Copyright Kingstonist
Tourism Kingston and Ringette Ontario have announced that the 2026 Provincial AA Ringette Championships will take place in Kingston, Ontario, from March 5 to 8, 2026. According to a release from Tourism Kingston, this premier event, hosted at the INVISTA Centre, will welcome over 950 female athletes and their families from across the province to the Limestone City. “Our selection as a host community for this major event is a testament to the excellent facility we have with the INVISTA Centre, our strategic geographical location for provincial hosting, and the strong volunteer base in the ringette community and beyond,” said Rob Lendrum, Manager, Sport Business Development and Communications with Tourism Kingston. Speaking to the specific impact of the Provincial AA Ringette Championships, Lendrum added, “This event is expected to generate over $1 million in economic impact for our community, and we’re incredibly grateful to Ringette Ontario for selecting Kingston.” In response to Kingstonist inquiries, Lendrum explained that Kingston has a history of hosting ringette tournaments and events, with the most recent being a AA development camp hosted by Ringette Ontario from October 3 to 5, 2025, at the INVISTA Centre. “There is an active ringette community in Kingston: the Kingston Ringette Association works with ringette players at all levels, from kids just learning the sport to youth and adult programs. The Kingston Ringette Association hosts regular tournaments, including a January 2026 tournament that will bring together teams from Ontario and Quebec to compete,” he detailed. In terms of how Kingston lands these large tournaments, Lendrum shared that Tourism Kingston’s Sport & Wellness staff actively connect with local, provincial, and national sport organizations throughout the year to explore opportunities to host their events in Kingston. “We often work one to three years out to identify sport events that would be a good fit for Kingston, in terms of sport venues, accommodations, capacity of local sport groups to provide coaches and volunteers, and to identify potential scheduling conflicts (e.g., other large events at the same time),” he outlined. “Sport events are an important part of Kingston’s year-round tourism economy, often bringing groups of people to the city during months when there is less leisure visitor travel (which is at its peak mid-May through September).” He noted that the 2026 Ringette AA Championships will be held in Kingston in early March 2026, which will fill hotel rooms at a time when they may not otherwise be occupied. “Tourism Kingston works with local accommodations to assess capacity for large group events, which sometimes need additional amenities like team bus parking, family suites, etc. We provide sport event organizers with a variety of accommodation options to meet their needs,” Lendrum stated. “We are very pleased to host the Provincial AA Championships in Kingston. Other communities hosting Ringette Ontario Championships in different age categories in March-April 2026 include Markham and Kitchener-Waterloo.” Tourism Kingston noted that, with no admission fees, this is a great opportunity for young girls, and the community at large, to see for themselves the pace and speed of ringette.
