Crews transforming Kelowna’s Apple Bowl for CFL games this summer
Published 11:15 am Thursday, June 11, 2026
Kelowna’s Apple Bowl looks a little different than usual.
The City of Kelowna and Tower Scaffold and Events are currently transforming the 2,300+-seat track-and-field space into a full-sized Canadian Football League (CFL) stadium that will host the BC Lions as they prepare to take on the Calgary Stampeders (June 27) and the Edmonton Elks (July 4).
Construction crews on site have started installing temporary seating that will give the Apple Bowl a completely new look while expanding the total seating capacity to approximately 17,000.
City of Kelowna recreation facility operations supervisor Stephen Hebden tells Black Press Media that construction started on Monday, June 8, and is on track to meet its June 22 deadline.
“It’s going really well. The east grandstand is probably two-thirds finished now, and they’re planning to start the other two at the beginning of next week. The east grandstand is like 375 feet in length,” said Hebden.
With the current stands sitting on the west side of the field, the plan is to install bleachers directly across from them before installing additional stands at the north and south sides of the field.
According to Hebden, these bleachers will bring CFL fans closer to the game than ever before.
“These seats are built in a way that they’re really close to the field, and it’s going to be a super exciting time for the spectators because they’re going to be really involved in the action,” said Hebden. “We’re going to have an awful lot of people coming to this event. There is a lot of excitement about it.”
Tower Scaffold and Events transferred the stands from the Montreal Formula One Grand Prix.
Hebden added at least seven double-length semi-trucks have dropped off material, with more expected in the coming days. According to him, the stands will be at least 30 rows high.
Along with the seating expansion, the City of Kelowna will also install a number of upgrades to make sure the venue meets CFL standards.
“There’s going to be big video screens, big tents with VIP areas, and we did bring in the Memorial Cup washroom trailers for the away teams,” said Hebden.
He also said the main entrance to the stadium will be via Spall Road.
Hebden assures the Apple Bowl will look like a different venue altogether when the BC Lions hit the gridiron on June 27.