Vancouver’s Freedom Mobile Arch at the PNE opens on Friday – BC

Vancouver’s newest entertainment venue will be opening its doors for the first time on Friday.

Construction of the Freedom Mobile Arch at the PNE finished just in time to host its inaugural concert on Friday night and the official FIFA World Cup watch parties starting next week.

The amphitheatre can hold up to 10,000 people and during the World Cup it will host live match broadcasts, live music and entertainment.

“With how beautiful it is, with the setting of the North Shore Mountains and Burrard Inlet in the background and a roller-coaster in the foreground, [I] think it will be the venue that people for generations, you know, from now will talk about with those great iconic venues across North America,” Laura Ballance, the PNE spokesperson, said.

“This venue is such a much-needed ladder venue here in British Columbia for the cultural groups, the artists, the creative sector. I think it’s so important.”

The price tag for the venue skyrocketed during construction; the original budget was set at $64.8 million in 2023 and has since tripled to an estimated $183 million.

The amphitheatre will also be the main stage for the PNE Summer Concert Series with acts including Nelly, Sarah McLachlan and the Barenaked Ladies.

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