The countdown to Stampede Week starts almost as soon as the last snow melts from your garden, and you can start thinking about how to turn your sunroom into the ultimate pre and post Stampede Week party spot.
Hosting A Sunroom Party
Your sunroom is a fantastic place to host a Stampede party; to be honest, it’s a great place to host any type of party! It’s a separate space from the rest of your house, meaning that you can close the doors behind you and not worry about the noise interrupting sleeping children or folks who want a break from the fun. Your sunroom is also naturally heated from the large glass windows, and the glazing and insulation will keep your sunroom long into the July evenings. Finally, your sunroom will have less furniture in it than in the rest of your home, meaning that you can add more Stampede themed stuff without taking away from the space for your guests.
Make It Western
The whole vibe for your sunroom during Stampede Week should be to make it feel like a continuation of the Western parties in downtown Calgary. While it’s not feasible to have a hitching post outside your sunroom, or to park a chuckwagon on your lawn as a focal viewpoint for your guests, there are some easy ways to bring a Western aesthetic to your sunroom.
Hay Isn’t Just For Horses
While they can be messy, nothing screams cowboy or cowgirl at your Stampede Week party than having a few hay bales around your sunroom. You can choose whether you use them for decoration, as additional tables or even extra seating, though if you choose the latter you probably want some sort of covering to make them less scratchy to sit on! You can find places to rent them from if you’re hosting a one off party, but if you’re celebrating with friends and family all week long, you might want to consider buying them outright.
Barrel of Laughs
Having a centrepiece for your sunroom will make your Stampede Week party pop. Pick up (or rent) a full or half whiskey barrel to use as a serving table or gathering spot. If you’ve got overnight guests, you could use it as a cooking surface for your electric griddle, so folks can gather in your sunroom while you make pancakes to give them vittles for the day. In the evenings, the barrel becomes a home for your whiskey collection or somewhere for folks to stand around and reflect on the fun from the day.
Accent With Art
The best thing about a Stampede Week party is that the theme is already picked out for you, so you can swap out the artwork in your sunroom easily to get a Western vibe. Whether it’s stills from famous Western movies, paintings of rodeo riders or simply commercial posters from previous Stampede Week celebrations, you’ll easily be able to find things to create the party vibe all week long.
