Celebrating 35 Years of Ismaili Stampede Parade Floats: A Legacy of Unity and Community

For 35 years, the Ismaili Muslim community has been a vibrant and integral part of the annual Calgary Stampede, showcasing its spirit of volunteerism, unity, and understanding through parade floats.

Always a crowd favourite, the Stampede Parade serves to kick off the annual 10-day-long summer Calgary Stampede celebration. The floats that comprise the Parade highlight Calgary’s distinctive identity, culture, and diversity.

Each year, the Ismaili Muslim community partners with a local not-for-profit providing critical services to Calgarians in need, or promoting an essential public good. Past partners have included the United Way, YMCA, Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, and the Calgary Women's Emergency Centre, reflecting the Ismaili community’s commitment to improving quality of life, especially for the most vulnerable in society.

The partnerships also serve to build and foster community relationships and demonstrate how a community event can transcend mere celebration to become a powerful vehicle for social cohesion, dialogue, and understanding.

At the heart of this legacy is one of the historical leads, Alnoor Velji, who has been instrumental in leading the float team, and has recently been honored at the Calgary Stampede's Sam Centre for his unwavering dedication. His leadership has ensured that the Ismaili Muslim community's presence at the Stampede remains steadfast and impactful.

Alongside Alnoor, many other leaders and volunteers have also contributed significantly over the years. Their collective efforts and commitment have laid a strong foundation, enabling the Ismaili community to showcase its values — ones which are also quintessentially Canadian — including service, compassion, and generosity.

Many of the intricately designed and built floats, over the years, have garnered awards based on their exceptional creativity, mechanical elegance, and artistry.

The 2024 Calgary Stampede Float honours the Calgary Centre for Newcomers, underscoring the importance of ensuring that Calgary is a place where people of all backgrounds can feel at home, thrive, and in turn give back to strengthen the communities in which they live.

In addition to participating in the annual Parade on Friday, July 5, the float will be on display on Saturday, July 6 at the Calgary Ismaili Muslim Stampede Breakfast — another much-anticipated tradition on the Calgary scene — famous as much for its spirit of volunteerism as its scrumptious bharazi (pigeon-pea curry).

When you’re next in Calgary, be sure to join and see what the excitement is all about!