Not even Spokane’s visiting production of Hamilton escaped Canadian backlash after President Donald Trump started to talk about annexing the country as the “51st state” earlier this year.
The popular show failed to sell out after many Canadian theatergoers, who can account for up to 10% of ticket sales for Spokane’s annual “Best of Broadway” series, declined to cross the border, requesting refunds.
In fact, Spokane boosters are bracing for a summer tourist season potentially dampened by fewer Canadian visitors due to U.S. political rhetoric, threats of tariffs and fears of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Canadians who live in the West Kootenays, a series of small towns about 100 miles north of Spokane, make up a small but important part of the economy of Washington’s second largest city.
Those Canadians are a key demographic in Spokane’s retail and tourism sectors. Some residents of British Columbia communities like Trail, Grand Forks or Nelson are regular visitors to Spokane, which has about 230,000 residents.
“We have seen a significant drop in Canadian travel,” said Justin Kobluk, president of WestCoast Entertainment, which brings traveling Broadway shows to Spokane.
“In Spokane, 30% to 40% of our ticket sales come from visitors outside of the market, so Broadway shows are a large tourism driver for Spokane,” Kobluk said. “Depending on the show, 5% to 10% may come from Canada.”
“Spokane is the ‘big city’ destination for many cities north of the border and the only place close to be able to see large touring shows and concerts,” Kobluk said.
With touring Broadway show budgets that can reach into the millions for each production, even a 5% drop in expected ticket sales is significant, Kobluk said. “In many cases that could equate to the expected margins on the shows, which complicates the very business of the entertainment itself.”
Kobluk said he received numerous messages from Canadian customers seeking refunds for show tickets this year.
“Even the emails demanding refunds were very polite,” he noted.
Kobluk shared some of the emails with Cascade PBS, while withholding the last names of customers to protect their privacy.
“You can probably understand that it is a bit on the nose for us to attend a performance celebrating the birth of US democracy while the US government threatens to annex Canada, Greenland and conducts a trade war with our own country,” said an email written by Brendan T. that sought refunds for Hamilton tickets.
“Under such conditions we hope you understand we cannot be traveling to the US despite our appreciation for the generally wonderful residents of Washington state, Spokane or your wonderful theatre,” Brendan T. wrote.
A customer named Kristine H. wrote that she purchased two tickets to a performance of Mamma Mia! but “I am now concerned about travelling to the USA, given the recent events and travel advisories about our safety crossing the border.”
“I don’t want to miss it but I am starting to feel more and more worried,” she wrote in requesting a refund. “I purchased these back in December, before the new administration came into power.”
Dustin R. sought a refund for his tickets to an April 12 performance of Hamilton.
“In solidarity with millions of other Canadians, I cannot cross the border into a country whose administration continues to threaten us with annexation,” he wrote.
It’s not just a Spokane thing. In May, Seattle media reported that the number of Canadian baseball fans who attended the Toronto Blue Jays at Seattle Mariners series was smaller than in previous years. The Blue Jays are Canada’s only major league team and typically draw large numbers of fans from across the border when they play in Seattle.
Rose Noble is the head of Visit Spokane, the region’s tourism promotion organization. She says while tourism is generally booming in Spokane, the drop in visitors from Canada is troubling.
“Certainly the federal policy and rhetoric is not helpful,” Noble said. “Canadian people are fearful of traveling to the U.S.”
Much of that is due to the Trump administration’s implementation of stricter border controls and immigration enforcement measures.
There have been reports of international travelers being detained at U.S. border and immigration facilities, even with valid visas or travel authorizations. These detentions, often for minor infractions or perceived inconsistencies, have led to increased anxiety among travelers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that the number of people crossing the Canadian border into the United States has fallen since Trump was sworn into office in January. The agency reported 8.7 million people crossed from Canada in April, down from 9.4 million in April 2024.
According to data from Customs and Border Protection, the number of travelers crossing the northern border into Washington by passenger vehicle was down 30% in the month of May compared to the previous year. Entries were down 35% at the three Washington border crossings closest to Spokane for that same time period, with 8,287 passenger vehicle travelers entering the U.S. from Canada through Metaline Falls, Laurier or Frontier in May of this year down from 12,851 in May 2024.
Spokane boosters’ message to Canadians: They hope you’ll be back. Spokane’s shopping, dining and entertainment options are what lure Canadians south, Noble said.
“Dinner and a show is No. 1,” she said.
Kobluk said the next Broadway show coming to Spokane is MJ: The Musical, based on the life of Michael Jackson, opening July 8 for eight performances. So far, it’s had sales similar to Hamilton’s in the 2,600-seat First Interstate Center for the Arts theater.
“It’s under what we projected,” Kobluk said.
Visit Spokane also is anxiously watching summer travel numbers, Noble said.
“This summer will be telling,” she said. “To have people concerned for any reason is not something we are proud to have.”
