Spruce Meadows — Attraction in Alberta

This was a pre-planned trip that we kind of worked around. My girlfriend is an avid jumping fan, and this is something she has wanted to do for over 20 years so this trip was the perfect opportunity. We knew which competitions were on and had picked one day with the best jumping competition we could find. Unfortunately, due to our arrival date we didn't get to see some of the competitors we would have liked such as Ian Miller and Eric Lamaze but it was still enjoyable as it was a long derby competition we went to see.

The location is easy to find, and the parking is well managed. Although not as many attendees as at a NASCAR race they funnel you into various rows of parking on the grass. The place is huge, with several different rings but the map was pretty good when we actually used it.

The grounds are very well kept, and rarely did we see garbage littered on the ground. We did however on several occasions have difficulty finding a garbage when we needed one and often had to go hunting. Don't recall if this was something that was marked on the map as I have seen at other venues like this.

Some washrooms are cleaner than others, a lot of which depended on their location and use. I don't ever recall any of them being in the process of being cleaned throughout the day so I get the impression this is something that is done once a day. Although on the other hand they may have a cleaning schedule throughout the day which is posted on the doors that I did not see or remember.

This unfortunately is where I found the biggest disappointment. I realize the entry fee is inexpensive, and that a lot of the employment here is volunteer but that is no excuse. We were often given wrong information from the people at the various grandstands. When we wanted to check out a grandstand that had been reserved for a private function, she pointed us to another section which she told us was general seating. However, when we were at the section she was pointing us to, that person said it was by ticket purchase only. Although we were sitting on the grass, there seemed to be an entire grandstand on the other side with sitting that we could have sat in and been covered by the shade, and my understanding was that this was no cost.

When watching main event, bunch of people were standing on stairs and in front of people sitting in the grass. I actually had to get up and say something and when I did, several people said thank you as I walked back to my blanket. Obviously I and others could not see what was going on because of these rude people. One girl had this huge hat that nobody could see around. Having already said something once to people it became even more of an issue. The second time I leaned over and talked to one of the events people inside the ring, thinking she would contact somebody. Instead, she told me I had to talk to one of the "security" people in the "green" vests. I had seen one of these "security" people before, and not only were they not wearing green vests but orange, when I walked to the top of the stairs there was not one of these people with an orange vest for...

My adult daughter and I went again recently for The Evening Of The Horse at the Masters. When we went last time, admission just to the grounds was quite pricey, so I had looked up admission prices ahead of time and it stated that admission starts at $5. I was relieved that Spruce Meadows had put the high price back down to something reasonable and affordable. I went through the website and looked at tickets but could only find information and links for purchasing reserved seating, not about general admission. When we arrived, we had the most horrible parking experience in my decades of parking there for events. The girl directing me was absolutely not communicating at all what she wanted me to do, which was to start an entire new row, beside but behind another end vehicle. She was frustrated and yelling (my window was down the whole time and I was asking where to go) so I finally got out to see what exactly she wanted me to do. Once she used her words and told me what she actually wanted, it was simple. After that frustrating start to our afternoon, we were asked to pay almost $60 (again) to enter the grounds. The wind was well out of our sails now and we tried to make the best of it. The money spent there and then on a light meal (which was excellent) from one of the kiosks, left nothing for a bit of shopping at one of the market booths. There are about half of those compared to years past, maybe because of the same situation we were in preventing vendors from making sales. We wanted to watch the six bar event, so we made our way around to the non-reserved seating, where it became very apparent who the event was catering to. All the way across the arena, hidden beyond obstacles, the scissor lifts and the bleacher seating for VIP, directly in front of the reserved seating sections, we could barely see jumper's heads bobbing over presumed jumps. What a disappointment. Things were running very behind schedule and we had to leave before it ended, not that we could see it anyway, and before the special performance and fireworks. The Southerns were such generous, kind, gracious people when they started this amazing venue (which is why I gave 2 stars instead of 1). What a shame it has now changed to a limiting, money-oriented outing. Maybe offer passes somewhere for local people to get if they want them? Or lower general admission to make it affordable for regular people. It was stated on tv that the reserved seating was sold out ahead of time for the Masters, so money is being made there. I am sad I may no longer be able to enjoy Spruce Meadows as I have for the...

⭐⭐concert venue review⭐⭐ Ok so you've got tickets and you've never been here before, here's my take! Parking in the SW lot will get you closest to the venue. However we decided to park in the NE grass lot. It was easy, free and there are porta potties for your convenience. Next, our ticket gave us access to the grounds for the day. We decided to get there at 5pm for 7pm doors to the venue to open. This was a stellar decision for the following reasons: The market was open to wander, buy snacks, food & drinks. You can move through the grounds freely with your purchased drinks EXCEPT when you enter the venue. There are an insane amount of areas to sit with tables and chairs, benches, grass AND a large section of couches overlooking the They also had shuffleboard bowling, VENUE more games please! We enjoyed the Burwood Distillery Tent for samples and beverages while it was raining, it's located right in front of the GA entry gate for amazing people watching and quick service. Bathrooms with flush toilets are 50 paces away in an Atco trailer at the market entrance. The lineup for GA entry moved quick but there isn't any shade. Keep that in mind on the hot days. Getting into the concert hall was easy, typical security pat down and bag search. The smoking area is to the left of security once you get in and it's a nice grassy area to chill if you choose. Once you're through the front hall where the bathrooms are located you enter the concert area, There is a well staffed large bar right in the middle straight ahead, and merch was located to the right. The venue has a wood floor and you could feel it bounce as people were dancing and It get hot in there pretty quick. After the show we headed back out to the common areas to cool off and enjoy the sunset, there weren't any vendors open for more refreshments or food which I think would be an amazing addition to my next concert experience there (HELLO VENUE ARE YOU READING THIS? TAKE MY MONEY) My concert buddy and I have been going to shows big and small in the US and Canada for decades and Spruce Meadows reminded us of the beautiful grassy venues in the USA like The Gorge iykyk. We agree that it was a great spot to enjoy a day of music and we will go to another concert without hesitation. We are looking forward to seeing Spruce Meadows become a world class venue for us Calgarians, they are off to an...