ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix 2024

Often called “the most exciting race on water”, Sail GP features the world’s top sailing athletes competing in high-speed, ultra-light F50 sailboats—the F stands for ‘foiling,’ and the 50 refers to a hull length of 50 feet—capable of reaching speeds of up to 100 km/h. Crews of six pilot the catamarans at breakneck speeds using a wingsail and a jib sail for propulsion. And unlike many ocean races, the action unfolds close enough to shore to almost feel the spray as the boats slice through the water.

The 2024 edition featured teams from 10 countries—Canada, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.

The race course for the Halifax edition happened a stone’s throw from the bustling Halifax Harbour shoreline, with boats racing between George’s Island and the Macdonald Bridge. Spectators on both the Halifax and Dartmouth sides had front row seats to all the action.  

Thanks to the abundant access to the Halifax and Dartmouth waterfronts—not to mention the numerous bar and restaurant patios that dot the shoreline—spectators could catch a glimpse of the action from a variety of vantage points. However, for those who were able to snag a coveted ticket to the sold-out stadium seating area, the energy was electric as enthusiastic spectators cheered on as the 10 teams raced across the water. 

Being a sailing town, event organizers also offered a Bring Your Own Boat option where spectators could catch the action ocean-side from their own boats from designated areas along the race course. It’s estimated that 200+ tickets were sold for this option alone.

In total, over 50,000 spectators took part in the action over the two race days, including 4,652 ticketed fans. Halifax also set a world record for the fastest ticket sell-out in SailGP’s history, at just 12 minutes from the opening of ticket sales to the event being sold out. Halifax also achieved the highest merchandise sales records across all SailGP events around the world.

The event was such a success thanks in part to the hard work and dedication of over 200 volunteers who contributed a total of 1,800 volunteer hours during the event. Volunteers were highly engaged and included members from both the sailing and non-sailing communities.

And of course, it wouldn’t be an event in Halifax without an epic after-party. 

The Argyle Street Shore Party was the ultimate post-race celebration. This all-ages, free, open-air event featured live music from an incredible lineup of local artists, including Ria Mae, Neon Dreams, Adam Baldwin, and more. 

While folks are still talking about the excitement of the event to this day, SailGP also included some lasting community initiatives in addition to action-packed memories. In the days leading up to the competition, SailGP athletes and local youth participated in a beach cleanup in Point Pleasant Park and Team Canada athletes led an eelgrass planting project on the ocean floor through the Community Eelgrass Restoration Initiative in partnership with Dalhousie University.

The ROCKWOOL Impact Summit also took place on May 31. The event brought together 150 leaders from SailGP, sports, science, and business to discuss climate change and collaborative solutions with a focus on sustainability and ways to engage and connect local companies to the blue-green economy and other SailGP initiatives. 

Numerous events were held to engage and introduce youth to the sport. This included tours of the boats, talks from the athletes, as well as hands-on demonstrations and skills development programs to inspire the next generation of athletes. 

Finally, from a numbers standpoint, there was a 16% increase in demand for hotel rooms over the race weekend, a gross media value of $50.2M from event coverage, which resulted in an estimated 91.5 total views, and a total economic impact of $45M. 

But perhaps the greatest marker of the event’s success? The event will return to Halifax in 2026 bigger and better than before. Halifax can’t wait to see you there.