Retractable Roof

Seeing the stars at night

The retractable roof over BC Place is truly a technological marvel, transforming British Columbia’s largest and most versatile venue into a busier, and more exciting place to host world class events.
The cable-supported fabric roof is the largest of its kind in the world - designed and engineered specifically for Vancouver’s climate, following rigorous engineering and architectural studies.
But most importantly, BC Place is able to hold events in comfort with a year-round events schedule. And that allows BC Place to contribute even more to British Columbia’s economy – by generating more than $100 million in economic activity - year in, year out.

When do we open the roof?

The retractable centre portion of the roof measures approximately 100m x 85m – effectively covering the area of the entire playing surface. Seated guests remain covered - rain or shine.The position of the retractable roof – either “open” or “closed” - for the duration of any given event will be determined in advance, in consultation with the event producers and/or the home teams. BC Place Operations Staff will determine the most appropriate time to open the roof, based on current weather conditions and detailed weather forecast information.The roof takes approximately 20 minutes to open or close. BC Place should be considered an ‘open-air’ stadium whether the roof is open or closed, and guests are encouraged to dress accordingly, based on the temperature outdoors.

Information about the configuration of the retractable roof during events can be found on the BC Place Twitter page at www.twitter.com/bcplace