Iconic Moments at BC Place Stadium
November 8th, 2019
On November 8th, 2019, BC Place Stadium was recognized as part of Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s ‘Places That Matter’ program.
Opened officially on June 19, 1983 in advance of the 1986 World Expo, BC Place has become an apex for sport, the arts and community within British Columbia. Not only home of the BC Lions Football Club, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and the BC Sports Hall of Fame, the Stadium hosts many exciting and diverse events each year to the benefit of local communities and the entire province.
BC Place Highlights since 1983:
- BC Place officially opens on June 19, 1983 with their ‘Expect the World’ Grand Opening Gala
- David Bowie performs in 1983 and converts his dressing room into a sushi bar
- The first sporting event ever held at the Stadium is a Vancouver Whitecaps FC game on June 20, 1983
- The Beach Boys brought in a beach, complete with sand and a pool for their show on July 20, 1983
- Pope John Paul II visits in 1984 as part of a tour across Canada
- While touring British Columbia, Queen Elizabeth II is celebrated at the Stadium in March 1983
- Michael Jackson and The Jacksons sell out 3 shows at BC Place in 1984
- The world arrives at BC Place for EXPO ’86, highlighting Vancouver on the international stage. Prince Charles and Lady Diana open the event with a speech
- The Aussie Rules Football World Challenge squares off here in October 1987
- After 21 years, the World Curling Championships return to Vancouver at BC Place in 1987
- BC Place hosts the third World Police and Fire Games in 1989
- In 1989 Baywatch star and model Pamela Anderson was discovered here while attending a BC Lions game
- The San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks in an exhibition game held in 1998
- Molson Indy Vancouver zips around the outside of BC Place on September 2, 1990
- The Three Tenors bring in the New Year at a special concert on December 31, 1996
- Home of the annual Vancouver Sun Run – Canada’s largest 10k road race
- There have been 9 Grey Cup Championships hosted here since the first time in 1983 when the Toronto Argonauts narrowly beat out the BC Lions 18-17
- Since the 1980’s, BC Place has proudly hosted the BC High School Football Championship Series
- The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games hold their incredible Opening and Closing Ceremonies at BC Place
- Host of the CONCACAF Olympic Women’s Qualifying Soccer Tournament in January 2012
- BC Place hosts the 2013 Times of India Film Awards, recognizing artistic and technical excellence within India’s film industry
- In June of 2013, Skills Canada National Competitions take place at the Stadium and help young spectators celebrate and learn about skilled trade and technology careers
- The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ featured nine matches at BC Place Stadium, including the Championship Final Match on July 5, 2015
- BC Place partners with World Rugby and Rugby Canada to host Canada Sevens as part of the World Rugby Sevens Series in 2016
- With a total attendance of 77,096 for the 2018 Canada Sevens, the tournament broke its own attendance records, raising the bar for the largest-ever rugby audience in Canada
- In March 2019, Rugby Canada announced that they had successfully secured the rights to host the wildly popular event for another 4 years from 2020-2023 after achieving rave reviews year over year by both the athletes who participate, and the ever-growing fan base that continues to extend beyond B.C.
- Proud home of the BC Lions Football Club, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
The world’s greatest artists perform at BC Place:
- David Bowie (1983, 1987, 1990)
- Simon and Garfunkel (1983)
- Supertramp (1983)
- The Beach Boys (1983)
- The Jacksons (1984)
- Bob Dylan & Tom Petty (1986)
- Van Halen (1986, 1991)
- Bob Seger (1987)
- Bon Jovi (1987, 1989)
- U2 (1987, 1992, 1997, 2009, 2017)
- Pink Floyd (1987, 1994)
- AC/DC (1988, 2009, 2015)
- Rod Stewart (1989, 1991)
- The Who (1989)
- Rolling Stones (1989, 1994, 1998, 2006)
- Metallica (1992, 2017)
- Genesis (1992)
- Guns N Roses (1993, 2017)
- Neil Young / Pearl Jam (1993)
- KISS (1999)
- Summersault - Smashing Pumpkins, Our Lady Peace, Foo Fighters (2000)
- Aerosmith (2009)
- Madonna (2008)
- Roger Waters (2012)
- Paul McCartney (2012, 2019)
- Taylor Swift (2013, 2015)
- One Direction (2015)
- Coldplay (2017)
- Beyonce & Jay Z (2018)
- Luke Bryan (2019)
- Mumford & Sons (2019)
MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS TIMELINE:
June 20, 1983 – First-ever sporting event is held at BC Place Stadium - an NASL regular season soccer match between Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders. Result: Whitecaps 2, Sounders 1.
August 12, 1983 - Major League Baseball old-timers exhibition game, followed by Pacific Coast League Vancouver Canadians game.
November 27, 1983 – 71st Grey Cup Championship, Toronto Argonauts vs. BC Lions.
October 1, 1983 – NASL Soccer Bowl ’83, Tulsa Roughnecks vs. Toronto Blizzard.
November 30, 1986 – 74th CFL Grey Cup Championship, Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Edmonton Eskimos.
1987 – World Curling Championships, Aussie rules football exhibition match and Robbie Knievel motorcycle jump.
