Hoopfest continues to grow post-pandemic

SPOKANE — More than 4,700 teams took to the streets of downtown Spokane for Hoopfest 2024 last month, the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament on the planet that features nearly 400 basketball courts littered across the streets of Spokane.

“It’s always one of the best times of the year,” said Riley Stockton, executive director of the Spokane Hoopfest Association. “We got really lucky with the weather, the turnout of people, the amount of teams we had. We had a great Hoopfest, and were thrilled with the way it turned out.”

There are numerous different brackets at each Hoopfest, which was held on June 29 and 30 – there’s elite-level competition, youth brackets and senior divisions as well as brackets for those with developmental and physical disabilities.

Teams at the tournament have a three-game guarantee, playing in a double-elimination bracket. 

“A lot of the brackets are anywhere from 10 teams per bracket to 16 (teams),” Stockton said. “We span over 45 city blocks – really, it’s kind of a magical time in downtown Spokane.”

There was a 500-team increase in registration this year, marking yet another increase since the COVID-19 pandemic. Hoopfest 2020 and 2021 were both cancelled.

“We’re growing back ever since COVID,” Stockton said. “My first year was 2022, we were about 1,300 teams less than we are now. I think people are just getting more comfortable being back at big events, and we’ve done a good job of growing our youth programs in the city throughout the fall and winter that have helped grow the youth numbers for Hoopfest.”

According to the Spokane Hoopfest Association and Visit Spokane, Hoopfest generates a $47 million economic impact on Spokane annually. Stockton said he believes that number will grow as the tournament brings in more teams following the pandemic.

“Any place where people are spending money,” Stockton said. “It’s pretty hard to find a hotel room that weekend anywhere, not just downtown Spokane, but anywhere in the region. There’s a lot of room nights that are attributed to Hoopfest, and then there’s a lot of restaurants and bars and shops that see an uptick in business over that weekend.”

Teams that play in Hoopfest come from beyond Washington and the Pacific Northwest – teams from 41 states were present at this year’s event, and there were even teams from New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Denmark and Malawi. 

“Thrilled with that number,” Stockton said of teams traveling from across the globe.

The Spokane Hoopfest Association doesn’t just put on Hoopfest – the association also runs youth basketball leagues and tournaments for boys and girls from 6th-8th grade, as well as a handful of tournaments for high school-aged basketball players. Last year there were around 3,700 participants in the youth basketball league.

“We’re hoping to have that similar among next year,” Stockton said.

The association has also built more than 30 outdoor basketball courts – many of which are in Spokane, but also in other cities like Reardan, Clarkston, Rosalia and Fairfield – and donated over $2.5 million to local charitable organizations.

“It’s just kind of our way to give back, to make sure we’re taking care of the people that treat us so well and be good community partners with the city of Spokane, Spokane Parks and Rec and anyone else involved,” Stockton said.

    Hoopfest is played on the streets of downtown Spokane, bringing in teams from all over the planet to play 3-on-3 basketball games each year.
 CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/SPOKANE HOOPFEST ASSOCIATION/ETHAN NARESH