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PNE summer concerts move inside with Ludacris, Blondie, Barenaked Ladies, more

Fair admission included in cost of ticket, sold for $40 and up starting April 12
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American rapper/actor Ludacris is among performers at the 2024 PNE summer fair in Vancouver. (Photo: spotify.com)

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.

Announced Wednesday (April 10), 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).

Fair admission is included in the cost of a ticket, which are sold for $40 and up starting at 10 a.m. Friday, April 12, on ticketleader.ca/events/detail/snc-2024. A “pre-sale” period starts at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 11.

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.

The PNE’s full entertainment program will be announced in May on pne.ca and social media channels.

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.

PNE officials say the new amphitheatre will host at least 75 performances and welcome more than 340,000 people a year.

Also at the PNE, themes of “wild energy” and “electrifying speed” emerged in a contest to name Playland’s new roller coaster, ThunderVolt. The $16-million ride, now under construction, is due open this year on land previously occupied by the beloved Corkscrew coaster, which closed in 2019. The Thundervolt is anticipated to open in July, with an exact opening date of the ride to be set in mid-June.

The ride-construction contract was estimated at $9 million in November 2022 when the PNE revealed plans for “Canada’s fastest launch coaster,” considered “the largest single attraction investment made by Playland.”



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news for Surrey Now-Leader and Black Press Media
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