New outdoor lighting system illuminates Pacific Coliseum

One of Vancouver’s most iconic venues now has the ability to light up in honour of special causes, and the first event it’s highlighting is happening this week.

Pacific Coliseum will light up in orange on Wednesday, June 21 to honour National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada.

It’s one of the first times that the exterior of the “Rink on Renfrew” will be brightly lit in its 55-year history, and it was made possible by a $2.6 million lighting upgrade completed with funding from the Government of Canada.

The site-wide upgrade will also help achieve energy-saving initiatives, according to PNE President and CEO Shelley Frost.

 

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“The PNE is very grateful for the federal funding from the Major Fairs and Festivals grant to make this site-wide energy-saving initiative a reality,” said Frost in a release. “The combination of the large number of buildings on our site, and the fact that some of these buildings are important civic heritage and cultural structures, all generate significant monthly electric bills.

“This upgrade will result in the PNE realizing savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually – money that can now be spent to support our 113-year-old organization or be reinvested into community initiatives.”

All nine PNE buildings have received an extensive LED lighting upgrade that could lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual electricity savings for the not-for-profit organization.

Pacific Coliseum (PNE/Submitted)

A fully programmable DMX exterior lighting system has also been installed on the Pacific Coliseum’s 108 exterior panels which will allow the venue to commemorate major events and causes.

“As a community partner, the PNE will light up the Pacific Coliseum on specific days of the year to celebrate community, offer support to other not-for-profit and charitable organizations, and recognize important events and cultural occurrences,” added PNE Board Chair Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung in a statement.

The PNE is accepting community submissions of events, charitable causes and cultural moments to light up the Pacific Coliseum from sunset to 11 pm. Other upcoming events in the venue’s Light Up schedule include Canada Day, Pride Week, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.