Calgary Stampede attendance continued to grow throughout the 60s and 70s, reaching 500,000 for the first time in 1962 and almost 700,000 by 1966. It was at this time that organizers decided to expand the event from its initial six days to nine in 1967, and then to ten the following year, 1968. The Event saw its first one million visitors in 1976. Meanwhile the park continued to grow. The Round-Up Centre opened its doors in 1979 as the new exhibition hall, and the Calgary Olympic Saddledome finished completion in 1983, replacing the Corral as the city's top sporting arena. Both facilities hosted hockey and figure skating events at the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Over the years, as Calgary grew into a major oil and gas hub for Canada, maintaining