Check Out Vancouver’s New Freedom Arch

A new hill is rising in Vancouver, and it’s made out of wood. The latest addition to the Pacific National Exhibition grounds is a revamped outdoor concert and event space capped by the Freedom Mobile Arch, a soaring, 80-foot-high canopy of swooping mass timber that will be one of the largest such structures in the world. This summer, it gets its first primetime showing as a big-screen viewing location for the World Cup. 

The wood has been specially engineered to reflect sound back into the venue, guaranteeing solid acoustics for the audience (and less noise for the neighbourhoods nearby). Securing the prodigious weight of the structure meant digging deep, which led to unexpected surprises. Before it was an amphitheatre, the grounds were part of a military site, and excavation soon uncovered a World War I–era German howitzer and other war trophies shipped to Canada after the conflict ended. During World War II, local soldiers were ordered to melt them down so the Allies could hurl German metal back at the Germans. Instead, the legend goes, sentimental soldiers squirrelled them away. This caused a headache for the PNE in 2023, when the twisted, rusted guns were uncovered by construction, triggering an archaeological dig. That and other setbacks nearly tripled the cost of the structure from a projected $65 million to more than $183 million. 

The final product is worth the price tag. With its towering timber structure and cutaway views of the mountains and coast, it’ll be a fine introduction to B.C. for the tens of thousands of out-of-province visitors expected to crowd into Vancouver this summer. During the Cup, the Arch will offer free game screenings and concerts from artists like Mötley Crüe and Finger Eleven. When it’s all over, however, PNE intends for the Arch to become a broader arts and culture space, hosting symphony programs, ballets and the occasional blockbuster concert.