SEATTLE — Visit Seattle expects $30 million in total revenue to be generated for Seattle from the 2024 NHL Winter Classic.
But since this was the first time that the NHL Winter Classic was held in a west coast city, businesses surrounding Lumen Stadium and T-Mobile Park weren’t sure what kind of sales to expect.
Now, that picture is becoming clearer.
"Our sales this week are much higher than we saw during the All-Star Week," said Rachelle Galloway, General Manager at SeaCrab House Seattle, which is located in the stadium district near Pioneer Square.
Seats and barstools in several establishments surrounding the stadiums appeared full Monday night.
"A lot of hockey fans," said Galloway. "It has exceeded our expectations immensely."
The Seahawks home game helped bring fans out of their homes on Sunday, and on Monday, it was the Kraken and UW games people ventured out for.
"We are marketing to new people, new fans. We have people who come in all the time and they say, 'Oh we didn't even know this was here," said Galloway.
Stadium event days are often the bread and butter for these businesses, and after a New Year's Day like this one, they’re feeling optimistic.
"The Winter Classic has been amazing," said Galloway.
Meanwhile in the Chinatown-International District, Baegopa, a Korean barbecue restaurant that had a disappointing All-Star Week, told us that they have had steady business recently.
A spokesperson for the Alliance for Pioneer Square told KING 5 businesses are seeing more foot traffic lately, and that 30 new business leases were recently signed.
In July, after the MLB All-Star Week, KING 5's Maddie White interviewed the woman responsible for securing that bid, and the one to bring the Winter Classic to Seattle.
After this weekend, she was asked whether she felt the event was inclusive, from an economic impact standpoint.
“It absolutely can be more inclusive. We know that," said Beth Knox, president and CEO of the Seattle Sports Commission.
She added, "That’s our primary focus, are the neighboring areas.”
This reassurance came after a choir of voices in Pioneer square and the CID's business community told KING 5 that sales on All-Star week were a bust.
Now, efforts by local leaders to include these businesses are surfacing. Visit Seattle created a marketing campaign to try and get more people into the CID on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.