$70 million PNE amphitheatre aims to fill venue void in Vancouver

The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is eyeing 2023 to send out tenders for its new $70 million amphitheatre which aims to fill a void in the range of venues in Vancouver.

“We have a big gap in our market for a venue that services between 2,000 and 10,000 people,” said Shelley Frost, chief executive officer of PNE.

“This was designed to bridge that gap but also make sure that everything is world class,” she said.

The new amphitheatre would have capacity for 9,340 people, a covered stage, floor space and bleachers, a two-storey building with permanent back-of-house infrastructure and improved guest amenities, states a report to the City of Vancouver.

High level design is almost finished and Frost said she is hopeful the project can go out for tender in the first half of 2023.

There are multiple ways the venue has been designed to serve as an important performance space for the arts scene in Vancouver.

Firstly, it will be an open-air theatre but will have a covered roof, meaning more days for performances to happen.

“We wanted it to be covered so that we could protect people from the rain and we could extend the season. It will be covered but the sides will be open in a very unique way,” Frost said.

“We could definitely be doing shows in October and November and February. There’s no question about that.”

One of the issues with the current amphitheatre is it lacks integral permanent infrastructure, which can be a barrier for putting on shows.

“It doesn’t have any permanent infrastructure. It’s kind of got wooden seats in it. Whenever we set the venue up we’re setting up tents, we’re setting up food and beverage outlets, we’re bringing in washrooms and setting up temporary stages,” she said.

“That makes it really expensive to operate and makes it inaccessible for a lot of local community arts and culture and up and coming groups to be able to use.”

The new theatre will contain permanent infrastructure for all those aspects, making the venue more accessible for smaller shows.

And smaller shows there will be. One of the key philosophies for Frost and her team was making the amphitheatre scalable so it functions efficiently as a venue for 500 or 10,000 guests.

“We’ve talked a lot about being able to be large enough in the loading bays and in the functional design of the back-of-house to be able to accommodate large tours, but in front-of-house also being able to scale and be able to accommodate small groups,” said Frost.

“What I’m seeing in terms of the layout of some of the first design ideas is we will be able to put smaller groups in and have some lawn space. Seating is yet to be determined ― whether or not it will be retractable ― that’ll come out in costing. But the idea is to have different sections to make it usable and feel intimate enough to be used by a very small group.”

The current cost estimate for the final product is between $64 and $70 million. The PNE has secured financing through the City of Vancouver for the project and estimates the amphitheatre will pay itself off in 10 or 12 years, Frost said.

Frost acknowledged there has been some pushback from neighbouring residents concerned about the noise levels emanating from the revamped amphitheatre.

“Neighbouring concerns come up from recent concerts that we had in September. I fully acknowledge that sound was not handled well at this festival. It really upset neighbours, neighbours where sound has not been an issue for them for many years,” she said.

But she said the new amphitheatre will be the solution to the problem.

“The amphitheatre has always been the solution (as it will be) a covered space. We are working with world class sound and acoustic engineers to ensure that the roofing and the covered space deals very specifically with the noise that bleeds out of the venue.”

The amphitheatre features as a first act to what Frost referred to as a redevelopment of the PNE.

“There are aspects of the redevelopment that are revenue generating and there’s aspects that are non-revenue generating. Some of those are green spaces and daylighting of a stream and attention to heritage buildings and stuff onsite. But there’s a couple of key economic drivers. One is the amphitheatre and then one is the redevelopment of Playland.”

She highlighted the organizations 112-year history as a non-profit.

“A lot of people don’t realize we’re a vibrant and successful non-profit. Putting a venue like this together means that we’re supplying more employment and, you know, we’re the biggest employer of youth in B.C.,” she said.

“So, we’ll have more jobs, more economic impact, and more ways for young people to get a really great experience.”

Keep an eye on the Journal of Commerce for more updates as PNE’s new amphitheatre gets closer to tender.

Follow the author on Twitter @JOC_Evan.