By weaponizing Calgary’s noise bylaws, city officials are saddling the nearly 30-year-old Cowboys Music Festival tradition with new sound restrictions and time limits that has long-time festival organizers panicking.
The result is a regulatory squeeze that could make it impossible for the festivals like the world famous Cowboys Music Festival to run its full, star-studded lineup. If you were looking forward to seeing Jason Aldean, Sean Paul or Jason Derulo at the nearly sold-out event, you can thank City Hall for killing the vibe.
According to a Calgary city noise permit issued for the event, once midnight hits on the weekend, the current rules force volume limits down to 65 decibels, which is the volume of a regular, everyday conversation.
The restrictions get even tighter during the week, choking the music down to a microscopic 50 decibels, the volume of a quiet recording studio, at midnight, before forcing the speakers to unplug completely by 12:30 AM.
In an exclusive interview with Juno News, Penny Lane Entertainment CEO, Paul Vickers said the abrupt changes from City Hall came suddenly and gave them very little wiggle room.
“This is not something you do three weeks before Stampede,” Vickers said. “You give everybody time to digest it. Last year, we had a whole year to talk about this. We had a really smooth Stampede last year. We had a really good community effort with everyone.”
Hellbound and Down 