Published October 29 2026.
The City of Calgary says it will demolish the Scotiabank Saddledome when Scotia Place opens, which the City targets for fall 2027 and the 2027/2028 NHL season. The Government of Alberta funded the demolition, and the land stays owned, maintained and operated by the Calgary Stampede. No demolition date has been published by the City. This page sets out what the City, the Province, the Stampede and the Flames have each said, and what none of them has said yet.
What will happen to the Saddledome: at a glance
| Question | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Will it be demolished? | “When Scotia Place opens, The City of Calgary will demolish the Scotiabank Saddledome.” | City of Calgary, Scotia Place FAQ |
| When? | After Scotia Place opens; no date published by the City. Global News reporter Adam MacVicar posted on March 18 2026 that it is expected to come down within two years of opening. | City of Calgary; Daily Hive, March 19 2026 |
| Who does the work? | The City of Calgary | City of Calgary, Scotia Place FAQ |
| Who pays? | The Government of Alberta; its $330 million for infrastructure includes “demolishing the Saddledome” | City of Calgary; Government of Alberta, Major Projects |
| Who owns the land? | The Calgary Stampede owns, maintains and operates it | City of Calgary, Scotia Place FAQ |
| What goes on the site? | Not stated by the City. The Stampede’s master plan describes an all-season live-event zone next to Scotia Place, per Global News. | Global News, March 18 2026 |
| Last hockey season | 2026-27, which the Flames call the Saddledome Farewell Season | NHL.com/Flames, August 31 2026 |
| Scotia Place opening | Fall 2027 (keys to the tenant); open for the 2027/2028 NHL season | City of Calgary |
What the City of Calgary says about the demolition
The City’s Scotia Place frequently asked questions page is the most direct official statement. It says the City will demolish the Saddledome once Scotia Place opens, that “the demolition efforts have been funded by the Government of Alberta”, and that “the lands will continue to be owned, maintained and operated by the Calgary Stampede”. It also says that “when the time comes, The City is committed to celebrating its legacy”. The page does not describe what that celebration would be.
The same page gives the schedule for the new building. Scotia Place is to open to the public for the 2027/2028 NHL season, and the City’s project page lists the opening as fall 2027. The City’s pages do not give an opening day, and they do not say when demolition would start or finish. The page also does not say what will be built where the Saddledome stands.
For the building itself, see our Scotia Place guide. For the Saddledome’s own story, including its opening, the Olympics and the 2013 flood, see the Saddledome history.
Who pays for the demolition
Two government sources address this. The City’s FAQ says the Government of Alberta funded the demolition. The Government of Alberta’s Major Projects page for Scotia Place says its $330 million investment in infrastructure covers land purchases, road and bridge construction and “demolishing the Saddledome”. That page lists the project schedule as 2024 to 2027 and says construction began on July 22 2024. Neither page gives a demolition cost.
The City’s FAQ gives two figures for the City’s own share of Scotia Place. Its answer on the cost of the project lists The City of Calgary at $537.3 million, alongside the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) at $356 million and the Government of Alberta at $330 million, for a total project cost of $1.22 billion. Its answer to whether Scotia Place will cost the City $1.2 billion says the City is investing $515.3 million, covering the event centre, community rink, public gathering spaces and future development sites. The page does not explain the $22 million gap between the two figures. The City’s April 1 2023 release splits the Province’s $330 million into $300 million for transportation, land, infrastructure and site enabling costs, a list that includes site clearing and demolition, and $30 million toward half of the community rink. Our Scotia Place page carries the City’s cost breakdown for the building.
Timing: the City says after opening; a reported two-year window
The City names a trigger, not a date: demolition follows the opening of Scotia Place. A second account of timing comes from the Calgary Stampede’s master plan announcement. On March 18 2026, Global News quoted Stampede CEO Joel Cowley: “Obviously the Saddledome has to come down before some of this is done.” He added that this sets a timeline for that space, and the article gives no demolition date.
On March 19 2026, Daily Hive reported, citing a March 18 post on X by Global News reporter Adam MacVicar, that the Saddledome is expected to come down within two years of the opening of Scotia Place. Daily Hive calculated that, with a fall 2027 opening, the building would stand until 2029 at most. The post does not say who gave that timeline, the Global News article on the master plan does not include it, and the City has not published a matching schedule.
Put together: the City gives no date, and a reporter’s post relayed by Daily Hive gives an outer limit of about two years after opening. The second is a media report, not a published schedule.
What will replace the Saddledome
The City has not said. Global News, reporting on the Calgary Stampede’s 20-year master plan on March 18 2026, wrote that the Saddledome “will be torn down” and that its location will become an all-season live-event zone adjacent to Scotia Place. Cowley told the outlet that there was no price tag for these developments yet. Scotia Place itself is listed in the same article among projects completed or underway, and it is reported as scheduled to open in fall 2027.
The two sources describe different things. The City covers the demolition and the legacy commitment, while the Stampede, which owns the land, outlines a use for it. Neither has published a design, a budget or a start date for the site. The wider district plan is tracked on our Victoria Park development page, and the land’s long history is in the Stampede Park history.
The City’s 2023 announcement of the Scotia Place agreements places the new building in the Rivers District, and says the Stampede agreed to land sales and transfers so the district can develop under the Rivers District Master Plan. That release does not mention the Saddledome.
