Upper bowl open: BC Lions expand capacity as ticket sales soar

The upper bowl is open at BC Place, as a big crowd is expected for this weekend’s BC Lions home game.

It’s the first time in years that the Lions have been able to open the upper bowl for a regular season game that didn’t include a pre-game concert, as the team continues its popularity resurgence in Vancouver.

The last three times the Lions opened the upper bowl, their attendance soared past 30,000. LL Cool J helped draw 33,103 to the Lions’ home opener, while 34,082 turned up for OneRepublic for the first game of 2022. Last year’s home playoff game drew 30,114.

The Lions have seen an uptick in attendance over the past two years.

BC averaged 20,387 fans per game last season, not including their home playoff date. But the Lions drew under 20,000 in six of their nine regular season home games.

That was then and this is now, as Amar Doman’s team has continued building momentum.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders, Saturday’s opponent, are traditionally a big draw. The Lions appear to be in a position to draw considerably more than last season’s 23,129 attendance figure against the Riders.

The Lions drew 20,106 for their second home game of the season against Montreal. That’s nearly 5,000 more than they hosted for their second game of the 2022 season against Toronto when a season-low 15,500 crowd turned up to BC Place.

Pre-pandemic in 2019, the Lions drew an average of just 17,803 fans per game and had over 20,000 fans in attendance at BC Place just twice.

Lions owner Amar Doman deserves a lot of credit for the turnaround, as do the players on the field. Despite losing star QB Nathan Rourke in the offseason, the Lions haven’t missed a beat. With Vernon Adams Jr. at the helm, the Lions lead the West Division with a 4-1 record after five games.

“The interest and buzz for tickets has significantly grown week-by-week."#BCLions announce upper bowl seating is OPEN on Saturday. Tickets start at $25 for adults, $10 for youth 17 and under 🔥

BE THERE 🎟️ | https://t.co/CzRp4BnazX pic.twitter.com/yxeCcHw1ye

— BC LIONS (@BCLions) July 18, 2023

Tickets start at $25 for adults and only $10 for children 17 and under. The Backyard Party begins outside the stadium at 11 am, featuring music, food, and $5 drinks ahead of the 4 pm kickoff.

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