Hotels around Winnipeg are noticing a significant decrease in the amount of Saskatchewan Roughriders fans visiting for the Banjo Bowl.
Because the Blue Bomber are doing so well in the standings, it’s reducing the number of Riders fans at Investors Group Field, according to Scott Jocelyn, president and CEO of the Manitoba Hotel Association.
"You know, that's great for the city, but maybe not so great in that probably not as many people from Saskatchewan are coming to the game. I hear that the numbers are down about 30 per cent," said Jocelyn.
Regardless of how many Riders fans showed up, the annual event still sold out. Joecelyn said now that the games are on Saturday, it’s giving fans a reason to visit Winnipeg for a weekend.
“We love when there’s an energy in the city, and today would be one of those days,” he said.
Bars around downtown Winnipeg and the stadium were packed for pre-game festivities.
The beer manager for Barley Brothers on Pembina Highway says the restaurant will easily make over $10,000 on Game Day alone.
"This is one of our best days of the year, so everyone has a lot of fun for Banjo Bowl. It gets pretty rowdy, but it's good," said Rachel Wilkinson.
The stadium sold 33,500 tickets sold for the game.
