Kelowna’s 2026 Memorial Cup was an economic driver

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“From sellout crowds and visitor spending to support for local charities, students and community facilities, the impact reached well beyond the rink. That is the legacy we want our championship to leave in the communities that welcome us.”

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The financial impact extended well beyond ticket sales and the arena doors.

Drawing on more than 500 survey responses, the study examined spending directly attributable to the tournament. Many visiting fans stayed for a week or longer, taking advantage of Kelowna’s wine tours, golf courses, boating and hiking opportunities while attending games.

That extended stay brought business to a wide range of local operators, adding a tourism component to an event already drawing thousands of hockey fans to the city.

“The results of the impact assessment of the 2026 Memorial Cup are very positive. The Memorial Cup is clearly a mega-event in Canada, one that brings in thousands of people and millions of dollars to its local market,” said Norm O’Reilly, a partner at T1 Agency.

“For 2026, Kelowna was an excellent destination for an event like this. Visitors travelled from far and wide, spent across a range of local businesses and tourism experiences, and were highly satisfied with their stay. That combination generated considerable benefits for businesses and the broader community.”

The tournament’s legacy also includes $137,000 in charitable support and scholarship funding.

That total includes $50,000 for Kelowna Minor Hockey to help families manage registration and equipment costs, along with $37,000 for the Child & Youth Advocacy Centre of Kelowna.

Another $50,000 will support students at UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College through the Memorial Cup Legacy Scholarship Program over the next five years.

Launched in 2022, the program has already supported students in Saint John, Kamloops, Saginaw and Rimouski. It will expand to Guelph following the 2027 Memorial Cup.

The tournament also helped accelerate improvements to Prospera Place, leaving the Rockets and other arena users with upgraded facilities long after the championship ended.

The City of Kelowna invested $3.8 million in venue improvements ahead of the event. The work included a new centre-hung LED video board, a professional audio system, more than 75 new screens, arena-wide Wi-Fi, two electric ice resurfacers and upgraded media facilities.

Those upgrades will continue to benefit the building, future events and the community that uses it.

“We’re thrilled at the results of the economic impact study. We saw the excitement throughout the tournament, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see that reflected in such a significant benefit for our local economy,” said Steve Thomson, co-chair of the 2026 Memorial Cup Host Organizing Committee.

“This result is a credit to our community partners, local businesses, volunteers and everyone who helped welcome fans to Kelowna. As an organizing committee, we couldn’t be prouder of what our community accomplished together.”

For Kelowna, the $50.9-million figure puts a number on what was evident during the tournament: the Memorial Cup was much bigger than the hockey played on the ice.

The next host community will have an opportunity to build on that success when the 2027 Memorial Cup, presented by Kubota, heads to Guelph, Ontario, from May 20 to 30. The Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm will host the tournament.