Today, the Pacific National Exhibition (“PNE”) opened a call for sponsorship partners, including naming rights, for its highly anticipated amphitheatre project. The project, which has been in the planning stages for several years is anticipated to be one of the most spectacular venues of its kind on the West Coast of North America when completed in 2026.
New PNE Amphitheatre Project
Designed by renowned Vancouver-based architecture company Revery Architecture, construction on the amphitheatre is anticipated to begin in early 2024 with completion in summer 2026.
Features
Maximum capacity of approx. 10,000
Estimated annual attendance 340,000+
Projected 75+ performances per year
24 Commercial Shows
22 Community, Arts, and Culture Shows
14 Corporate Shows
15 PNE Fair Shows (Summer Night Concerts)
Covered seating and best-in-class amenities including accessible washroom facilities, merchandise sales, food and beverage concessions, digital signage, and seamless Wi-Fi
Hospitality suites, banquet / lounge space, common areas, and fully integrated premium catering options
Province-wide engagement; opportunity to showcase BC products, suppliers, expertise, and core industries
Sustainable products and design; built to Passive Haus, LEED, and Salmon-Safe certification standards
One of the largest free-span timber roof structure in the world
Chair of the PNE Board of Directors, Vancouver City Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung says the project will help fulfill the City’s goals to support more access to music and cultural space for Vancouver’s creative sector, as well as creating a multi-functional outdoor venue for diverse uses.
“This is a very significant day for the PNE and for everyone in the city of Vancouver. Delivering performance opportunities for talented artists while at the same time creating a beautiful space where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to create collective memories, is at the heart of creating a vibrant and fun city. This new amphitheatre will ensure generations of Vancouverites will be able to enjoy music and culture in an unparalleled setting in historic Hastings Park.”
– Sarah Kirby-Yung
One of the most spectacular elements of the design is the roof structure, which, when completed will be longer than the roof of the Richmond Oval and one of the longest clear-span roofs in the world.
“The structural form is comprised of six-barrel vaulted segments intersecting at diagonal planes, creating a clear span of 105m (345’) from buttress tip to buttress tip. The form, calling to the brilliant technical contributions of the CNIT building, a 1956 concrete shell structure in Paris designed by Nervi, harnesses the compression capacity of mass timber, a sustainable and local material, using it for both the ribs and the deck. What resulted is one of the longest timber arch roofs in the world – a true blend of architecture and structure.”
– Robert Jackson, Partner at Fast + Epp Structural Engineers
The PNE will be meeting with interested parties to discuss mutually beneficial sponsorships, including naming rights, for this exciting amphitheatre redevelopment, a project anticipated to cost $65 million.
“As one of the most beloved brands in the province, the PNE already has a strong partnership program. We anticipate the spectacular nature of this project will draw interest from existing as well as potential new partners, which goes towards our mandate of creating an asset that will benefit the city for generations to come, while at the same time exercising fiscal responsibility for our organization and providing value aligned opportunities for organizations to partner with the PNE.”
– President and CEO Shelley Frost
View more details about the new PNE Amphitheatre project online here.
DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Western Canada’s largest documentary film festival, returns to present the 22nd edition, screening in theatres May 4- May 14, 2023. DOXA will screen its roster of crucial and thought-provoking documentaries in theatrical venues across the city, bringing filmmakers and audiences together for a communal cinema experience.
DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2023
When: May 4-14, 2023
Where: In theatres (SFU Goldcorp Centre, VIFF Centre, The Cinematheque)
General Admission in-person ticket: $15; Student/Seniors/Low-income in-person ticket: $13; Special Presentations: $18; In-theatre 5 Ticket Pack: $65; In-theatre festival pass: $195; $8-10 per individual online ticket
Folks who prefer to view from the comfort of their own homes, a selection of festival films will be available to stream online after festival dates, between May 15 and 24, 2023.
The 22nd annual DOXA Documentary Film Festival program will showcase a total of 39 features and mid-lengths, 25 short films, as well as Industry events and multiple opportunities for filmmakers, audiences and industry professionals to connect.
DOXA is proud to present Karen Cho’s Big Fight in Little Chinatown as this year’s Opening presentation, screening on May 4th at SFU’s Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema. All across the globe, Chinatowns are under threat of disappearing—and along with them, the rich history of communities who fought from the margins for a place to belong. Big Fight in Little Chinatown follows the communities that are fighting to end perpetual gentrification and displacement across North America.
