MISSOULA, Mt. — When the colder months approach, Missoula’s tourism industry shifts its focus from outdoor adventures to athletic events, with the annual basketball state tournaments playing a pivotal role in the heart of winter.
Dahlberg Arena, which seats 7,500, hosted the Class B tournament in 2025 and is set to welcome the Class C tournament in 2026.
Kara Bartlett, the group sales manager at Destination Missoula, highlighted the economic impact of these events.
“The Class B Tournament alone, the Adams Center sold around 9,500 tickets,” she said.
The tournaments feature 16 teams, each accompanied by more than just players and coaches.
“Each school brought a band as well as their spectators. So you had each team staying in hotel rooms, the school officials, the refs and the cheerleaders, so that brought in over 1,000 hotel rooms a night,” Bartlett explained.
Beyond ticket sales and hotel bookings, the tournaments offer families from smaller towns a chance to explore Missoula.
“Parents are here to cheer on their kids, but they also have down time, so they want to know what’s going on in Missoula and what new attractions we have,” Bartlett said. “These smaller towns might not have access to the larger box stores, and they don’t see our locally owned and operated boutiques as well, so it’s a unique experience.”
Bartlett emphasized the importance of hosting these events for the local economy.
“We’re here to help welcome the team’s support in a hospitality area if it’s applicable for the tournament, but also to help offset the cost of these events, because they’re expensive to host and run,” she said.