KELOWNA, B.C. — Stantec has been named lead design consultant for a proposed $25-million modernization of the City of Kelowna’s Apple Bowl, a community sports and event venue that has served the city for more than four decades.
The City of Kelowna unveiled the proposed upgrade in August, with the goal of expanding year-round community access to the facility while positioning it as the future home of a Canadian Premier League soccer club by 2028.
The centrepiece of the proposed design is a new east grandstand with roughly 3,000 seats, which would more than double the venue’s permanent capacity to about 5,000 seats. The plan also includes new washrooms, locker rooms, concession areas, storage, VIP suites, broadcast-ready media facilities and a new scoreboard. A conversion from grass to artificial turf is also proposed, along with a new entrance plaza integrated with the nearby Parkinson Recreation Centre redevelopment.
The design concept was developed in collaboration with the Canadian Premier League. The city says it will work with community sport and recreation partners to help shape the final design, with opportunities for public input as planning moves forward.
Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas said the investment is intended to renew an important community facility.
Dyas has pointed to the Apple Bowl’s recent track record hosting major events, including two Canadian Football League games between the BC Lions and Calgary Stampeders earlier this year, as evidence of the venue’s potential. The city estimates major events held at the facility in 2026 will generate more than $150 million in economic activity for the region.
Derek Edstrom, the city’s divisional director of partnerships and investments, said the proposed artificial turf conversion is intended to extend the facility’s usable season and increase access for community athletes, who currently have limited field time while the venue is prepared and protected for high-level competition.
From Temporary to Permanent
The Apple Bowl’s capacity was temporarily expanded to approximately 18,500 seats earlier this year using rented grandstands to accommodate the CFL games, a setup that required weeks of construction and relied on temporary seating previously used at Montreal’s Formula One Grand Prix. The proposed permanent upgrade would replace the need for such temporary builds for future large-scale events.
The $25-million project remains subject to city council’s budget approval, and no construction start date has been announced.
