Saturday (May 18) is opening day at Playland at the PNE, where a hyped new ride is set to open by early summer.
The ThunderVolt roller coaster should be ready for riding by the end of June, with an exact opening date announced in coming weeks.
All other rides at Playland will be ready to roll Saturday, amusement park officials say.
Tickets for opening weekend are $33 for kids and family rides, $45 for thrill rides, on ticketleader.ca, or visit PNE.ca/playland.
Playland will be open select days in May and June from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and select Saturday evenings in June.
The park will then be open Wednesday to Sunday in July and August from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and select Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• RELATED: B.C.’s newest roller coaster: Playland’s $16M ThunderVolt.
Construction of the new ThunderVolt ride at Playland in Vancouver. (Contributed photo)
This summer, the PNE’s Summer Night Concerts will move into the Pacific Coliseum while the new 10,000-capacity outdoor amphitheatre is constructed on the fairgrounds in East Vancouver.
The 2024 concerts kick off Aug. 17 with Burton Cummings Band/Colin James and end Sept. 2 with an “I Love the 90’s” lineup featuring Vanilla Ice, Rob Base and All-4-One, on the arena’s Chevrolet Stage.
The PNE’s diverse pop, rock, country and R&B concerts will also feature Amanda Marshall with Serena Ryder (Aug. 18), Bachman-Turner Overdrive (Aug. 20), Blondie (Aug. 21), John Fogerty (Aug. 22), Brad Paisley (Aug. 23), Charlotte Cardin (Aug. 25), The Commodores with The Pointer Sisters (Aug. 27), Flo Rida (Aug. 28), Blue Rodeo (Aug. 29), Ludacris (Aug. 30), Punjabi Virsa Night (Aug. 31) and Barenaked Ladies (Sept. 1).
For the PNE concerts this summer, the Coliseum will become a concert bowl for between 5,500 and 9,500 fans, with floor seats (reserved seating) and no general seating/standing in the arena.
Due open in 2026, the PNE site’s new $65-million amphitheatre is designed by local company Revery Architecture. Revealed a year ago, the design includes a parachute-style open-air timber roof that touches down onto the ground at three points. It offers three viewing areas, with the two closest to the stage seated and the one furthest back an open grassy area.
