Country Thunder says it is cancelling its upcoming music festival in Calgary due to “city-created safety and operational barriers.”
The cancellation notice was issued June 24 ahead of the festival, which had been scheduled for June 26 to 28 this year, and comes in the wake of clashes between Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith over new noise limitations put in place ahead of the Calgary Stampede.
“After exhaustive efforts to find a workable path forward, the organization has determined that conditions created by the City of Calgary, including active construction surrounding the festival site and new restrictive sound limitations, make it impossible to stage the event for 2026,” Country Thunder wrote in a June 24 release.
The organization added that “city-created safety and operational barriers” were at fault and “make safe and enjoyable execution of the festival impossible.”
The City of Calgary said it had met with Country Thunder organizers earlier on June 24 and was told they were satisfied with the plans for the event. It added that the city had made several changes to accommodate the company’s needs.
This year’s Country Thunder had been scheduled to be headlined by country music performers Kane Brown, the Red Clay Strays, and Lainey Wilson, and would have also featured rising Canadian country music star Cameron Whitcomb.
Months of Unsuccessful Negotiations, Festival Says
Country Thunder said the cancellation came about after “several months” of negotiating with the City of Calgary about “challenges” surrounding construction downtown that interferes with access for concert attendees, emergency services, and production staff, in addition to lower noise limits put in place for concerts and entertainment ahead of the Stampede, which runs July 3 to 12.“We do not take this decision lightly,” Kim Blevins, executive director of Country Thunder, said in the release. “Our fans travel from across the country to be part of this experience and we owe them an event they can enjoy fully. The City-driven conditions in Calgary this year make that impossible.”
Blevins added that moving ahead with the concert would have meant compromising on safety and offering a worse fan experience. The company said all ticket holders will get a full refund.
City of Calgary Responds
For its part, the City of Calgary issued a June 24 response to news of Country Thunder’s cancellation, saying it was “surprised” to hear of the decision.“This was the first indication we received that the event might not proceed,” the city wrote, saying it had met with organizers as recently as the morning of June 24 and was told they were satisfied and prepared to go ahead with the event.
“In addition to this morning, The City has had ongoing contact with Country Thunder organizers since January 2026, where all parties were informed of the project background, scope, schedule and traffic control plans. Through subsequent regular dialogue with event organizers, The City incorporated several changes to the construction work zone, work sequencing and site accesses to accommodate the organizer’s needs,” the city added.
The City of Calgary also said a separate meeting offering to discuss volume level concerns was offered to Country Thunder on the morning of June 24 but received no response from organizers.
In terms of construction starting at 9th Avenue, the city said access has been managed since the project started in mid-January of this year and said the work is “critical.”
“This work is a critical part of connecting the Culture & Entertainment District across the CPKC rail line and will create an underpass and improve traffic flow along 6th Street. The City’s intent has always been to minimize disruptions during the event and reduce potential impacts on attendees and organizers,” the city wrote, adding it’s “disappointed” in Country Thunder’s decision.
Ongoing Clash Over Noise Limits
Country Thunder’s cancellation comes amid an ongoing clash over stricter noise limits put in place this past February for musical and entertainment performances that will impact downtown Stampede party tents and musical performances.Farkas said the rules strike a reasonable balance between hosting major events and respecting nearby residents.
Calgary city council voted 9–6 against changing the noise restrictions on June 23, following criticism from several Stampede operators as well as Smith and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who have said the rules will kill jobs and harm the success of this year’s world-famous event.
Smith had criticized the noise limits as the “fun police,” leading to a response from Farkas that Alberta was the real “fun police” in its plan to raise the minimum price of beer.
The province subsequently directed Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis not to proceed with the beer price increase.
