Summer events drive strong visitation and year-over-year gains
The Downtown Spokane Partnership (DSP) announced that visitor foot traffic in the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) increased by nearly 50,000 visits year-over-year in Q2 2026, driven by major annual downtown events including Bloomsday, Spokane Pride Parade & Festival, and Hoopfest, underscoring downtown’s continued activity and role as a regional destination for events, business, and employment.
“Seeing more people choosing downtown is an encouraging sign that the momentum we’ve been building continues to translate into real activity on our streets and sidewalks,” said Emilie Cameron, DSP President and CEO. “It’s encouraging to see more people choosing to spend time downtown, attending an event, supporting local businesses or enjoying downtown’s newly enhanced public spaces.”
Key highlights from Q2:
- June 27 was the busiest day of the quarter with more than 124,000 visits to the BID, propelled by Hoopfest which saw over 220,000 visits over the course of the weekend.
- Non-local visitors (those living 30 miles or more from downtown) increased by 177% during Hoopfest weekend from the average 2026 weekend.
- Spokane Pride Parade & Festival had a 13% increase in visits from 2025 making it the fourth busiest day of the quarter.
- Bloomsday had an 18% increase in visits compared to 2025, landing the fifth busiest day of Q2.
- Employee visits increased 8.9% from the previous quarter and overall, up 2.3% year-over-year.
According to Cameron, “Growth in downtown activity continues to reinforce that economic engine that it is for Spokane. The Downtown Spokane Partnership closely monitors trends to help our community and policymakers understand downtown’s progress and opportunities and we’re positioned well to build on this quarter’s momentum through the remainder of the year.”
For more information on downtown events, online business directory and pedestrian activity in downtown, visit downtownspokane.org.