All around the world, the 11th month of the year may be known as November. Everywhere, that is, except for Calgary, where it is now “Movember, in honour of the annual moustache growing contest celebrated at Cowboys, Canada’s original mega-bar. The faces were presented clean-shaven at the beginning of the month, and along the way there were plenty of “Borats” and “Sellecks” for the judges to consider. Each contestant raised money and awareness for prostate cancer research. Fun and wildly successful, but that’s the Cowboys’ way, and has been since the brand was launched close to 20 years ago.

When the first Cowboys was launched in Edmonton, the owners realized that this couldn’t be just another bar with a western theme. Customers made it clear that they loved country music, but also needed a real mix to keep things lively. The answer? “60-65% country music, with the balance ranging from Old School to Hip Hop and everything in between,” says Dave Urner, Managing Partner for the Penny Lane Entertainment Group, who own and operate Cowboys and several other entertainment destination venues across Western Canada.

“Right from the start we’ve also featured a lot of great live entertainment too, everybody from ground-breaking DJ Chris Sheppard to Cyndi Lauper, RUN-DMC and Tone Loc, to mention just a handful. When we settled in Calgary 14 years ago, we kept that same mix, and the crowds kept coming,” explains Urner.

That’s an understatement. With 15,000 square feet to offer, Cowboys can present bottle service for as few as four, or block off a whole night for a private affair for 900 people . Grey Cup party headquarters, this year including a charity poker night, Cowboys is the home away from home for many pro atheletes and celebrities, local and visiting, including England’s Prince Harry and Hollywood prince Brad Pitt. It's also home to some of the wildest post-Christmas celebrations in the nation. New Year' Eve has been sold out 14 years running, with the gala Black and White event, where customers can wear whatever they like… just make it black and white. . Little wonder why USA Today proclaimed Cowboys “one of the top three mega-bars in North America.”

“The real key to our success is our staff, (proudly featured on the Cowboys reality-TV program), each of whom is empowered to sell the Cowboys brand,” Urner concludes.