SPRUCE MEADOWS
Summer series a success
A warm, sunny day helped bring the 2018 summer series to a close Sunday at Spruce Meadows.
As Stampede-goers have flocked to the grounds on opening weekend of the annual fair, a crowd just shy of 30,000 took in the equestrian tournament at Spruce Meadows during the final day of the North American tournament.
“It’s an option to the Stampede. We had a great North American brunch here on both Saturday and Sunday, a little bit different than the fair downtown, and it attracted 2,500 people to each of those each day,” said Spruce Meadows senior vice-president Ian Allison.
“We’ve been on these dates now for 40 years for the Spruce Meadows North American, and I think one of the biggest challenges people were maybe facing is the ongoing transportation challenges right now with the ring road under construction,” he said. “But between our complimentary shuttle service and us putting out a lot of stuff on social media on how to get here and alternative routes, the fans have embraced it.”
Attendance reached close to 200,000 at the show jumping facility over the course of the summer series.
Fans were treated this weekend to a victory by Canadian Olympic gold-medallist Eric Lamaze in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup grand prix, the signature event at the North American.
“That was much to the delight of the fans and we as organizers,” Allison said. “He’s one of the all-time greats and this is the only place he competes in Canada now, and he was really emotional in his win and his comments after.”
He said 1,000 horses have competed throughout the past five weeks, representing 20 nations.
Spruce Meadows also offered special features and entertainment options throughout this year’s summer calendar. A giant screen was added to the lower plaza, where fans, and equestrian competitors, could stop by to watch the FIFA World Cup.
It was a fitting addition, as Spruce Meadows gears up to host soccer matches in the near future with the arrival of Cavalry FC in the Canadian Premier League.
“We also had athletes from all the nations that were competing. So when Mexico and Brazil and England were playing, you’d get real bias,” Allison said.
“It’s become a destination for a lot of fans of the beautiful game, so I expect as we get now into the semifinals, that will continue to grow this week because we’ll continue to offer it as well.”
Next on the agenda for organizers is getting ready to host the Masters tournament in September.