Skate Canada Announces Host Cities for Skate Canada Intl. and Nationals 2027

[Arriba627]

Information is up for next season's events. Kelowna for Skate Canada Intl. and Mississauga for Nationals 2027.

Skate Canada Announces Host Cities for 2026 Skate Canada International and 2027 Canadian National Skating Championships

OTTAWA, ON (March 31, 2026) – Skate Canada is pleased [...]

skatecanada.ca

 

[4everchan]

Skate Canada also announced via Facebook the return of compulsory figures today

 

[Arriba627]

I'm curious to know more about Kelowna 2019? Any thoughts from anyone who attended? Good venue? Hotels nearby?

 

[4everchan]

I'm curious to know more about Kelowna 2019? Any thoughts from anyone who attended? Good venue? Hotels nearby?

I haven't attended in 2019 but I visited the Okanagan about ten years ago. It's a super nice region. They have everything you need around since it's touristic though quite small. There are options to stay in Kelowna. I remember staying a couple nights in a smaller type of hotel (not the bigger resort) and it was a bit further but still walking distance to almost everything. No idea where the rink is though. There are also wineries all around the place, and other hotels if you want to rent a car and drive (it's perhaps too intense to do that for most...) or take taxis (they had a longer distance taxi service going from Kelowna to the airport but also from Kelowna to Summerland for instance, where I did stay at some point. If you want a nicer hotel for instance. I have no ideas if wineries are open to visitors that late but Okanagan wine is very very good

 

[NanaPat]

I'm curious to know more about Kelowna 2019? Any thoughts from anyone who attended? Good venue? Hotels nearby?

I went. I live about an hour down the road. I did stay in Kelowna rather than go home at night; my daughter made that a condition of her attendance!

It was a good venue but very, very crowded. The arena is right downtown; not many (or affordable) hotels in walking distance.

I drove (of course), and I stayed in the Mission district, which is perhaps the most charming part of Kelowna. Our drive to the rink involved crossing Harvey/HWY 97, but not driving on it, which was a big plus for us. On the weekend, you can park inexpensively (less than $10 a day) at a municipal parking garage a few blocks from the arena. Parking was problematic for us on the Friday, as I was at the airport picking up my daughter when the event started! I was prepared to pay a lot at the official event parking, then move my car at the ice resurface. Luckily that lot was full and we found unrestricted on-street parking quite close by.

There were not water fountains in the arena. They brought in containers of drinking water that they were giving out for free (to fill water bottles), but they had run out when we tried to get some. We just filled up our water bottles with warm water in the ladies room. We had no problems with this, despite dire warnings that we were going to die from some mysterious illness by doing this. We took our own food, left it in our car, and ate in the car or in a city park.

After the first day, we never visited the first floor. We were on the end, and there was space to move and a ladies room at the very top of the arena that we used during the breaks. As time went on, my daughter reported meeting people from the "lower regions" who had climbed all the way to the top to use "our" rest room due to overcrowding on the lower level. Note that Hanyu completed in 2019; it may be much less crowded this year.

Kelowna is a mid-sized airport. There are frequent flights to Calgary and Vancouver and some direct flights to other destinatiations (like twice a day to Toronto). It's served by Air Canada, WestJet, and Alaska (and maybe others; the airport website gives info on airlines and destinations).

 

[Arriba627]

That's a treasure trove of info. Thanks to you both! @4everchan @NanaPat

 

[yuumagical]

I'm curious to know more about Kelowna 2019? Any thoughts from anyone who attended? Good venue? Hotels nearby?

I attended in 2019 and will gladly share my thoughts on the experience.

First of all, Prospera Place is a small arena. You will get a nice view of skaters even from the back rows (where I was seated). There was some type of curtain on the top level separating the skater warmup area from the spectator area-- and I noticed one fan trying to peek around it. Please don't do this! One could also spot the Japanese broadcasting team on this top level. In general, I thought it was a good arena for this type of event.

I lost my gloves at one point during the competition. I was able to go to the box office and a helpful staff member returned them to me!

