One of the signature events in Williams Lake is the annual William’s Lake Stampede, a rough-tough, full-on, full bore rodeo that features some of the best cowboys and cowgirls in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, and, indeed, in North America.
Second in Canada only to the Calgary Stampede, the Williams Lake Stampede is held each year on the Canada Day long weekend, although it has been cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Rodeo events include bull riding, barrel racing, bareback riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping and chuckwagon races. There are many other western cultural and livestock events as well.
As for the next stampede? The organizers vow it will return next year.
“We recognize the deep historical connections and the cultural importance our event plays locally and beyond our borders, and we are all committed to gathering together again in 2021,” they say on their website.
“The way of the cowboy, the cowgirl, and the Cariboo-Chilcotin is strength through resiliency – we will all come out of this together.”
Planning to visit Williams Lake and the Williams Lake Stampede? Be sure to check this website for the latest stampede news.
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