Overview Jackalope is a free, all-ages action sports festival series that sets up pro vert and street skateboarding contests in the middle of a city, on the Jacques-Cartier Pier in Montreal's Old Port, on Celebration Square in Mississauga and on the Virginia Beach oceanfront by Neptune Park, and pays men and women equal cash prizes. BMX and Moto X demos run between the heats. The series has five stops in three countries: those three festivals, plus smaller Jackalope Block Party editions in downtown Ventura, California, and in Newcastle, Australia. Jackalope bills Montreal as the biggest action sports festival in Canada. It is an initiative of Tribu. On site Each stop builds its own program around the ramps. Virginia Beach adds skimboarding, jet ski freestyle and highline contests to street and vert skating. Mississauga brings in bouldering and a mini-ramp. Montreal runs vert with FMX, BMX and calisthenics demos, and holds some contests under a roof. Food trucks, bars, pop-up shops and live music fill in around the courses, contests stream live on YouTube, and payment is by card. In Ventura the block party sets up at California and Main Street for an open vert contest with $20,000 in prizes split equally between men and women, an under-15 division, and a trip to Virginia Beach for the top finishers. Audience Visitors skate as well as watch. A shredder pass lets people ride the facility, the Ventura contest is open to any level, and strollers and leashed dogs come in with everyone else. By Jackalope's count, 69% of the people there share the day on social media. Talent and Influencers Rookies and pros compete in the same contests. Shuka Kawai was a 13-year-old from Japan who spoke no English when she first flew abroad and landed back-to-back Jackalope podiums; in the 2026 Montreal vert final she finished second to Mizuho Hasegawa, with Bryce Wettstein third. JD Sanchez won the men's final ahead of Magnus Magiar and Hudson Walker, on semifinal scores after rain turned it into a jam session. Mirai Akimoto and Juno Matsuoka have won in Mississauga, and Arisa Trew has skated Montreal. The Golden Ticket program brings in underrated skaters from abroad, and its videos passed a million views. Track record Virginia Beach is Jackalope's case study. Attendance there went from 32,650 in 2023 to 47,000 in 2024. The festival's figures put its economic impact at $7.8 million and 7,600 to 9,800 hotel room nights; 49% of out-of-area visitors were seeing Virginia Beach for the first time, and more than 94% said they were likely to come back. The series counted 150 million impressions in 2024, and its two broadcasts drew 150,000 viewers in 40 countries. Brand presence Jackalope's Virginia Beach page in 2026 named Monster Energy as fuel partner, alongside Visit Virginia Beach, STIHL Timbersports and Coastal Edge. The Ventura block party carried Visit Ventura, the City of Ventura, 805 Beer and the California National Guard. Jackalope sells partners on-site activations, content built into its own channels and projects made with its athletes, fans and creators.