A sold-out crowd packed Kelowna’s Apple Bowl on Saturday as the BC Lions took on the Calgary Stampeders in the first of two Canadian Football League games being played as part of the nine-day Touchdown Kelowna festival.
The stadium was transformed to accommodate roughly 18,000 fans, many of whom travelled to the Okanagan to take in the game.
“Kelowna has made us feel welcome for sure, very welcome,” said a visiting fan from Abbotsford.
Many football fans booked their vacations around the pair of games.
“We’re staying the whole week enjoying Kelowna and then we’re going to come to the game next week,” said one Calgary fan.
The influx of visitors is already being felt by local businesses.
At the Kelowna Beer Institute, business is up by nearly 30 per cent as festival-goers explore the city’s restaurants, breweries and events between games.
“The town is buzzing,” said owner Chris Stirling. “There’s events all around, in between the two games, all around town. Thankfully, for us, they’re on both sides of our business. As they walk by, they see our patio, so it’s been great.”
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Nearby, Rollz Ice Cream has extended its hours and increased staffing to keep up with demand.
The coming week is expected to be especially busy with football fever and many taking in Canada Day festivities.
“Because of Canada Day, visitors are coming, lots of visitors, from Calgary, from Vancouver,” said Mehak Dhindsa, who works at the ice cream parlour.
The City of Kelowna estimates Touchdown Kelowna will generate between $50 million and $60 million in economic activity for the city and surrounding region.
Mayor Tom Dyas said the event is part of a broader strategy to attract major sporting and entertainment events throughout the year.
“Collectively when we look at totalling all events that have been to the community over the last year, year and a half, it’s well beyond in excess of $100 million,” Dyas said. “We’ll continue to look at bringing it forward, especially in shoulder seasons.”
With another CFL game still to come this weekend and festival events continuing throughout the week, many businesses are hoping the momentum — and the spending — continues.
“Small businesses like us struggle, and when the city puts in the effort to bring big events, we really see the difference,” Stirling said.
The second CFL game is scheduled for July 4 between the BC Lions and Edmonton Elks.
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