May 22, 1987 – Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion World Tour finishes at BC Place.
November 29, 1987 – 75th Grey Cup Championship, Edmonton Eskimos vs. Toronto Argonauts.
May 1988 – Vancouver Nighthawks begin one-and-only season of World Basketball League.
July 1990 - Construction begins on new BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum to be located in BC Place Stadium.
1990-2004 – Molson Indy Vancouver Champ Car racing event held on the streets around BC Place.
November 25, 1990 – 78th Grey Cup Championship, Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Edmonton Eskimos.
May 1992 – Official Dedication of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum’s new 20,000 square foot facility at BC Place Stadium.
April 1994 – Major League Baseball exhibition series between Toronto Blue Jays, Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, and Colorado Rockies.
November 27, 1994 – 82nd Grey Cup Championship, BC Lions vs. Baltimore CFLers.
October 1995 – Final phase of BC Sports Hall of Fame construction complete. Twelve new chronological sport history galleries officially open, outlining BC’s sporting past decade by decade from the 1860’s to the 1990’s.
1998 – American Bowl NFL exhibition football game, Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers.
November 28, 1999 – 87th Grey Cup Championship, Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Calgary Stampeders
November 27, 2005 – 93rd Grey Cup Championship, Edmonton Eskimos vs. Montreal Alouettes.
November 7, 2007 – Exhibition match featuring David Beckham, LA Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps.
February 12, 2010, Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
February 28, 2010 – Closing Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
March 12, 2010 – Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
September 30, 2011 – BC Lions Football Club return to their home at a newly revitalized BC Place, defeating the Edmonton Eskimos.
October 2, 2011 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC make BC Place their new home in Major League Soccer, taking on the Portland Timbers.
November 25, 2011 – 47th Vanier Cup Canadian University Football Championship, Laval vs. McMaster.
November 27, 2011 – 99th CFL Grey Cup Championship, BC Lions vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
January 19-29, 2012 – CONCACAF Women’s Olympic soccer qualifying tournament.
January 2012 – Renovated BC Sports Hall of Fame reopens to the public after 20-month closure. Highlights include new Vancouver 2010 Gallery and new Hall of Champions.
March 2, 2014 – Members of the 1994 Vancouver Canucks reunite at the 2014 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic for the 20th anniversary of the team’s iconic playoff run.
June 4, 2014 – The BC Sports Hall Of Fame introduces an all-new, enhanced visiting experience celebrating the province’s best athletes and teams.
November 30, 2014 – The 102nd Grey Cup Championship between the Calgary Stampeders Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
July 5, 2015 – Japan and the USA go head-to-head for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final in 2015 with over 53,000 fans in attendance.
March 11-12, 2016 – BC Place partners with World Rugby and Rugby Canada to host HSBC Canada Sevens as part of the World Rugby Sevens Series for the first time.
June 11, 2016 – International test match rugby series ‘Rise Against One’ comes to BC Place as Canada takes on Japan in Vancouver.
September 6, 2016 – The final match of the CONCACAF semi-final round is played at BC Place in anticipation of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™.
February 4, 2017 – Canada’s Women’s National Team returns to BC Place to play against Mexico in the Women’s National Team Bronze Medal celebration match.
March 11-12, 2017 – The HSBC Canada Sevens returns to BC Place as part of the World Rugby Sevens Series and brings in a record-setting crowd for rugby in Canada at 76,000 fans in attendance across both days.
November 9, 2017 – Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team faces USA once again in a rivalry match at BC Place.
January 27, 2018 – Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team battle Uruguay in a Rugby World Cup 2019 qualifying match.
March 6, 2019 – Rugby Canada announces that Canada has secured itself as a host of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for 2020 to 2023.
September 7, 2019 – Canada’s Men’s National Team host rivals from south of the border, USA, in an international test match and pre-Rugby World Cup match.
Plus the following Annual Events:
- 1983 – Present: BC Lions Canadian Football League games
- 2011 – Present: Vancouver Whitecaps Major League Soccer matches
- 1980s – Present: BC High School Football Championships
- 1980s – 1990s: Recurring Vancouver Canadians baseball games
- 1985 – Present: Vancouver Sun Run finish at BC Place
- 1990s – Present: BMO Vancouver Marathon finish at BC Place
- 2016 – Present: HSBC Canada Sevens
About BC Place
As the largest multipurpose facility of its kind in Western Canada, BC Place provides a world class venue for sport, entertainment, commerce, cultural and community activity in British Columbia. More than one million people attend events at BC Place annually, including games of the stadium’s two resident teams, the BC Lions Football Club of the Canadian Football League and Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer.
BC Place hosts the annual Canada Sevens - part of the World Rugby Sevens Series - and is home to the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
BC Place is a division of B.C. Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a Crown corporation of the Province of British Columbia. PavCo’s mandate is to generate economic and community benefit for the people of British Columbia. In 2019, events hosted at BC Place contributed more than $148 million in economic activity in B.C.
Media Contact:
Duncan Blomfield
Marketing & Communications Manager, BC Place Stadium
Tel: (604) 661-7360 Email: DBlomfield@bcpavco.com