Win Tickets to Opening Night
I’m giving away tickets to the opening screening featuring Big Fight in Little Chinatown, here’s how you can enter to win:
Other Special Presentations include: Kokomo City, directed by D. Smith, which documents the stories of four Black transgender sex workers in New York and Georgia as they share reflections on tangled desires, far-reaching taboos and gender’s many meanings (Justice Forum); King Coal, directed by Elaine McMillion Sheldon, witnessing the daily rituals of life in Appalachia as the cultural roots of the coal industry continue to permeate, even as its economic power wanes (Rated Y for Youth); and Kaveh Nabatian’s Kite Zo A (Leave the Bones), which weaves together ancestral veneration, choreographed dance and interviews to tell a story of fighting back against colonial oppression in Haiti (Closing Gala).
DOXA is very proud to feature three guest-curated programs. Vancouver-based curator, writer and current Director of Artspeak Gallery, Nya Lewis has selected the film Beba (Rebeca Huntt, 2021) for their program, A Radical Pluriverse: Reflections on Black Womanhood on Both Sides of the Lens.
Farah Clémentine Dramani-Issifou, whose research and curatorial work focuses on Afro-diasporic cinema and visual arts, has curated a program of short films called I AM A (WO)MAN: Transatlantic Perspectives on Political Struggles in the 1960s–1970s in Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, the USA and France. These short works highlight the cross-cultural and -continental “struggles for the emancipation of colonized peoples,” and display the collaborative work of filmmakers and labour activists in the fight.
Finally, Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis program titled NORITA: The Mother of All Struggles features Jayson McNamara’s work-in-progress doc, Norita, which examines the life and revolutionary work of Nora Cortiñas, the most famous of the Madres of the Plaza de Mayo—Argentina’s movement of women fighting for justice amidst the country’s rampant political oppression.
Beyond the festival’s cornerstone Justice Forum and Rated Y for Youth programs, DOXA 2023 will include two Spotlight programming streams: DANCE, DANCE OTHERWISE WE ARE LOST and THIN PLACES.
Several Canadian filmmakers launch their world premiere at DOXA 2023. Amy Miller’s latest film, Manufacturing the Threat, is a festival highlight: After the arrest and imprisonment of a young Surrey couple, their plot to commit acts of terrorism was revealed to be the work of government agent provocateurs aiming to entrap and create their own “threats.”
Ali Grant’s Not Quite That champions an affecting local story; after finding out she is predisposed to breast cancer, Sarah White—a Jewish woman, mother, and butch lesbian—must decide whether to wait and see what happens, or act fast and have a preventative double mastectomy. These Canadian films and more are exciting titles in DOXA’s 2023 festival program.
Committed to cultivating curiosity and critical thought, DOXA 2023 delivers some of the very best in contemporary documentary cinema over 11 days.
Peek beneath Vancouver’s sparkling surface to uncover a hidden history of dark crime, outrageous intrigue, and scandal. Discover the outrageous histories of our city’s most famous and iconic heritage buildings on a morning stroll around downtown with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours new experience The Monumental Scandals Tour.
Monumental Scandals Tour with Vancouver Walking Tours
When: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, & Sundays at 10:00am starting May 4, 2023
Where: Starting in front of Old Navy on the corner of Robson and Granville Street and ending at the Marine Building on Burrard Street
Tickets: Adults $32 and $29 for seniors and youth per person. Book online.
Roam the city with expert guides in these one-of-a-kind walking tours, and hear the scintillating stories of Vancouver’s secret past.
Guests will enjoy a private viewing inside Art Deco masterpiece the Marine Building, as they uncover a tale of greed, rum-running, and back-room real estate deals. They’ll hear the story of crooked 1950s Police Chief Walter Mulligan and the paper bags he received from local crime overlords, stuffed full of dirty gambling cash.
At the Vancouver Art Gallery – once the city’s courthouse – guests will discover the tale of Francis Rattenbury and his cosmopolitan second wife, Alma. He was the building’s architect, brutally murdered by Alma’s young lover in a frenzy of jealous rage.
At the Hotel Vancouver guests will hear about its earlier incarnation, lost to the wrecking ball in a crime against heritage preservation. A hotel that once hosted Winston Churchill and Babe Ruth and glistened on West Georgia as one of North America’s great hotels.
Other stops on the tour include tales of explosions, corrupt mayors, outrageous vaudeville dancer Marie Lloyd and her deal with the White House, the violent police assault on Vancouver’s “Bloody Sunday” and the local showgirl who became a Hollywood legend.
The Monumental Scandals walking tour is led by one of the company’s cast of professional guides: historical interpreter Aman Johal, comedian and actor Rachel Ruecker, storyteller Glenn Tkach, magician Robert Teszka, or company founder and tour creator Will Woods.
