Take 2: Kelowna will host the 2025 Brier

It’s official, the 2025 Montana’s Brier will be held in Kelowna.

Curling Canada made the announcement today ahead of the 2023 Pan Continental Curling Championships, which will begin in Kelowna on Friday.

While that event will be hosted at the Kelowna Curling Club, the Brier will be contested at nearby Prospera Place from Feb. 28 until March 9, 2025.

The 2025 Montana's Brier will be held in Kelowna Feb. 28th to March 9th 2025. pic.twitter.com/TytvgmMLSq

— KelownaNow (@KelownaNow) October 27, 2023

This is take two for the Brier in Kelowna this century, as the 2021 version of Canada’s national men’s championship was previously awarded to the city in 2019.

Unfortunately, in December 2020, it was announced that the Brier would no longer be held in Kelowna due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, the event was held at Markin MacPhail Centre at Olympic Park in Calgary with no fans in the stands.

Brendan Bottcher's Alberta rink ended up claiming the trophy, as he is the only Brier champion other than three-time winner Brad Gushue since the onset of the pandemic.

Assuming there isn’t another worldwide health crisis, 2025 will be the second time that Kelowna hosts the Brier.

The first time was over 50 years ago, as Kelowna was the site of the second of Ron Northcott’s three Brier wins in a four-year span back in 1968.

While the 2025 Brier will be the final one before the 2026 Winter Olympics, it will not determine which men's team will represent Canada at the Games in Italy.

The winner will wear the Maple Leaf at world events in 2025 and at the 2026 Brier, Olympic trials will be used to determine Canada's men's and women's curling teams for the 2026 Games.

KelownaNow has a reporter at the announcement and will have more on these developments later in the day.