Cowboys Music Festival organizer makes noise that new rules could drive acts, business out of Calgary

Cowboys is bucking against Calgary’s new noise rules, arguing they could drive business and entertainment events out of the city.

Updated regulations call for outdoor concerts on weeknights to end at midnight, and cuts volume and bass limits for all shows by five decibels. Outdoor concerts on weekends can run as late as in previous years.

Paul Vickers, president of Penny Lane Entertainment, has asked the city to reconsider its decision ahead of Cowboys Music Festival, which begins July 2. He said it’s impossible for his company to run the event without going above the new maximum noise limits.

“Cities are trying to entice music operators to open up a festival, because they understand the tourism and the commerce and the jobs that it provides in their city,” said Vickers.

“If they want to have a young, fun, vibrant city, then you have to let people have young, fun, vibrant times. Sorry, but they make noise.”

Penny Lane owns the festival, as well as Cowboys Dance Hall. Cowboys Music Festival annually attracts world-famous performers and thousands of concertgoers to the west end of downtown during the Calgary Stampede.

The 30-year-old festival moved to its new location at the redubbed Cowboys Park in 2025. Penny Lane signed a decade-long naming and sponsorship deal with the city to rename the former Shaw Millennium Park, host its festival there and renovate the park.

The deal has been met with mixed public response. It has also received criticism for not disclosing enough detail, and for shutting down parts of the country’s largest outdoor skatepark during peak summer months.

Mayor has no issue with new noise rules

Mayor Jeromy Farkas said he doesn’t have a problem with the city’s new noise caps and weekday end time, but that he’s happy to work with groups like Cowboys to balance their needs with resident expectations.

“If you’re living downtown, you have a certain expectation to have a little bit of liveliness, more events, programming,” said Farkas.

“But to allow for, say, 2 a.m., 3 a.m. on weeknights is very challenging for some of these downtown residents.”

City administration reports it received 125 noise complaints surrounding Cowboys Music Festival last year, as well as complaints of excessive intoxication, public urination and social disorder, all of which prompted the new rules.

Farkas said he understands the city notified groups like Cowboys, which would be affected by the regulation changes, in February.

Potential for layoffs, less local acts: organizer

But the updated restrictions will lead to layoffs for the festival, Vickers said.

New weekday end times mean concerts will begin earlier, and Vickers said that could lead to local opening acts being cut. He also estimated more than 250 staff members will have to be let go if the festival isn’t operating as late as before.

“I do respectfully understand everyone’s equation they’re trying to push into this, but they don’t understand our side of it. This is what live entertainment wants,” said Vickers. 

He added that with the new restrictions, “You could not run a church at this time of night, because it would be too noisy, too loud, too many cars.”

He also pointed out the number of noise complaints represents a fraction of the event’s thousands of attendants.

Ward 7 Coun. Myke Atkinson, who represents the area where the festival is held, said because other music festivals can operate within the city’s regulations, Cowboys should be no different.

“Rules are there to make sure that we are protecting the rights of citizens while also allowing businesses to thrive,” said Atkinson.

“Those two things have to go hand in hand to make sure that we actually have a thriving industry, and we don’t have pushback that makes these kinds of things flounder.”

Atkinson has criticized the festival’s impact on Cowboys Park, but Vickers argued his company has helped upgrade the park from “decrepit” conditions.

But Ward 1 Coun. Kim Tyers said she believes city administration did not properly consult the music industry and groups like Cowboys about how reducing noise levels would affect their business. She said she’d like to see the city revert to last year’s regulations for outdoor music.

“I really feel like the way that the city has handled this is just kind of demonizing an organization that has made an agreement with the city to bring arts to the community,” said Tyers.