Science World, City Hall, and BC Place are all Vancouver landmarks that light up in different colours to mark big cultural moments, holidays, and events and soon another major venue will be on the list.
Last year, the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) received funding under the Government of Canada’s Major Fairs and Festivals grant program and installed exterior lighting around the Pacific Coliseum as part of an extensive $2.6 million site-wide LED lighting upgrade (including nine buildings and totalling over 600,000 square feet).
The 55-year-old Coliseum is now decked out in 108 panels of a fully-programmable DMX exterior lighting system. On Monday, June 19, the PNE announced its intention to use the new lights to honour major community events, Canadian cultural moments, charities, and special causes.
“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,” says President and CEO Shelley Frost in a press 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.”
The PNE has begun accepting submissions for charitable causes and events that should receive the support of the Coliseum lights from sunset to 11 p.m. Suggestions must be made at least 30 days in advance and can be made through the PNE website.
According to the PNE, the colour combinations are virtually endless, giving it the ability to acknowledge or celebrate a wide variety of events or moments.
“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 to recognize important events and cultural occurrences,” says PNE Board Chair Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung.
The first light-up event will be on June 21 for National Indigenous Peoples Day and the Coliseum will glow orange.
