In what’s typically a sleepy month for tourism, a slew of main occasions has injected power into Calgary
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It’s not over, however Carson Ackroyd believes Calgary is on monitor to have the “February of all Februarys.”
In what’s typically a sleepy month for tourism, a slate of main occasions has injected an irregular quantity of exercise into town — and it’s packing an financial punch.
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By the top of this leap-year February, Calgary can have hosted Nitrocross, the FIS snowboard and freeski halfpipe world cups, ISU World Velocity Skating Championship, Scotties Event of Hearts and the Particular Olympics Canada Winter Video games.
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All of it comes in the course of the annual Chinook Blast winter pageant, which wraps up Monday evening to finish almost three weeks showcasing Calgary’s arts and tradition scene.
“We’ve been engaged on lots of this stuff, they usually all began lining up for us to have this February of all Februarys,” stated Ackroyd, senior vice-president of gross sales at Tourism Calgary. “We’ve by no means had this many occasions.”
Between these six occasions, Calgary is predicted to drag in about $31 million in customer spending — about triple the common quantity of tourism exercise town sees in a traditional month, Ackroyd stated.
Final yr, town company estimated Calgary raked in about $130 million in financial influence over 62 occasions.
Not adjusting for exercise the Calgary Stampede brings in each July, it averages out to almost $11 million in month-to-month tourism spending.
“This February is actually not typical,” stated Ackroyd, who additionally sits on the board of administrators at Sport Tourism Canada. “A few of these are one-off occasions that we’ve been engaged on for a few years.
“However they’ve all lined as much as have this February that has simply pushed unimaginable exercise into Calgary and created this unimaginable vibrancy.”
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The World Velocity Skating Championships, Scotties Event of Hearts and Freeski Halfpipe World Cup all converge this weekend.
The province stated it expects the Event of Hearts to convey as much as $15 million into Calgary’s financial system and draw about six million viewers over 10 days. (Alberta is offering the event with $137,500 in funding.)
Chinook Blast ‘rising in a short time’ in fourth yr
Dubbed Calgary’s most “winterful” pageant, Chinook Blast has taken over Olympic Plaza, Stephen Avenue and the atrium of the Calgary Municipal Constructing since Feb. 2, and can formally wrap on Household Day.
This yr’s pageant — which incorporates 70 accomplice organizations — boasts greater than 200 occasions and 900 performers. Public sights have ranged from stay live shows and theatre performances to nighttime mild installations and pop-up markets.
Jeff Hessel, a member of Chinook Blast’s government committee, stated delicate climate has contributed to spectacular attendances for what is simply the fourth yr of the pageant.
“Companions are actually responding to it and there are many methods to take part,” he stated. “It simply retains rising and rising, in a short time.”
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Hessel stated the pageant’s speedy rise in recognition is all of the extra spectacular when contemplating the primary two years had been restricted by COVID-19 restrictions.
The majority of this yr’s pageant has been held downtown, however different elements of town have additionally gotten in on the enjoyable, together with Inglewood and the Kensington enterprise district.
Chinook Blast additionally collaborates with different native occasions, together with Calgary Folks Competition’s Block Heater Music Competition, the BIG Winter Basic, Excessive Efficiency Rodeo and Ethnik Festivals of Arts and Tradition.
“We created this open platform in order that we may attempt to have a number of totally different companions and activations going down,” stated Hessel, who can also be Tourism Calgary’s senior vice-president of promoting.
Whereas it’s too early to invest what the financial influence of this yr’s pageant can be, Hessel famous Chinook Blast generated $13.48 million in 2023, attracting greater than 370,000 guests.
He stated visitation and financial influence numbers for this yr’s occasion can be revealed by the top of March.
Hessel stated there are nonetheless a couple of highlights to take a look at throughout its remaining weekend, together with a full suite of live shows at Olympic Plaza on Sunday, hosted by Jazz YYC and the YYC Music Awards.
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There’s additionally a skate-along with townsfolk from Heritage Park on the Olympic Plaza rink on Monday, and Market Collective, which is able to characteristic native artisans and entrepreneurs showcasing their wares within the metropolis corridor atrium.
The annual YYC Scorching Chocolate Fest — the 13-year-old charity fundraiser for Calgary Meals on Wheels — can also be operating via the month, which raked in report curiosity from native small companies forward of February.
Final yr’s pageant had 175 taking part places in a report effort that offered greater than 70,000 cups of scorching chocolate in a month, and raised greater than $100,000 for Calgary Meals on Wheels.
This yr, it almost cracked 200 taking part companies. Karen McKeogh, philanthropy and communications supervisor for Calgary Meals on Wheels, stated her crew is hoping to beat final yr’s report.
“Our social media, it’s so busy . . . we will’t even sustain. From what we will inform, Calgarians are simply loving it,” McKeogh stated.
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