Did you know Calgary has a unique way of honouring our visitors?
And it is unapologetically western. Our unique way of honouring visitors to our great city is the Calgary White Hat Ceremony. Visitors are presented with a Calgary-owned Smithbilt cowboy hat and take an oath celebrating Calgary’s hospitality and spirit. This is then sealed with a resounding “Yahoo” from the recipient(s) and all witnesses. The tradition began way back in 1948 at the Canadian Football League Championships. The Calgary Stampeders – our Canadian Football team – won their way to the Grey Cup Championships in Toronto. Avid Calgary fans followed the team on the train and soon took over Toronto with their western flair for celebration including horses, pancake breakfasts, traditional western wear and of course, white cowboy hats. During the trip, the Mayor of Toronto was presented with a white cowboy hat in a show of friendship between the two cities. And from that a tradition was born. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people, including many celebrities, have been honoured with Calgary’s unique White Hat tradition. Proudly wearing their newly claimed piece of western history, recipients are also recognized as Honourary Calgarians. Celebrities and dignitaries who have donned their head in a white Smithbilt hat include the G-8 World Summit Leaders, Barbara Bush, Bill Clinton, Paul Cellucci, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil McGraw, Bill Crosby, David Letterman and even Mickey Mouse just to name a few.