Stay up to date with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours by following their Instagram.
Some Assembly Theatre Company presents The Identity Bureau, an existential theatrical production exploring the importance of one’s identity on stage at the Roundhouse during BC Youth Week.
The Identity Bureau: Ciara Wilkinson, Fox Hunt. Photo credit Gaetan Nerincx
The Identity Bureau
When: April 28 & 29, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Where: Roundhouse Performance Centre 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver
Created by diverse Metro Vancouver youth with playwright and director Valerie Methot, and several industry professionals, this timely theatre piece stems from conversations with youth who spoke about damaging effects when their identity is disrespected. This production engages and entertains with topical relevance, humour, original music, and inspiration.
Set in the very near future, The Identity Bureau is a place that assigns identities and traits to all citizens. It’s the last day citizens can make identity updates and pay fines before the big system rehaul. Meant to create calm, the Bureau creates chaos as we witness the absurdity of not simply deciding to be who we truly are.
Some Assembly Theatre Company is in its 23rd year of bringing together youth and industry professionals to create and produce original plays that promote awareness, dialogue, and positive social change around issues that young people face. The company is the recipient of the City of Vancouver Youth Award for outstanding contribution to the youth community and the Deryck Thomson Award for exceptional contribution to community building and well-being.
Follow BC Youth Week
Connect with BC Youth Week is May 1-7, 2023 with events and activities for youth throughout the province. Follow along on Twitter, and Facebook for more information.
The Vancouver Park Board has approved amendments to the by-law to designate selected park and beach sites as places where alcohol may now be consumed, on a permanent or temporary basis.
Drink Alcohol at These Vancouver Parks and Beaches Starting This Summer
From June 1, the public will be able to bring and consume alcoholic beverages at 31 permanent year-round park locations across Vancouver. In addition, 16 parks will become permanent summer-only sites between July 1 and August 31 each year.
Between June 1 and September 4, 2023, beachgoers will also be able to drink at 7 of Vancouver’s beaches, following direction from the Board to staff to explore options to pilot the responsible consumption of alcohol at appropriate beach locations.
“After two successful years, we’re delighted to bring back responsible alcohol consumption to many of Vancouver’s most popular public spaces,” says Park Board Chair Scott Jensen. “Our previous pilot programs demonstrated the importance of creating shared spaces for socializing and we saw how effectively Vancouver’s parks and beaches can accommodate safe drinking.” I look forward to joining Vancouver’s residents and visitors in having a drink at one of the city’s beautiful parks and beaches this summer!””
Locations
For most parks included in the program, drinking will be allowed throughout the park, except in areas like playgrounds, wading pools and splash parks, sports fields and courts, community centres, ecologically sensitive natural areas, parking lots, and off-leash dog areas.
Maps of where alcohol can be consumed will be posted on our website and on signage installed at each location.
For all sites, the consumption of alcohol will be allowed between the hours of 11:00am and 9:00pm daily.
The Board also approved an additional amendment to the by-law prohibiting glass beverage bottles and containers at parks and beaches, in response to concerns over broken glass and potential injury.
From June 1, 2023, consuming alcohol will be permitted on a permanent and year-round basis in the following parks:
Adanac Park Balaclava Park Burrard View Park Elm Park Fraser River Park Garden Park Granville Park Harbour Green Park Jericho Beach Park John Hendry/Trout Lake Park Jonathan Rogers Park Jones Park Kitsilano Beach Park Langara Park Locarno Beach Park Maple Grove Park
McBride Park Memorial West Park New Brighton Park Pandora Park Queen Elizabeth Park Riverfront Park Spanish Banks Beach Park Stanley Park (Lumberman’s Arch) Stanley Park (Southwest and Second Beach) Sunrise Park Tatlow Park Vanier Park Victoria Park Volunteer Park Woodland Park
During the months of July and August each year, consuming alcohol will be permitted at:
Beaconsfield Park Braemer Park Brewers Park Clinton Park Collingwood Park Columbia Park Falaise Park Memorial South Park
Norquay Park Oak Park Quilchena Park Robson Park Ross Park Rupert Park Slocan Park Winona Park
Between June 1 and September 4, 2023, the seven beach pilot sites will be:
Jericho Beach Spanish Banks Locarno Beach Second Beach (Stanley Park)
Kitsilano Beach John Hendry / Trout Lake Beach New Brighton Beach
Park and beach users are reminded to act responsibly when drinking alcohol. Please exercise caution when drinking alcohol on beaches and avoid entering the water when intoxicated.
