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The festival's late cancellation is the second such dispute over sound level restrictions introduced this year after a recent social media spat between the city's mayor and the province's premier over how they could affect events during the city's signature festival, the Calgary Stampede.

Megan Benoit, a manager for Country Thunder Music Festivals, said organizers met with city officials Wednesday morning and reached an impasse over decibel levels the festival says were reduced too much.

Organizers say construction and changes to the site also affected their decision, but noise levels were the final straw.

"We would not have been able to run the festival the way that we would want to," said Benoit.

The City of Calgary says that's a departure from how they believed the meeting went.

"At that meeting, Country Thunder representatives confirmed they were satisfied with the mitigation plans in place for this weekend’s event," the city said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.

The two sides couldn't even publicly agree on what maximum decibel levels were being implemented.

City council debated sound limits and noise curfews Tuesday after a spirited squabble between Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith over how the changes would affect some events held during the upcoming Calgary Stampede. 

Farkas says the city is respecting residents while Smith has said it's cutting into festival fun.

Sam Blackett, press secretary for the premier's office, said Wednesday that "it is unfortunate for concertgoers, venue operators, and the many businesses and workers involved to see a festival in Calgary cancelled after so much time, planning and investment has already been made."

"This reinforces our view that the city and stakeholders should come together to find a solution that allows these events to continue in a way that works for both businesses and surrounding communities."

This report by ºÃÉ«tvwas first published June 24, 2026.