'One of the best buildings in Canada': Lethbridge's ENMAX Centre celebrating 50 years

The ENMAX Centre in Lethbridge is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024.

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. — The ENMAX Centre in Lethbridge is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

“It started out as the Canada Games Sportsplex back in 1974 when we hosted the Canada Winter Games and it just evolved since then,” said Jennifer Norsworthy, acting general manager of the ENMAX Centre.

Opening its doors in 1974, Gold and Gold Productions president Ron Sakamoto helped bring in the first-ever event – The Doobie Brothers.

“Everybody said, ‘Ron you’re not going to bring them to Lethbridge’ and I said yes I was,” he recalled.

“We announced it and the tickets went on sale but they weren’t selling really well because they thought it was a bogus show.”

Sakamoto recalled a conversation with the band’s manager when he explained the issues surrounding ticket sales.

“He said, ‘Here’s what we're going to do Ron … we'll land in Lethbridge, you set it up with the television, the radio and the newspaper, we'll answer all the questions, tell them when we're coming to Lethbridge and that it's for real,” Sakamoto said. “The very next day 5,000 tickets sold out.”

From then on, the ENMAX Centre continued to grow, celebrating five decades in 2024.

Whether it was Taylor Swift opening for Brad Paisley, Elton John, KISS, Carrie Underwood, comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Russell Peters, Professional Bull Riding (PBR), the World Men’s Curling Championships and the 2022 Tim Hortons Brier or the Lethbridge Hurricanes, the ENMAX Centre has hosted a number of major events over the years.

“We always have the community in the back of our minds as we're looking at events,” Norsworthy said.

The ENMAX Centre was home to the Lethbridge Broncos from 1974 to 1986 before they became the Hurricanes in 1987.

In 2012, the ENMAX Centre underwent a $33.7 million renovation and expansion to bring it up to industry standards.

The project included a 41,000-square-foot expansion, adding 18 luxury suites, a press box and a restaurant overlooking the ice.

“It's the only building that has curtaining so that you can have different seating capabilities, so it's one of the best buildings in Canada,” Sakamoto said.

But the last 50 years haven't come without challenges.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the live entertainment industry hard with restrictions on the capacity of indoor gatherings and events, along with the current state of the economy.

“We do understand that not everyone is able to come to these events so we do try and bring in an array of events that make it affordable for people to come,” Norsworthy added.

While the ENMAX Centre and Sakamoto are eyeing up the next entertainer to bring to the city, Sakamoto still holds one record that no one else will be able to break.

“When I brought April Wine, at that time it was 7,000 seats you could put in, but now of course, it's down to I think 6,500, but they sold out,” Sakamoto said. “That record will never be broken because we can't get that many people in the ENMAX Centre anymore after the renovations.”

To celebrate the milestone, the ENMAX Centre will be offering 50 per cent off ticket sales for the upcoming PBR event.

Norsworthy says more events will be announced throughout the year, but was unable to share those details publicly.