The BC Lions are expecting an enormous crowd for their home opener against the Calgary Stampeders on June 15.
A team spokesperson confirmed to Daily Hive today that the team is projecting its largest crowd in a decade at BC Place for the big game. It’s already been revealed that Grammy-winning rapper 50 Cent will be performing before the game, adding to the excitement and helping to drive ticket sales.
“The response to 50 Cent performing Concert Kickoff has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic,” said a team representative to Daily Hive. “Tickets continue to move very fast, and we expect our largest regular-season crowd in over a decade.”
The largest Lions home crowd over their past 10 seasons was in 2022, when they got 34,082 fans. That game featured a pre-kickoff concert from OneRepublic, which helped boost attendance numbers.
When LL Cool J came for last season’s concert kickoff, the Lions drew 33,103 fans. This year’s home opener and 50 Cent performance is expected to best both numbers.
Some other big crowds in recent history include 36,357 in 2012 and 37,312 in 2013, both of which were for regular-season games.
A quick glance at Ticketmaster confirms that there aren’t many tickets left for the upcoming June 15 game. While there is some availability in the newly opened upper bowl, there are only singles left in the lower level.
The lower bowl at BC Place holds roughly 27,000 people, meaning this game has a solid chance of reaching the 40,000 fans mark.
Ticketmaster.ca
Tickets to the game start at $25 for adults and $15 for those 17 years old or younger.
While the team announced a few days ago that they opened the upper bowl to allow for more seats, today, they opened further sections to accommodate the growing demand for tickets.
🎤 Got your tickets to our Concert Kickoff with @50Cent yet, BC?
🔥 They’ve been flyin’… so we’ve opened up even MORE sections in the Upper Bowl!
🎟️ Don’t miss out! https://t.co/6qwQe8b0op#BCLions #RoarLikeNeverBefore pic.twitter.com/zAySjCEqoy
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) May 29, 2024
The Lions start their season on the road against the Toronto Argonauts on June 9. They’re coming off a season where they finished just one game short of the Grey Cup, losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West Division Final.
If you can’t make it to the home opener, you can still listen to the broadcast, which is now hosted on CKNW.