New PNE amphitheatre construction cost grows to $184 million

Final mass-timber beam installed for new PNE amphitheatre's roof

Giant roof of the new PNE amphitheatre begins to take shape

It's official: Vancouver's 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Festival to be held at PNE

PNE adds BC Lottery Corporation as a sponsor for new amphitheatre

Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum is getting a new name

Mayor Ken Sim explains Vancouver Whitecaps PNE stadium idea: 'We will do whatever we can'

In an October 2025 construction update to the PNE’s board of directors, it was shared that the venue’s building envelope is expected to be completed by January 2026. Structural concrete and the flatwork seating area would follow in February 2026, with washrooms and concessions finished in March. VIP suites, interior fit-out, landscaping, the plaza, and building commissioning are targeted for April 2026, with occupancy, final fit-out, and move-in scheduled for May 2026 — just in time for its use for the high-profile FIFA Fan Festival and the 2026 PNE Fair later in the summer.

This amphitheatre project was conceived by the PNE long before the pandemic, initially identified as a component in the City’s Hastings Park/PNE master plan in 2010. Some planning specifically for the project began in 2018.

Vancouver City Council approved the preliminary project concept and cost in 2021, with a goal to reach completion just in time for the PNE’s Summer 2026 programming.

The project took on added significance in 2022 after FIFA named Vancouver as a 2026 FIFA World Cup host city. The amphitheatre became a FIFA-related project, when a decision was made in 2024 to stage Vancouver’s official five-week-long FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE fairgrounds, with the allure and functionality of the brand new landmark venue being one of the driving factors for placing the event well outside of possible downtown Vancouver locations.

But this most recent budget increase follows City Council’s July 2024 approval of a contingency fund of up to $30 million. That allowance raised the budget at the time from $107.5 million to up to $137.5 million to address anticipated market cost escalation in materials, labour, and equipment — and to potentially accelerate the construction work if needed to ensure the venue is ready by late May or early June 2026, just ahead of the FIFA Fan Festival’s opening day of June 11, 2026.

However, the original contingency provided proved to be inadequate. Construction has been impacted by market inflation that exceeded earlier forecasts and by complex soil and ground conditions. It is well known that the amphitheatre sits beside a buried stream, which the PNE plans to daylight through a separate future public-realm project for the fairgrounds.

“The final PNE Amphitheatre construction budget was based on the completed tender pricing of the finalized drawings, and a target completion date of Spring 2026. The target completion date was established so that the Amphitheatre would be operational for the Summer 2026 entertainment season, taking into account both PNE event revenues and the FIFA Fan Festival,” stated the City in a statement to Daily Hive Urbanized.

“Cost estimates prior to the final construction budget were developed before the tender of the completed drawings. Key factors that contributed to the final budget included market-driven cost escalation for materials and labour, challenging ground and soil conditions, global cost pressures affecting construction and upgrades to essential utilities and site-wide improvements.”

The project originally had a highly preliminary cost estimate of $64.8 million — before detailed design and engineering work was performed. This budget created before the pandemic was approved by City Council in the 2021 decision.

By 2023, the basic venue design cost was updated to $82.6 million, based on selecting the detailed design of a venue with a giant mass-timber roof by Vancouver-based Revery Architecture.

At this same juncture, the total cost grew by $21.1 million from $82.6 million to $103.7 million from the addition of enhanced design components to enable the PNE to generate more revenue, such as a larger back of house to support bigger and more complex productions, additional VIP suites, and three permanent concession facilities including a full production kitchen. There will also be 25 more washroom units to help support the venue’s maximum spectator capacity, as well as a sound containing wall.

A significant share of the final cost will be repaid by the PNE to the City over the subsequent years through increased revenue from hosting up to about 80 events per year outside the annual PNE Fair period — a dramatic increase from about five events annually at the old amphitheatre. Early on, just before the pandemic, the PNE explored a potential public-private partnership approach of realizing the venue to help minimize risk to the City, but that strategy was later dismissed.

The amphitheatre represents the single largest investment to date in the PNE’s long-term strategy to revitalize and expand its entertainment facilities and usable event spaces at Hastings Park. This effort essentially aims to reverse some of the overall negative impact of earlier moves made by the City in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when many major fairground buildings and outdoor event spaces were demolished and replaced with green spaces and a lake — significantly reducing the PNE’s ability to host year-round programming, and forcing a downsizing of the annual PNE Fair compared to its historic size up until the 1990s.

“The renewed amphitheatre represents a major investment in Vancouver’s cultural infrastructure. Once complete, it will provide a world-class venue for music, festivals, arts and community events, enhancing the city’s reputation as a destination for cultural and entertainment experiences,” continued the City’s statement.

The venue’s capacity for 10,000 spectators is accommodated by 6,000 fixed seats directly under the roof, and another 4,000 within an informal seating/standing area called the “BCLC Backyard” — a large open-air lawn viewing area within the rear of the venue.

During the FIFA Fan Festival, large screens on the permanent built-in stage are expected to live screen the tournament matches.

After the FIFA World Cup, the venue will formally take on the name of its naming rights sponsor, Freedom Mobile.

Currently, there is also a potential proposal to build a new outdoor soccer stadium at Hastings Park’s Hastings Racecourse, as a measure to improve the financial viability of the MLS Vancouver Whitecaps — a new home field directly under the team’s operations to save the franchise from leaving the city.

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