Ashley Warner Says Calgary Stampede Doubles Down on 65 Midway Creations

The calgary stampede has released its 2026 midway food lineup, and the menu runs to over 65 creations. Ashley Warner, the midway manager, says exhibitors spend months building dishes meant only for the midway.

“Every year our exhibitors push the boundaries, spending months developing imaginative and unexpected dishes exclusive to the midway,” Warner said in a news release. “It’s about delivering outrageously bold, fun and irresistible creations that give guests new ways to experience the excitement, creativity and spirit of the Calgary Stampede.”

65 creations and three themes

This year’s lineup is split across International Delights, Wild and Wacky, and Traditional Twists. That mix keeps the Stampede food strategy broad: some items lean into familiar fairground comfort, while others are built to stand out on sight and on name alone.

Among the standout items are a candied pickle, crunchy critter corn topped with crunchy dried mealworms, dill pickle cotton candy, a BBQ rib cookie, hot dog creations, deep fried pizza and a funnel cake topped with freeze-dried Skittles. The range is the point; the midway is selling novelty as much as it is selling food.

Drink menu at Calgary Stampede

The drink list follows the same formula, with big buckin’ lemonade, a coke Caesar, cotton candy dirty soda and a Dunkaroo latte. Those choices extend the midway beyond food stalls alone and give visitors another reason to track the release before the grounds open.

For readers deciding what to try first, the practical answer is simple: the 2026 Calgary Stampede midway is leaning hard into one-off items that will not be around anywhere else on the grounds. If the lineup is the product, the draw is scarcity, and Warner is saying that is exactly how the exhibitors want it.