Fifty thousand people showed up in 2024. They packed the boardwalk, filled the rooftops, lined every finger of the wharf from Halifax to Dartmouth. They braved the rain. The crowds were deafening. Flight controller Billy Gooderham told us earlier this year that he could still hear the roar from the wharf through noise-cancelling earbuds while flying the boat at race speed.

That was SailGP’s first visit to Halifax. And it left a mark.

Halifax will host Canada Sail Grand Prix May 15-16, 2027 as part of the Rolex SailGP Championship’s global season roster. The event returns to Halifax Harbour as one of four North American events on the 2027 calendar.

On June 20 and 21, the circuit comes back, bigger, louder, and with a lot more to offer than just the racing. We got Phil Kennard, CEO and Team Principal of NorthStar, Canada’s entry in the global SailGP circuit, on the phone this week, and he had plenty to say about what Halifax means to this team and what fans can expect this June.

Why Halifax works

Kennard has spent his career inside some of the biggest sports properties in the world, Formula 1, the PGA Tour, the America’s Cup. He knows what makes a venue click. And he says Halifax is almost a textbook example of what works for SailGP.

“One of the things that the PGA Tour identified was that sports events work better in mid-size cities,” he told us. “If you go to Los Angeles or New York, you can blink and you’re missing it. There’s always so much going on. Whereas if you go to a mid-tier city, it becomes a focal part of the sporting calendar of the year, something that everybody can get behind and get excited by. I think Halifax hits that sweet spot. Not just because of the natural amphitheatre, but it’s just the perfect size to host a race like this.”

A Win – Win

The league is broadcast in 72 different markets globally, putting Halifax in front of millions of viewers and firmly on the radar of audiences around the world. The local economic impact of the event is undeniable. Discover Halifax and event partners later estimated the broader economic impact of the 2024 SailGP weekend at approximately $45 million, alongside a reported $50.2 million in global media value generated from coverage of the event.

Just as importantly, Halifax has quickly become something of a homecoming for NorthStar SailGP Team Canada. With local athletes on the boat and thousands of fans lining both sides of the harbour, the atmosphere in 2024 felt uniquely Canadian. A rare opportunity for the team to compete in front of a passionate home-town crowd while showcasing Halifax’s waterfront, energy and hospitality to audiences across Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Local boys on the boat

We mentioned to Kennard that we’d sat down with flight controller Billy Gooderham earlier this year, who hails from a storied family sailing legacy and now calls Halifax home. He joins, grinder Tim Hornsby who missed the 2024 event due to prior sailing commitments and is eager to compete at home. We asked whether having locals on the boat changes anything.

“There’s just an added excitement and connection for the local crowd to feel that one of them is on the boat and competing,” he said. “It’s kind of a home field advantage almost. But I also think that brings an extra layer of pressure. I know that the likes of Billy, for example — he does feel the extra pressure when he’s at home, competing in front of his home crowd and his family and friends. It’s not every day that these world-class athletes get the opportunity to show what they do to where they live. That’s just an amazing opportunity for them.”

His message to Halifax

Kennard is blunt about what he wants from this city on June 20 and 21.

“We want as many people as possible to come out. On rooftops, everywhere there’s a vantage point,” he said. “If you can’t get hold of tickets, just come out and support. Come out and support the home team. I want posters, flags, you name it, everything to cheer these guys and girls on.”

He’s also looking forward to finally experiencing Halifax properly himself, after only one visit so far.

“I’m certainly looking forward to getting back to Halifax,” he said, “and seeing Halifax 2.0.”

The Canada Sail Grand Prix returns to Halifax Harbour on June 20 and 21, 2026. Tickets are available at sailgp.com/halifax.

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