BC Lions will host Calgary and Edmonton in Touchdown Kelowna June 27 and July 4. 2026

Come for the games, stay for the festival.

That will be the theme when the BC Lions play two regular season CFL games in the upgraded Apple Bowl early next summer.

At a news conference unveiling details of what is being billed as "Touchdown Kelowna," CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston said the Lions will host the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks over two consecutive weekends.

The Stampeders will provide the opposition Saturday, June 27 with the Elks invading the Apple Bowl Saturday, July 4 with a large football festival during the week between games.

In order to host CFL games, The Lions will have to make some major seating upgrades to the current configuration that holds slightly more than 1,000 people in the main grandstand.

They will make changes similar to those at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, where they converted a 3,800 seat baseball stadium into a 15,000 seat football stadium.

“If you look at the opposite side, (of the current grandstand) we’re building a bleacher section that’s almost 7,000 (seats). Then in the end zones we are basically taking that same bleacher, breaking it in half and it will be in each end zone,” said Lions president Duane Vienneau.

“You add that to the existing seating and that brings us to about 15,000 (seats).”

Vienneau said the corners between the bleachers will be transformed into VIP areas, family areas and other special seating areas to bring the capacity to a minimum of 17,500.

They are hoping to potentially get that to 20,000.

The city will also be making improvements to the 45 year-old Apple Bowl, however the share of costs between the city and the team and exactly what the city improvements will entail have not yet been released.

The 10 days are expected to have an economic impact in the range of $60 million or more.

“That’s important for a city that is fuelled by tourism,” said Tourism Kelowna CEO Lisanne Ballantyne.

That investment will ripple through our hotels, our restaurants, our attractions, our local businesses. It’s a powerful example of how major events can create new and measurable value to our community.”

Ballantyne said the timing of the event and the selection of Calgary and Edmonton will help to jumpstart the city’s tourist season.

“Having those two games is going to cement a visitor base that will keep going and keep booking into our high season.

“It’s going to help our businesses ramp up staffing and operations, it’s going to extend the tourist season and strengthen our year round stability — that’s the gift you are bringing to our community.”

Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, recently named the CFL’s most outstanding player and most outstanding Canadian, is excited to bring BC Lions football to another region of the province after the success of the Touchdown Pacific events in his hometown of Victoria.

Tickets will go on sale Feb. 19 however Lions season ticket holders will get first crack at tickets.