First Flip Pancake Breakfast serves as unofficial Calgary Stampede kickoff
As the start of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth nears closer, Calgary Stampede events are kicking off around the city.
The First Flip, an annual pancake breakfast, marks the unofficial start of Stampede for many people.
Festivities for the event start on Stephen Avenue at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Pancake lovers will get to hear music from The Frontiers and Mackenzie Brown. There will also be Greenfools Theatre and the Chinook Line Dancers keeping people entertained.
The formal program then gets underway at 8 a.m.
Premier Danielle Smith, Mayor Jyoti Gondek and the federal minister of emergency management and community resilience will all be speaking.
They'll then role up their sleeves and man the grill for a bit.
Another pancake breakfast is happening at the Calgary Dream Centre Thursday at 9 a.m.
NDP Naheed Nenshi and Jason Nixon, Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services will be working it.
These breakfasts are held leading up to sneak-a-peek, which will give thousands of people early access to Stampede Park.
The official kickoff to the Calgary Stampede is the parade Friday morning.
CTV News will have pre-parade coverage starting at 6 a.m., and will then livestream the parade online and on TV at starting at 8:55 a.m.
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