St. John’s wins bid to host 2026 Montana’s Brier

Fans across Canada have been clamouring for it, and their wish is about to be granted — the Montana’s Brier is going back to St. John’s, N.L., it was announced today by Curling Canada.

The 2026 Montana’s Brier, presented by AGI, will be played Feb. 27-March 8 at the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s.

It will bring back memories of the iconic 2017 Brier, where the hometown team skipped by Brad Gushue set off wild celebrations all over Newfoundland and Labrador with his thrilling last-rock gold-medal game victory.

“The memory of being in the building and watching Brad win that final, and seeing how the city and province embraced the event, is something that I’ll always cherish and it certainly made our decision this year easier,” said Nolan Thiessen, Chief Executive Officer of Curling Canada. “It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the organizing committee there is ready to put in the work to make the 2026 Montana’s Brier even better than 2017, if that’s possible.”

It will be the third time St. John’s will have hosted the world’s most famous men’s national curling championship. The 1972 Macdonald Brier was held at Memorial Stadium in St. John’s and won by Manitoba’s Orest Meleschuk.

“I don’t think it’s a secret that winning the 2017 Brier in my hometown was a career highlight, and I’m ecstatic that we have another chance in 2026 to host, and hopefully our team can play in, the Montana’s Brier,” said Gushue. “There is so much pride in our province and our city, and I really do share in the excitement today. It’s going to be an amazing event, and I’m already counting down the days.”

While the actual event dates have been nailed down, the biggest date fans will want to know about immediately rapidly approaching: March 6 at 10 a.m. NT. That’s when the first offering of ticket packages will go on sale to the public.

Considering the jam-packed crowds in 2017, as well as the success of the recent Grand Slam event in December, it’s expected that demand will be extremely high to get in on the action and atmosphere of the 2026 Montana’s Brier.

During the initial phase of ticket sales, only a limited number of full-event packages will be available, ranging in price from $552 to $596 (not including standard facility and ticket service fees). The public on-sale is scheduled for Thursday, March 6.

Fans of Team Gushue, and other extra-eager curling fans, will have pre-sale opportunities by becoming “2026 Montana’s Brier Insiders.”

2026 Montana’s Brier Insiders will have an exclusive 24-hour advance purchase window that will begin on Monday, March 3. To become a 2026 Montana’s Brier Insider, CLICK HERE.

If you’ve signed up for the Curling Canada Collective, you will get a pre-sale opportunity on Tuesday, March 4.

Be sure to follow Curling Canada’s (Facebook and X) and Team Gushue’s social media channels (Facebook and X) for more information and reminders to sign up for the exclusive pre-sale windows.

Mary Brown’s Centre, with a seating capacity of around 6,300, opened in 2001, and is home to the Newfoundland Rogues of the Basketball Super League, and will also be home ice for the Newfoundland Regiment, a Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League franchise that will relocate to St. John’s this off-season.

It also played host to the 2005 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, won by Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones with a dramatic 10th-end in-off takeout to score four and beat Ontario’s Jenn Hanna.

“At long last, the Brier will return to St. John’s!” said the Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. “To be able to announce this news during the Year of Sport is just incredible. I have no doubt that the entire curling community and its passionate fans are celebrating with us today. When our province last hosted the Brier in 2017, we celebrated Team Gushue earning their very first Brier title — an exciting moment in Newfoundland and Labrador’s sporting history. I look forward to next year’s Brier being just as successful, as well as the social and economic buzz that it will generate in the city.”

In addition to the sizzling curling action at the Mary Brown’s Centre, the World Famous Patch will be set up in the adjacent St. John’s Convention Centre, which is connected to the arena by a covered pedway. It was the location of the wild post-victory celebration in 2017 that saw the Brier Tankard go crowd-surfing for the first time in its storied history.

“Bringing the 2026 Montana’s Brier back to St. John’s is a tremendous honour for St. John’s and an opportunity to recreate that magic and show, once again, why St. John’s is the perfect stage for an event of this calibre,” said Danny Breen, Mayor of St. John’s. “Thanks to Curling Canada for entrusting us with this remarkable event. We will deliver an unforgettable experience for players, fans and everyone involved. Mark your calendars now, because the 2026 Brier is going to be an event to remember!”

The 2026 Brier will mark the third year of title sponsorship for Canada’s Home for BBQ, Montana’s BBQ & Bar. Now operating close to 100 locations across the country, the popular family casual restaurant chain is infamous for its in-house smoked fall-off-the-bone ribs, brisket, pulled pork and other BBQ favourites.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome the Montana’s Brier back to St. John’s, a city that holds a special bond to our Brand, marking the official milestone of serving our BBQ from coast to coast when we opened our doors here in 2007,”  said Yianni Fountas, Vice-President of Marketing for Montana’s BBQ & Bar. “It doesn’t take long to see that the sport of curling runs deep in the DNA of this community. We’ve heard the tales from 2017 and are ready to step up our game to make sure that 2026 is even bigger and better.”

The team that prevails in St. John’s will go on to wear the Maple Leaf a few weeks later at the 2026 World Men’s Championship (location TBA), and again 12 months later as the defending champions at the 2027 Montana’s Brier.

“We are thrilled to welcome the 2026 Montana’s Brier back to Destination St. John’s! Athletes, coaches, officials, and fans can look forward to an unforgettable and truly memorable experience,” said Paul Bugge, Chief Executive Officer of Destination St. John’s. “Here, history and modern energy collide, offering a vibrant mix of urban excitement and breathtaking outdoor adventure. From the lively streets of our downtown and entertainment district to the warm hospitality of our people, the spirit and passion of the 2026 Brier will be felt in every moment and every corner of our city.”

To keep up to date on ticket offers and volunteer opportunities, sign up for the Curling Canada Collective.

“I know we’ve all been waiting for a while to hear this good news, and as always, Newfoundland and Labrador is ready to welcome everyone to our province,” said Dave Thomas, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Curling Association. “Our curling community has always been supportive of championship events, and I know there will be no shortage of people wanting to pitch in and make the 2026 Montana’s Brier a huge success.”

The Brier has been played in 31 cities across Canada, from Victoria to St. John’s. Alberta leads in Brier victories with 29, followed by Manitoba with 27. New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut have yet to win.

“This has been a hard secret to keep for the last few weeks, but now that it’s out there, we can’t wait to get working on our goal making this a Brier that blows all previous Briers out of the water,” said Eugene Trickett, vice-chair of the St. John’s host committee. “We have a great plan and a dedicated group of volunteers who all share the vision of putting on an event that everyone will remember for years to come.”