Calgary is finally getting the X Games.
WinSport's Canada Olympic Park will host the competition from February 19 to 21, 2027, bringing leading skiers and snowboarders to Calgary for Big Air, Knuckle Huck, Slopestyle and Superpipe events.
Concerts by Levity and Steve Aoki are planned for Friday and Saturday night. Organizers expect between 15,000 and 20,000 spectators over the three days, while Tourism Calgary estimates the event will generate approximately $25 million in economic activity.
But Calgary has been here before.
Alberta pulled $13.5 million from the original plan
Calgary was previously selected to host the X Games for at least three years, beginning in 2020.
That agreement collapsed in October 2019 after Alberta's newly elected UCP government withdrew $13.5 million committed by the previous NDP government.
The original proposal covered events in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Tourism officials estimated at the time that each edition could generate $75 million in economic activity and support 540 jobs.
The government said the commitment had been made outside the provincial budget and argued that private sponsors should cover the cost. Then-tourism minister Tanya Fir said she hoped businesses would provide enough sponsorship to keep the event alive.
They did not, and Calgary's planned three-year run was abandoned.
Who is paying for the 2027 event
That remains unanswered.
The 2027 announcement identifies X Games, Tourism Calgary, WinSport, Canada Snowboard and Freestyle Canada as partners. MoonPay is the league's title sponsor.
The announcement does not disclose the event's operating budget, the value of the hosting agreement, or whether municipal, provincial or federal governments are contributing.
The financial structure has not been made public.
The question matters because the lack of provincial support was what ended Calgary's original X Games agreement seven years ago.
What is different this time
The Calgary competition will be part of the inaugural winter season of the MoonPay X Games League, a team-based format introduced in 2026.
Calgary is the second of three winter stops. The season begins in Aspen in January, continues at WinSport in February and concludes in Ruka, Finland, in April.
Forty athletes will compete for four coed clubs representing Golden State, New York, Park City and Whistler.
Under the league format, selected athletes receive salaries, paid travel and health-insurance stipends in addition to opportunities for prize money. Previously, many action-sports athletes depended largely on sponsorships and competition winnings to finance their seasons.
The winter rosters are being established through the league's September 16 draft.
Tickets are already on sale
Three-day passes are being sold through Fever.
As of September 16, general-admission passes are listed from $169, after the $99 and $149 ticket tiers sold out. Three-day Gold Lounge passes, which include a heated lounge, food, drinks and premium viewing areas, are listed from $929.
General-admission viewing areas have limited capacity and will operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
The official event information says daytime admission will be free, while tickets are required for evening programming. Paid admission includes X Fest and the concerts by Levity and Steve Aoki.
Prices and availability may change as the event approaches.
Is this Canada's first X Games
The official announcement describes Calgary as the first Canadian X Games. Whistler hosted skiing and snowboarding events during the 2003 X Games Global Championship, a team competition split between Whistler and San Antonio, Texas.
Calgary will be Canada's first standalone X Games stop and its first under the new league format.
Canadian athletes have a long X Games history
Canadian competitors have won 366 X Games medals, placing the country second behind the United States.
Several athletes connected to Calgary and WinSport attended the announcement.
Saskatchewan-born snowboarder and broadcaster Craig McMorris said trips to Canada Olympic Park helped build his career. His brother, Mark McMorris, holds the record for the most Winter X Games medals.
Snowboarder Liam Brearley earned his first World Cup podium at WinSport, while Calgary freestyle skier Brendan Mackay said hosting the competition could give young athletes the same inspiration he received from watching established professionals.
For Calgary, that local connection may be as important as the three days of competition. WinSport remains one of the country's main training grounds for winter athletes nearly four decades after the 1988 Olympic Games.
A $25-million tourism opportunity
Tourism Calgary estimates the X Games will contribute roughly $25 million to the local economy.
That figure represents projected economic activity rather than government revenue or guaranteed profit. It generally includes expected spending on hotels, restaurants, transportation and other visitor services.
It's also worth setting against the 2019 numbers. Tourism officials projected $75 million per edition for the cancelled three-year run. The 2027 estimate is roughly a third of that, for a single event rather than three.
Tourism Calgary president and CEO Alisha Reynolds said the event supports the organization's goal of doubling Calgary's visitor economy to $6 billion by 2035.
The February dates also fall during a traditionally slower period for the city's tourism industry, one of the arguments made for hosting the earlier event.
What remains unknown
Organizers have not released the event's complete financing structure or identified any government contributions.
The detailed competition schedule has also not been announced, and the full field will depend on the winter draft and subsequent athlete selections.
What is settled is the location and date. The X Games will take over WinSport's Canada Olympic Park from February 19 to 21, 2027.
Sources
The First-Ever Canadian X Games Is Coming to Calgary — Tourism Calgary
MoonPay X Games Calgary 2027 tickets — Fever
Calgary X Games cancelled after province pulled funding — Global News, October 31, 2019
X Games Global Championship set to rev up Whistler — Pique Newsmagazine, May 8, 2003
X Games Calgary — WinSport
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