Lethbridge celebrates the 50th anniversary of VisitLethbridge.com Arena

Lethbridge celebrates the 50th anniversary of the VisitLethbridge.com Arena.

As part of anniversary celebrations, the City of Lethbridge is inviting the community to see VisitLethbridge.com Arena like they never have before.

Tours will be offered to show guests parts of the arena not normally open to the public and to showcase its history.

"We will actually be going through the concourse area down into the back spaces, the dressing room areas where we've had the artists stay, where the hockey teams play, where we use those facilities for a number of things," said Becky Little, VisitLethbridge.com Arena sponsorship and sales manager.

"We'll go behind the back party deck, we'll talk about the Zamboni. Get a chance to see that up close and personal."

The venue was opened in September of 1974 and was originally called the Canada Games Sportsplex.

It was built to host the 1975 Canada Games.

At the time, it only cost $4.25 million to build.

Since then, it's had several renovations and upgrades to turn it into the facility we know today.

"I feel very overwhelmed with all of the great things that people have been able to see in the last 50 years, surrounding myself with the people that still have had a part of that, that will be arriving and taking that in. Creating memories is actually the best thing that we do as a facility," Little said.

Hockey is perhaps what the arena is best known for.

It hosted the Lethbridge Broncos from 1974-86, and has been the home of the Hurricanes since 1987.

Former players still have fond memories of their time spent at the arena.

"We went on a couple deep runs there, and when the arena is full, it's got quite an energy too, especially for a junior building, and I think as a young man, that's kind of your first experience with that," said Mark Greig, who played for the Hurricanes from 1987-90.

 While hockey is the most consistent draw, the arena has held its fair share of other events.

It's hosted everything from monster trucks and Cirque de Soleil to major curling tournaments and concerts.

Some notable acts to have performed there are Kiss, Alice Cooper, Elton John and even Taylor Swift.

Local music legend and president of Gold and Gold productions Ron Sakamoto has talked often about the arena being his favourite music venue. 

"50 years is tremendous," he said. "We used to do shows at the exhibition pavilion before that, because I've been in business over, 60 years. But it's been an amazing building. and the first group I brought to open it up was the Doobie Brothers in 1974."

Tours of the arena will be held Thursday with the first tour at 1 p.m. and the last at 6:45 p.m.

The tours are free to attend.