VANCOUVER – Ground has been broken on the new PNE Amphitheatre at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver.
The open-air venue will have a canopy covering seating which will be one of the largest free-span timber structures in the world, a PNE release said. The project will be built to Passive House, LEED and Salmon-Safe certification standards.
“The amphitheatre will undoubtedly become a hub of entertainment in Vancouver, promising to be one of the most remarkable venues on the entire West Coast of North America once it’s completed. Today marks just the beginning of this exciting journey,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a statement.
On May 24, the day of the groundbreaking, it was also announced the naming rights for the new amphitheatre will go to Freedom Mobile, though the company will engage the public with a poll to select the name of the new venue. Voting is open until 5 p.m. PT June 7.
The PNE, located in Vancouver’s Hastings Park, was founded in 1910 and has over three million visitors a year, the release said.
In September The Journal of Commerce reported construction crews were tearing down the infrastructure at the 59-year-old PNE Amphitheatre to make way for the new build and that the cost of the venue, which was originally pegged at $65 million when it was approved by Vancouver City Council in June 2021, had risen to $104 million.
According to a staff report at the time, the increased cost was due to escalations caused by a number of factors, including market conditions, soil remediation, an archeological impact assessment and relocating an underground pipe.
The amphitheatre was designed by Vancouver-based Revery Architecture and is anticipated for completion by summer 2026.
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