Welcome to Brandon
WELCOME TO BRANDON
The City of Brandon's population in the 2021 Census was 51.313, just over a 5% increase from 2016. Brandon's growth has kept pace with the fastest-growing cities in Canada. It demonstrates the opportunities for individuals, families, and businesses to grow and succeed.
Brandon is known as the Wheat City and is home to Brandon University, Assiniboine Community College, and a federal agricultural research station. It is also home to excellent cultural facilities, programs, and events, including the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, the Commonwealth Air Training Museum, the Westman Multicultural Festival, and the Dakota Nation Winterfest.
The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba is a Brandon-based non-profit organization established in 1872. It hosts the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair each March, one of only two fairs in Canada to receive royal designation from Queen Elizabeth II. The Provincial Exhibition also hosts the Manitoba Summer Fair in June and the Manitoba Livestock Expo in late October. In addition, Canada's largest indoor agriculture trade show and program, the Manitoba Ag Days, is held mid-January each year at Brandon's Keystone Centre.
The Keystone Centre is a 540,000-square-foot multi-event venue with three full-size hockey rinks, including Westoba Place, home of the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings. It also includes an eight-sheet curling rink and ample convention space that allows it to host conferences and events year-round.
A Great Host City
Brandon has a long history of successful sports event hosting that stretches back decades. Events returning to Brandon include the Canada Games (1979, 1997), Curling Canada events (The Brier in 1963, 1982, and 2019, The Scotties in 1993 and 2002, the 1995 Ford World Curling Championship, and the 1997 Olympic trials). In 2010, Brandon hosted the Memorial Cup. In 2016, it hosted U Sports Volleyball National Championships, which will return in 2025. In addition, it hosted the Legion National Youth Track and Field (2017, 2018).
Softball History
Brandon is a long history of hosting Softball events. Still, the 2023 Softball Canada U15 Girls' Championship was the first Canadian Championship held in Brandon since 2000. The Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex opened in 2017 and added lights to its main diamond in the spring of 2022. It has quickly built a reputation as the premier softball facility in Manitoba. In addition to hosting the 2023 Softball Canada U15 Girls Championship, it was also the host venue for the 2017 Western Canadian U16 Championship.
Westman Magic
The Westman Magic is the host team for the 2024 event. The Magic program is one of eight AAA programs under Softball Manitoba and, geographically, draws players from Brandon and a surrounding area of approximately 200 kilometres.
