It’s been six years since the pandemic began, have you noticed concert etiquette declining over those six years? What happened between 2019 and 2026 to the local concert scene? It seems like the pandemic dismantled the way events have been operating for years and they’re just now beginning to build themselves back up.
The Six / Pexels
BC Place is a 43-year-old multi-purpose stadium that needs no introduction. Vancouver has earned itself a permanent spot on an artist’s touring roster, the only of the three Canadian cities on the list that isn’t in Toronto. If you look at the numbers for a stadium as big as BC Place from last year, 2025 only had 3 major events performed; you can blame FIFA for soaking up the budget.
As opposed to Rogers Arena, BC Place doesn’t have a permanent stage. Each set needs to be built and planned ahead of the artist arriving.
If you revisit the beginning of the problem, pre-pandemic BC Place saw four major events a year, all but one I’m sure being an Aerosmith farewell tour. Artists are choosing to set up shop in a city, play a number of shows consecutively, and then move onto the next stop. 2024 broke the record with a total of seven major events yearly, yet the number still plummeted to 3 a year later.
But now? Where does this leave us post FIFA?
In 2026, BC Place has broken its own record with 10 major events booked for the year. Some artists spend an entire week in the city while others are passing through. The end of summer saw a rock band and an indie-folk artist sharing the steel. Guns N’ Roses and Noah Kahan played back-to-back of each other and came up with a stage agreement that would fit them both for the two nights. With less than 24 hours in between sets to rebuild the stage for the specific performer, BC Place needed all hands-on deck.
This is an incredible year for live music, BC Place is bringing in the same level of bookings as Wembley Stadium in London and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The evenings in British Columbia are going to be filled with music in the coming years as Vancouver becomes a regular stop for touring artists.