The City of Kelowna is expecting an economic impact of up to $50 million with the arrival of four major events over the next year.
That includes the Country Music Week and the Canadian Country Music Awards in September, the Olympic Qualification Event for men’s, women’s and mixed doubles in December, the 2026 Memorial Cup and the BC Summer Games in July 2026.
During a presentation about the “resounding success” of the Montana’s Brier, city councilors were told that those four events could pump millions of dollars into the local economy.
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Council heard that the curling event, which was held from Feb. 28 to Mar. 9, brought more than $15 million directly into Kelowna’s economy.
That number creeps close to $23 million when considering the indirect impact.
The Kelowna Curling Club will receive 1.5% of net ticket sales and a portion of 50/50 sales, which will be used for the advancement of curling programs in the city.
Chirs Babcock, the city’s Event Development Manager, Sport & Event Services, told council directly supported 121 local jobs and showcased Kelowna on a national level with just over 9.4 million gross impressions on the TSN broadcast.
Coun. Lovegove asked about the return on investment. Babcock said the total cost for hosting the Brier was $750,000 and the city contributed $264,000 while Tourism Kelowna, the province and a grant funding the rest.
“We’re pretty proud of the return on investment,” he told council.
Babcock said the event gave the city an opportunity to bolster its hosting resume, “which will support future bid opportunities for other marquee events.”
At the end of the presentation, Mayor Tom Dyas asked if city staff had an economic estimate for the four major upcoming events.
Babcock said the city’s event planning department will have an estimated impact target for each impact, which will depend on each event.
He told council the CCMAs are expected to bring in roughly $12-$15 million while the Memorial Cup will bring $15-$18 million.
Babcock told Dyas that he didn’t have any estimates for the BC Summer Games or Olympic qualifying event but said a rough estimate for all four events could hit $50 million.
