Country Music Week expected to boost Saskatoon’s local economy

Cowboy hats might be a more common sight in Saskatoon this week.

Starting on Sept. 15, Canadian Country Music Week and the Canadian Country Music Awards will kick off in Saskatoon.

While it’ll be great for country music fans, the city’s local economy will benefit, too.

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Stephanie Pocha, CEO of Discover Saskatoon, said local businesses will have plenty of money to make this week.

“It’s everything from hotel room stays, airplanes that are being filled, taxis that are being used, all the way down to restaurants who are seeing people pour through their doors and retail stores that are increasing their sales,” she said.

According to Pocha, it’s also a chance to change how people see Saskatoon.

“Another induced impact for our beautiful city and this province is the perceptions that are going to shift from people just arriving in our city who have never been here. And I can speak quite frankly to that,” she said.

“Hearing a lot of the artists last year in Kelowna saying, ‘Oh gosh, Saskatoon, what is there to do there?’ And so it’s really important for us, from a profile perspective, to showcase the excellence in this city by way of bringing these major events to our city.”

As for the event itself, Pocha said there will be plenty to do, with events happening every night.

“There are songwriter series’ that take place every day throughout the weekend. So, this is a really intimate experience where we get to go and connect with these country music artists who are writing songs live, who are singing their own music, and that happens at the Coors Event Center, at the Capitol Music Club, at TCU Place. Of course, the big awards are taking place at SaskTel Centre on Saturday the 19th,” she said.

This week will bring a wide range of artists, including The Reklaws, Hunter Brothers, Tenille Arts, Tenille Townes, Brett Kissel, James Barker Band and Jess Moskaluke.

“There’s one thing that a tariff cannot touch, and that is tourism,” Pocha said. “As an export industry, the visitor economy in tourism is this province’s fourth-largest export industry and nobody slaps the duty on a visitor walking into a Riversdale restaurant. So, when we see 60 per cent of a visitor’s dollar staying local and rippling through wages and suppliers and rent, that’s the kind of money that’s going to keep a small business standing through uncertainty.”

Last year, visitors to Saskatoon, alone, spent almost $900 million.

Canadian Country Music Week and the Canadian Country Music Awards run from Sept. 15 to Sept. 19.