The Farewell Season: 2026-27
The Calgary Flames call 2026-27 the Saddledome Farewell Season. In its August 31 2026 announcement of single-game tickets, the team called it the final season of Flames hockey at the Saddledome, which opened in 1983. It said fans will have 44 opportunities to gather under the roof during the season, and that every NHL opponent will visit one last time. The team lists the Edmonton Oilers on March 3 and March 23 and the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes on October 18 among the highlights. Season-ticket memberships were described as subject to availability. That announcement does not say what happens to the building afterwards.
For games and events in the building this season, see the week-by-week listings, the seating and parking guide and how to get to Victoria Park if you plan a last visit.
Which teams move to Scotia Place
The City’s FAQ says the event centre will be the new home for the city’s NHL, AHL, WHL and NLL teams, without naming them. The City’s April 1 2023 announcement of the agreements is more specific: it quotes CSEC President and CEO John Bean saying the new event centre and community rink “will both be home for the Calgary Flames, Calgary Hitmen, Calgary Roughnecks and Calgary Wranglers”. The Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation’s Scotia Place page lists planned game counts for all four clubs and says the building’s store will carry merchandise from each.
| Team | League | Named as a home team in the City’s April 1 2023 release | Team page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Flames | NHL | Yes, April 1 2023 release; the FAQ says the Flames committed to staying for the full 35-year lease | Flames |
| Calgary Hitmen | WHL | Yes, April 1 2023 release | Hitmen |
| Calgary Wranglers | AHL | Yes, April 1 2023 release | Wranglers |
| Calgary Roughnecks | NLL | Yes, April 1 2023 release | Roughnecks |
All four are collected on our teams page. The sources read for this page do not say whether each club’s first season at Scotia Place will be 2027-28; the City ties the opening to the 2027/2028 NHL season.
Timeline
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Saddledome opens | NHL.com/Flames, August 31 2026 |
| April 1 2023 | Agreements announced for the new event centre in the Rivers District | City of Calgary |
| July 22 2024 | Scotia Place construction begins | Government of Alberta, Major Projects |
| March 18 2026 | Stampede master plan announced; Global News reports the Saddledome will be torn down | Global News |
| August 31 2026 | Flames put Farewell Season single-game tickets on sale | NHL.com/Flames |
| 2026-27 season | Farewell Season at the Saddledome | NHL.com/Flames |
| Fall 2027 | Scotia Place target opening; keys to the tenant | City of Calgary |
| After opening | City demolishes the Saddledome; no City date published | City of Calgary |
| By about 2029 | Reported outer limit, within two years of opening | Daily Hive, March 19 2026, citing a Global News reporter’s post |
What has not been decided or published
- A demolition start date, method or cost. The City gives none.
- The use of the Saddledome site. The Stampede master plan, as reported by Global News, describes a live-event zone, with no design or budget.
- What the commemoration of the building will involve. The City says only that it is committed to celebrating the legacy.
- An opening day for Scotia Place. The City gives fall 2027.
In a CBC News question-and-answer piece published October 8 2023, city manager David Duckworth said the 40-year-old Saddledome either needed to be replaced or needed hundreds of millions of dollars of upgrades. The City’s current FAQ states demolition.
Questions people ask
Is the Saddledome being torn down?
Yes, according to the City of Calgary, which says it will demolish the Scotiabank Saddledome when Scotia Place opens.
When will the Saddledome be demolished?
The City has not published a date. It ties demolition to the opening of Scotia Place, which it lists for fall 2027. Daily Hive, citing a March 18 2026 post by Global News reporter Adam MacVicar, reported that it is expected within two years of the opening.
Who is paying to demolish the Saddledome?
The City says the Government of Alberta funded the demolition. The Province’s Major Projects page lists demolishing the Saddledome within its $330 million.
What will be built where the Saddledome stands?
The City has not said. Global News reported that the Stampede’s master plan calls for an all-season live-event zone next to Scotia Place. No design or cost has been published.
Will the Hitmen, Wranglers and Roughnecks move too?
The City’s April 1 2023 announcement quotes CSEC President and CEO John Bean naming the Flames, Hitmen, Roughnecks and Wranglers as the home teams of the new event centre and community rink. The City’s FAQ says the event centre will be home to the city’s NHL, AHL, WHL and NLL teams.
Is the 2026-27 season really the last at the Saddledome?
The Flames call it the final season of Flames hockey at the Saddledome. The Scotia Place opening is targeted for fall 2027, after the season ends.
Sources: City of Calgary, Scotia Place frequently asked questions: demolition, funding, land ownership, legacy, opening, teams, Flames lease, $537.3 million and $515.3 million City figures. Read October 29 2026. City of Calgary, Scotia Place: fall 2027 opening. Read October 29 2026. City of Calgary, Agreements announced (April 1 2023): teams (John Bean quote), Rivers District, Stampede land, Province funding split. Read October 29 2026. Government of Alberta, Major Projects, Scotia Place: $330 million, demolition, construction start. Read October 29 2026. Global News, Stampede master plan (March 18 2026): demolition, live-event zone, Cowley comments. Read October 29 2026. Daily Hive (March 19 2026): two-year report citing Adam MacVicar’s March 18 2026 post. Read October 29 2026. NHL.com/Flames (August 31 2026): Farewell Season. Read October 29 2026. Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, Scotia Place: game counts for the four clubs. Read October 29 2026. CBC News, Q&A with top city officials (October 8 2023): Duckworth comments. Read October 29 2026.