After conducting an online public vote this past spring, the PNE has finalized the official name of its new landmark amphitheatre venue.
In late May 2024, coinciding with the start of major construction work on the venue, the PNE first announced it had entered a naming rights sponsorship deal with Freedom Mobile.
At that time, four names were being considered for the venue: Freedom Mobile Amp, Freedom Mobile Arch, Freedom Mobile Rice, and Freedom Mobile Place.
As of today, Freedom Mobile Arch is the name that has come out on top as the finalized official name of the entertainment venue.
This name was announced early Saturday afternoon to the crowds gathered at the PNE fairgrounds on the first day of the 2024 PNE Fair.
Freedom Mobile’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Jean B. Péladeau (left) and PNE’s President and CEO Shelley Frost (right) at the Freedom Mobile Arch name announcement on August 17, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Logo design of the Freedom Mobile Arch, the new PNE amphitheatre. (Freedom Mobile/PNE)
Before — Construction progress on Freedom Mobile Arch, as of August 17, 2024:
Construction progress on Freedom Mobile Arch, the new PNE amphitheatre, as of August 17, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
After — Future condition of Freedom Mobile Arch:
May 2024 artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (PNE)
“I am happy to announce that the name of the spectacular new PNE outdoor venue will be the Freedom Mobile Arch. Thank you to everyone who responded to our invitation and voted for their favourite name. We hope that the Freedom Mobile Arch will become an iconic landmark in Vancouver and BC,” said Jean B. Péladeau, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Videotron, Fizz, and Freedom Mobile.
“Freedom is proud to be a part of the PNE’s journey for years to come. We could not be more excited for this unique opportunity to contribute to Vancouver’s cultural scene and help enhance the city’s live entertainment experience for all to enjoy.”
Construction is now well underway on Freedom Mobile Arch. The venue’s footprint, located immediately northwest of Playland, is currently a large excavation site. A tall construction crane marks the site of the future venue in the Hastings Park skyline.
Construction progress on Freedom Mobile Arch, the new PNE amphitheatre, as of August 17, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Construction progress on Freedom Mobile Arch, the new PNE amphitheatre, as of August 17, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Construction progress on Freedom Mobile Arch, the new PNE amphitheatre, as of August 17, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Construction progress on Freedom Mobile Arch, the new PNE amphitheatre, as of August 17, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Freedom Mobile’s naming rights sponsorship deal will last 10 years, starting in 2026, soon after the venue’s completion and opening. Due to FIFA regulations, the sponsored name is expected to take effect after the amphitheatre hosts Vancouver’s official 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Festival, which will run for five weeks on the PNE fairgrounds. The PNE did not disclose the value of its new partnership with the telecommunications company, which is a subsidiary of Quebecor.
According to the PNE, the Freedom Mobile Arch name was the clear favourite in its online poll, with the number of votes more than doubling all other name suggestions combined.
Daily Hive Urbanized’s separate online poll also had Freedom Mobile Arch leading the three other name options by a very wide margin, with Freedom Mobile Amp coming a distant second.
“When it opens in 2026, the Freedom Mobile Arch will be the home of incredible experiences and arguably be one of the most beautiful outdoor amphitheatre stages in North America,” said Shelley Frost, the President and CEO of the PNE.
Designed by Vancouver-based Revery Architecture, Freedom Mobile Arch features a visually striking mass-timber roof that offers weather protection, which allows for an extended operating season. On clear days, the stage area is framed by the North Shore mountains.
Artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (Revery Architecture/PNE)
Artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (Revery Architecture/PNE)
It will accommodate up to 10,000 spectators, including 6,000 seats and 4,000 within a rear open flex space. This is up from the now-demolished 1960s-built temporary amphitheatre’s capacity of about 7,000 spectators, including 4,500 on the wooden grandstands and 2,500 standing on the floor area.
PNE is pursuing the new amphitheatre as a long-term revenue-generator. Due to its very poor condition, the previous temporary amphitheatre averaged just five events annually outside of the PNE Fair period. In contrast, the new amphitheatre with its protective weather covering and modern purpose-built facilities and amenities is expected to host 78 shows annually by its fifth year of operations, including 48 commercial and corporate events and 30 community events.
Unlike the previous amphitheatre, Freedom Mobile Arch being built on the same footprint will feature modern purpose-designed amenities, including permanent concession facilities, washrooms, back-of-house facilities and equipment, and VIP suites.
May 2024 artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (PNE)
May 2024 artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (PNE)
May 2024 artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (PNE)
The new amphitheatre carries a base project cost of $107.5 million, including $3.5 million for site infrastructure and utilities. In July 2024, Vancouver City Council approved up to an additional $30 million for the project, which potentially increases the total cost to up to $137.5 million.
The additional $30 million will be specifically used as a contingency fund for any unexpected higher costs related to market inflation and ensuring the project reaches completion in time for its use for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Festival.
The City of Vancouver and the PNE have eyed a new amphitheatre since the 2010 creation of the long-term PNE/Hastings Park master plan of improving the entertainment and green spaces of fairgrounds.
Detailed planning for the amphitheatre project began long before the pandemic and the decision to rejoin the race to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as first reported by Daily Hive Urbanized in 2019.
May 2024 artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (PNE)
May 2024 artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (PNE)
May 2024 artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (PNE)