There were long lines getting into the arena (probably due to Hanyu's presence), but they moved efficiently. Security guards searched bags and removed food items. Thankfully I had stashed some snacks in my jacket pockets, so they didn't throw out all my snacks. The food at the arena was standard arena food. I got a churro at one point and it tasted...like a churro.

Prospera Place is right next to the waterfront, so it's a good idea to walk around the harbor during breaks or ice resurfacings. There's a statue of the local lake monster Ogopogo nearby and it was fun to take a photo of it!

I enjoyed the scenery in Kelowna, although I worry that its scenic value has diminished since the wildfires there a few years ago. Renting a car would have provided me with much better access to nature and a means of visiting the wineries, although I am a tea person, not a wine person. Speaking of tea, there's a shop called Chaibaba near the arena where you can get some good teas and tea accessories.

I unfortunately can't say anything about the hotel situation, as I stayed in a cozy trailer at an Airbnb on the opposite side of Lake Okanagan.

The airport was nice (it has a Tim Hortons!), but I only flew out of there to return home. I got to Kelowna via a five-hour bus ride from Vancouver because bus prices were cheaper than inbound flights. The scenery along the way was gorgeous and I would highly recommend it if you're willing to take a bus!

(P.S.-- If any of you decide to go, could you please tell me if the Pooh bear in the box office is still there, out of curiosity? Thanks.)

 

[knitknat]

I attended in 2019 and will gladly share my thoughts on the experience.

First of all, Prospera Place is a small arena. You will get a nice view of skaters even from the back rows (where I was seated). There was some type of curtain on the top level separating the skater warmup area from the spectator area-- and I noticed one fan trying to peek around it. Please don't do this! One could also spot the Japanese broadcasting team on this top level. In general, I thought it was a good arena for this type of event.

I lost my gloves at one point during the competition. I was able to go to the box office and a helpful staff member returned them to me!

There were long lines getting into the arena (probably due to Hanyu's presence), but they moved efficiently. Security guards searched bags and removed food items. Thankfully I had stashed some snacks in my jacket pockets, so they didn't throw out all my snacks. The food at the arena was standard arena food. I got a churro at one point and it tasted...like a churro.

Prospera Place is right next to the waterfront, so it's a good idea to walk around the harbor during breaks or ice resurfacings. There's a statue of the local lake monster Ogopogo nearby and it was fun to take a photo of it!

I enjoyed the scenery in Kelowna, although I worry that its scenic value has diminished since the wildfires there a few years ago. Renting a car would have provided me with much better access to nature and a means of visiting the wineries, although I am a tea person, not a wine person. Speaking of tea, there's a shop called Chaibaba near the arena where you can get some good teas and tea accessories.

I unfortunately can't say anything about the hotel situation, as I stayed in a cozy trailer at an Airbnb on the opposite side of Lake Okanagan.

The airport was nice (it has a Tim Hortons!), but I only flew out of there to return home. I got to Kelowna via a five-hour bus ride from Vancouver because bus prices were cheaper than inbound flights. The scenery along the way was gorgeous and I would highly recommend it if you're willing to take a bus!

(P.S.-- If any of you decide to go, could you please tell me if the Pooh bear in the box office is still there, out of curiosity? Thanks.)

I was literally in Kelowna 3 weeks ago for a job interview (if successful, I plan to attend my very first Skate Canada!). The Delta Grand Okanagan (a Marriott hotel) is right across the street, super nice but prices to match. I has not been to Kelowna since 2018, and was surprised to see how much new construction had gone up in and near downtown.

The evergreen forest burned in the wildfires is gone, of course, but green things are growing back and it's still a very beautiful place. Should be absolutely amazing in October with the leaves changing.

In addition to the Canadian cities that serve the airport, there are several flights a day directly to the States, although Kelowna does not have US immigration located in airport like other big Canadian airports do. So I had to budget time for Seattle customs into my layover.

 

[lovestiger oak]

I'm curious to know more about Kelowna 2019? Any thoughts from anyone who attended? Good venue? Hotels nearby?

I went in 2016 ( I think) and 2019. The venue was good. Typical problem with food in arena. We did eat across the street once in a hotel and that was good. I drove so we did not have to stay close. I have not started to look yet

I live in Washington so I will probably be going to skate Canada and skate america