Edmonton businesses expect a boost from Garth Brooks fans who only attended the Canadian gig

Concerts for country music superstar Garth Brooks created a buzz like nowhere else, and fans were ready to take in two Edmonton performances – the only one in Canada on the tour. His stadium tour also spanned across the United States and Ireland.

Barnie Yerxa is general manager of Delta hotels in south Edmonton and at City Center shopping center downtown.

He said that as soon as tickets went on sale earlier this year, their hotels started taking reservations immediately.

“From a regular weekend to a Garth weekend, you could say there is 150% occupancy at our hotels across the city,” says Yerxa.

“The reality is this is the only Canadian gig, people come from all over (the country).”

Yerxa said it looks like everyone is also having a weekend for their trip.

“We’re definitely seeing people coming in on role nights this weekend and watching more on Sunday nights.”

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Garth Brooks excited for 2nd show in Edmonton

All businesses and hotels across the city are expecting growth, said Traci Bednard, President & CEO of Discover Edmonton.

“We see our downtown is packed with visitors staying in hotels and restaurants, but that can’t provide all the capacity needed, so this is a great opportunity,” Bednard said. great, where it also pushes to other areas of Edmonton,” Bednard said.

Global News observed that many hotels across Edmonton were firmly booked during the weekend, and the remaining hotels had higher than usual rates.

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Garth Brooks honored in Edmonton with banner at Rogers Place

Garth is no stranger to Edmonton: in 2017, he sold out tickets for not one – not even two or three – but nine concerts with his wife Trisha Yearwood at Rogers Place.

He kept adding performances, determined to beat the burners and make sure he got as many fans as possible. This extravagance has pumped about $42 million into the local economy.

Angie Gessner will be traveling from Saskatoon to meet Garth Brooks in Edmonton this coming weekend.

The first time she saw him in person was in 1996, when she was in 1st grade. She returned to Saskatoon in 2016 and 2019. She couldn’t miss this opportunity, even if it was. that means a six hour drive.

“I just cycled everywhere to save on gas for Garth Brooks, I’m saving this for beer — I haven’t put gas in my car in a long time,” Gessner said.

She was picking up her sister in Lloydminster and a friend was meeting them from Calgary. They also planned to visit other parts of the city.

“We’ll probably go to West Edmonton Shopping Center, do an Ikea trip – we don’t have one of those,” Gessner said of the Swedish furniture store.

But the main draw to this trip is making new memories with Garth Brooks.

“Just walked into the building and the first five minutes, they’re so unreal and just a crowd they’re going crazy, when he comes on stage, your heart goes wild.”

For anyone going to a concert, it’s important to remember that Commonwealth Stadium has a clear bag policy. Do not use wallets or clutches that you cannot see through.

The City of Edmonton will operate a valet and ride-hailing service to and from the stadium at six locations, similar to how it does at Edmonton Elks games, however there will be two-way fares for the event. Special event is $6.

All Commonwealth Stadium Park & ​​Ride services begin 2 hours before the event begins and end after the stadium is clean after the event.