03-07-2025
First Flip Stampede Breakfast takes over Stephen Ave
Calgarians lined up along Stephen Avenue for the most important meal of the day, right before the city's biggest event, with the First Flip Breakfast to kick off the 2025 Stampede season on Thursday.
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CEO of Tourism Calgary, Alisha Reynolds, said the event is one that they are very proud of, which has grown significantly over the last 14 years from their little parking garage, to taking over a whole city street.
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Although she's flipped around 100 pancakes, Reynolds estimates that they served up more than 10,000 pancakes over the morning.
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The event also hosted several prominent figures from the province and city including Premier Danielle Smith, Mayor Jyoti Gondek, the new Minister of Emergency Management and community Resilience Elanor Olszewski, and members of Calgary city council.
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1/2: The First Flip is in the books for 2025! Hosted by YYC tourism and downtown organizations, the first pancake breakfast of the Stampede season was this morning on Stephen Avenue walk. #calgarycentre #yyc #cdnpoli #calgarystampede2025
— Greg McLean (@GregMcLeanYYC) July 3, 2025
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Reynolds said their presence at the event, even flipping a few of their own flapjacks in front of a packed crowd, speaks to the way Stampede acts as a bridge that connects all orders of the government to regular people.
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'Events like this bring people out to have a good time and to find the commonality in things, which is community, spirit, having fun, and really living with gratitude together in this place that we all love,' she said.
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As a treat that brings people together, Reynolds said that Calgary Tourism loves being a champion in the community that showcases the first line of excitement and hospitality right before Stampede.
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'It's buzzing and we all feel so grateful,' she said. 'It's a beautiful 'Blue Sky' day. The epitome of what life in Calgary is like.'
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With a record-breaking 1.47 million attendees at last year's event, Reynolds said there are strong indicators that this year's festivities will see a new record. She adds that there are projections showing a positive uptick from all around the world.
