession of horses, cowboys, floats, and marching bands. Cultural organizations representing communities from Asia, Europe, and the Americas displayed a striking variety of traditions and styles, and treated people to a visually impressive and truly memorable spectacle.
The Falun Gong group was led by the Tian Guo Marching Band, which numbered around 100 members dressed in elegant blue-and-white Tang Dynasty-style attire. A newly designed float featured Alberta’s iconic vast wheat fields set against the backdrop of the rolling Rocky Mountains. Celestial dragons danced and lotus flowers bloomed in the azure sky, while large models of the book Zhuan Falun in both Chinese and English gleamed in the sunshine. At the rear was the waist-drum team dressed in yellow, bringing the spirited, resonant rhythms of their drums to the audience.
Falun Dafa practitioners participate in the Calgary Stampede Parade on July 3, 2026. (Minghui.org)
The parade-goers responded warmly when they saw the practitioners. Many people took photos and waved at them.
Shelley O’Kurley and her husband (Minghui.org)
Shelley O’Kurley praised the Tian Guo Marching Band and said they were “splendid, energetic, and performed fabulously.” She said, “The band is quite different from traditional Western bands. Hearing them play fills one with a sense of genuine joy.”
She noted the Falun Dafa float and said it delivered a peaceful, happy, and united feeling. She said, “The values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance shown in the float are very good. Everyone needs them.”
Gram Hudson from Melbourne, Australia (Minghui.org)
Gram Hudson said, “The parade was spectacular. The principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are wonderful and beneficial to everyone. The celestial maidens on the float were truly magnificent, bringing a sense of deep inner peace and tranquility. The waist-drum performance was captivating and refreshing—something one could watch over and over again without ever tiring of it.”
Iryma, an architect from Calgary, said she admired the Falun Dafa practitioners in the parade. “The costumes were dazzling, and the performance was extraordinary. We really enjoyed it. The costumes were more vibrant and eye-catching than those of the other teams, and the overall atmosphere was very festive,” she said. “I feel Falun Dafa's principles should be followed by everyone.”
Ray Anderson said the practitioners’ group “is striking, and the musical performance is outstanding.”
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