Last week, the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) announced it was launching a brand-new scratch-and-win ticket with a grand prize of tickets for the winner and 13 of their friends to experience the "Concert of a Lifetime" in a suite a BC Place.
The ticket (officially) goes on sale Wednesday, August 7, and it seems like for Vancouver Swifties (aged 19+), this is their best shot at scoring tickets to Taylor Swift's sold-out December 2024 three-night run at BC Place. The shows are poised to be even more special, as Swift has indicated her globetrotting Eras Tour will end in December, and the Vancouver concerts are so far the last on the books for the star.
The new BCLC scratch-and-win ticket, which costs $25 apiece, will get 10 people a cash prize of $25,000 each. Of those 10 winners from around the province, "The Lucky One" will be chosen by draw as the winner of the concert suite for an "enchanted" experience of a lifetime. Of course, it's a scratch-and-win, so all sorts of other lower-denomination cash prizes are also possible to win with the tickets.
The tickets are being sold all around the province at retailers who sell BC Lotto and you have to be 19 to play.
Decoding all the Taylor Swift "Easter eggs" for the "Concert of a Lifetime"
Now, the BCLC doesn't say "Eras Tour," or "Taylor Swift." But as fans of the global star know "all too well," giving hints, aka Easter eggs, is a way of life. They also know that Swift's team, aka Taylor Nation, is fiercely protective of the superstar's name and image.
So what can we deduce from the BCLC's Easter eggs and not saying the name of the tour or artist for the "Concert of a Lifetime?"
As V.I.A.'s sole card-carrying Swiftie, I'm happy to break things down a bit:
- The press release includes some song titles and lyrics: "Get ready for it!" = "...Ready For It?" the opening track of Swift's Reputation album (can we get Taylor's Version of this soon, please?!); "players can get excited for the chance to have their wildest dreams come true" = "Wildest Dreams," from the 1989 album; "Make your day shimmer with BCLC" = lyrics to "Bejeweled" from Midnights ("I can still make the whole place shimmer").
- The image with the press release is heart hands, which Swift throws up most often during her Fearless set.
- The number 13 is huge in Swift lore; her birthday is December 13 so she uses the number all time.
- Friendship bracelets: On launch day, several Metro Vancouver retailers will be having activations with giveaways, like friendship bracelets. In "You're On Your Own, Kid," from Midnights, Swift sings "So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it," and fans have embraced this, making armfuls of lettered beaded bracelets to trade with other fans at Eras Tour shows and Swift-themed events.
On the BCLC's site, there's a thorough FAQ section about the ticket (yes, you can take a child into the suite if you win and no, you don't have to be a B.C. resident to win) which concludes with the following question: "Who is the artist? Whose concert is the suite for?"
Here is the BCLC's response, which has two Easter eggs in it: "Apart from being one of the world’s biggest multi-platinum artists, they also have a reputation of being an amazing performer. We’re excited that the Grand Prize winner can bring 13 guests to experience the concert of a lifetime."
Did you spot 'em? Reputation and 13.
But in case you're still unsure, check out this reel from BCLC that features a friendship bracelet and a caption that has certain letters capitalized: "geT your friendship brAcelets, Your gLitter, and yOur red scaRves ready!" Those letters spell T-A-Y-L-O-R.
PS: Swifties know the red scarf..."left my scarf there at your sister's house," she sings in "All Too Well," off the Red album.
Okay, so: BCLC is all but saying it in "screaming colour," that their Concert of a Lifetime is for a Vancouver Taylor Swift concert.
Now, over to BC Place. A glance at their calendar for 2024 shows the only concert they have is...(come on, you know the answer); The Eras Tour, December 6, 7, and 8.
While "Getaway Car," reminds us that "traitors never win," and "The Archer" teaches us that "cruelty wins in the movies," BCLC is telling us that 10 scratch ticket buyers will win $25,000, and of those, one will land in the concert suite with 13 of their luckiest friends. Those are some pretty great odds, if you wanted to roll the dice, so to speak.
If you want to get specific about odds: Only 250,000 Concert of a Lifetime Scratch & Win tickets will be issued province-wide and the approximate odds of winning (any cash prize) are 1 in 2.5.
If the fates and the stars align and I've "Mastermind"-ed my way through all the Easter eggs, then this new BCLC scratch-and-win ticket is probably the best shot at getting into the Eras Tour if you don't already have a ticket.
Ticket launch day events include swag, friendship bracelets on August 7
For those planning to make an outing of it (why not?!) and nab some swag, here are the Vancouver retailers holding pop-up activations today for the "Concert of a Lifetime" ticket launch:
- 7-Eleven (Yaletown) - 1093 Homer St at noon
- Circle K (Kitsilano) - 1910 W 4th Ave at 2 p.m.
- London Drugs (Downtown) - 710 Granville St at noon
- Express News (East Vancouver) - 2287 Commercial Dr at noon
- Express News (South Vancouver) 486 SW Marine Dr at 2 p.m.
There are three more in Metro Vancouver:
- Poco Town Pantry - 2525 Shaughnessy St, Port Coquitlam at 2 p.m.
- Walnut Grove Town Pantry - 20522-88th Ave, Langley at noon
- Willingdon Petro Canada (Brentwood) - 1969 Willingdon Ave, Burnaby at noon
If you can't make the pop-up events for a little extra shimmer in your ticket-buying experience, that doesn't mean you can't your hands on a ticket. The tickets are available at retailers all over B.C., so check your favourite stores that sell BCLC scratch-and-win tickets near where you work, live, or play.
