The BC Lions will go head to head with the Edmonton Elks at BC Place, after 656 days of no home games for the team.
This is great news for businesses around BC Place as life comes back to the city and sporting events bring crowds into that area, especially since pre-pandemic BC Place brought in $148 million in 2019.
“It’s really exciting for downtown businesses. Having sports in downtown and at BC Place is an important part of the ecosystem for downtown,” said Nolan Marshall III, president and CEO of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association. (via CityNews)
“It’s been a long, long pandemic and most of the folks in the hospitality industry — pubs, bars, restaurants — have been losing money or breaking even for the past 18 months. Getting folks back downtown and having some more customers is going to be really good for their business.” said Executive Director Jeff Guignard. (via CityNews)
This will bring a sense of normalcy back, along with the residents’ spirits and community belonging after a long 18 months of living through a global pandemic.