Great Canadian Barn Dance offers Cowboy Christmas Dinner

For more than 30 years, the Great Canadian Barn Dance has been bringing country and Christmas together with the Cowboy Christmas Dinner. Every Friday and Saturday until Dec. 9, the special dinner and show comes to the Great Canadian Barn Dance to offer visitors an experience worth savouring.

“I don’t think that there’s anything else out there like this event,” says events co-ordinator, Tanya Wilson.

“Participants get to listen to Christmas classics with country music all in one place, and that’s kind of a dying field. There’s not many places out there that have events like this that bring generations together to enjoy the variation of music and a great dining experience.”

As the festive season sets in, the great Canadian Barn Dance celebrates the holidays in a way like no other. With two performances a day, one matinee and one in the evening, these Cowboy Christmas Dinners offer a fusion of old and new, festive carols and a taste of home-cooked meals accompanied by stories of holidays past.

However, it’s not just the activities that people at the event enjoy but also the opportunity to spend a few hours with their friends, families and likeminded individuals in the comfort of the majestic 106-year-old barn.

“It’s a great atmosphere. After the food there’s a live stage show, where we do an opening, tell stories and sing carols and then we have country classic moments, where grandpa Eddy and Ted come on stage and do older music for the older crowds,” says Wilson.

With a Christmas meal, served with all the trimmings, guests fill themselves to the brim before sitting back to watch the entertainment.

“It’s a family band that performs after dinner,” says Wilson.

“Their name is the Kunkel Clan and they perform music for all ages. From the Christmas classics to Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble, this is a really great event that people of all ages, and families with several generations, come to together and all really enjoy.”

While offering such a unique experience to people that is hard to find elsewhere, the Cowboy Christmas Dinner and show brings in over 100 each night from different areas of southern Alberta from Calgary and High River, to Milk River, Lethbridge and even British Columbia. However, each year the event does see many familiar faces, from neighbouring senior homes and local bus tours, meaning tickets are always fast to sell out.

“We have a lot of returning customers and newcomers every year and we just love doing this! Everyone that comes has a good time and love the entertainment and family feel, and it keeps getting better every year,” added Wilson.

With afternoon shows at 1 p.m., and evening shows at 6 p.m. every Friday and Saturday until Dec. 9, tickets are on sale and selling out fast at $55 for adults, $45 for seniors and youth, and $20 for children.

For more information on the upcoming shows and reservations, visit http://www.gcbd.ca/cowboychristmas-ball.