Heads up, Victoria—if you’ve been looking for an excuse for a quick off-island adventure, we believe we may have the reason to go!
Victoria welcomes its mix of some of the hottest stars, but there are a few celebrities, musicians, and bands that can’t quite squeak it into their busy schedule and instead opt for Vancouver.
With both BC Ferries and flights to and from Vancouver, as long as everything goes smoothly, it doesn’t usually take more than a few hours to get over there.
If that still sounds like a hassle, we’ve compiled a list of star-studded events happening in Vancouver that may inspire your next quick adventure and deem the trip worthy of the travel time!
This includes the kickoff show for Avril Lavigne’s 2024 tour, Canada’s Drag Race with a massive lineup of drag icons, a Justin Timberlake concert, and much more.
Without further ado, here’s 11 travel-worthy events happening in Vancouver this year:
Madonna at Rogers Arena
Madonna is throwing a huge party that you won’t want to miss!
Celebrating 40 years since her hit single, Holiday, Madonna is embarking on tour and bringing her greatest hits with her—so, if you’re a lucky attendee, you’ll get to watch her perform music from her entire career!
Madonna has sold over 300 million albums and holds the record for the most successful tour by a solo artist in history.
She is a seven-time Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
Tickets start at around $234 and will vary depending on seat selection—you can purchase them here.
- Where: Rogers Arena, 800 Griffiths Way, Vancouver
- When: Wednesday, February 21st at 8:30 p.m.
Canada’s Drag Race: The Official 2024 Tour
Drag Race fans, this is a coast-to-coast production you won’t want to miss!
RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 12 winner and Canada’s Drag Race guest judge Jaida Essence Hall will host, with performances from Season 3 Queens Gisèle Lullaby, Jada Shada Hudson, and Kimmy Couture.
As recently announced, five more legendary Queens will be joining the herstoric all-finalist performance lineup—including newly crowned Season 4 winner Venus, her fierce fellow finalists Aurora Matrix, Denim, Nearah Nuff, and Season 3’s Miss Fiercalicious.
Tickets start at $78 and you can purchase them via ticketmaster or on the official tour website.
- Where: Orpheum Theatre, 601 Smithe Street, Vancouver
- When: Monday, April 15th at 8 p.m.
RuPaul at Commodore Ballroom
Pop culture icon and international drag superstar RuPaul is inviting everyone to experience the release of his highly-anticipated memoir, House of Hidden Meanings, at the Commodore Ballroom on April 16th.
In his novel, he details his personal philosophy that testifies to the value of chosen family, the importance of harnessing what makes you different, and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly.
You can purchase tickets for this event here.
- Where: Commodore Ballroom, 868 Granville Street
- When: Tuesday, April 16th at 6 p.m.
Coast City Country Music Festival
Dust of your cowboy hats and shine your boots—there’s a big-name country music festival happening in Vancouver on April 19th and 20th.
Join Coast City Country Festival for their inaugural show with performances from headliners Luke Bryan, Nickleback, Dierks Bentley, and other featured musicians such as Bailey Zimmerman, Elle King, Brett Young, and much more!
Plus, Coast City Country Late Nights will host performances at Commodore Ballroom with a special kickoff party on April 18 featuring Kameron Marlowe, Meghan Patrick and Teigen Gayse.
Tickets can be purchased online as a two-day package, single-day passes, or single late-night passes.
- Where: BC Place Stadium, 777 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver
- When: Friday, April 19th and Saturday, April 20th
Justin Timberlake: The Forget Tomorrow World Tour
Often referred to as the ”Prince of Pop”, Justin Timberlake, former member of NSYNC, is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of his generation and he’s coming to Vancouver in April!
He has won many awards throughout the duration of his career, including ten Grammy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, the Contemporary Icon Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and much more.
It will take place at Rogers Arena and tickets for the general public go on sale on February 2nd. You can purchase them via his official website.
- Where: Rogers Arena, 800 Griffiths Way, Vancouver
- When: Monday, April 29th at 7:30 p.m.
Avril Lavigne: The Greatest Hits Tour
Avril Lavigne, eight-time GRAMMY-nominated diamond-certified icon has announced her 2024 headline tour across North America, and it will be kicking off in Vancouver at Rogers Arena!
Audiences will get the chance to see Avril perform her biggest songs to-date, including the RIAA 3x platinum-certified “Complicated,” the 2x platinum-certified “Sk8er Boi,” the 2x platinum-certified “Girlfriend,” and much more.
Ticket prices will greatly vary depending on seat selection, but they start at around $160—they can be purchased via ticketmaster or her official website.
- Where: Rogers Arena, 800 Griffiths Way, Vancouver
- When: Wednesday, May 22nd at 7 p.m.
The Rolling Stones at BC Place
Absolutely legendary rock band The Rolling Stones are going back on the road and plan on making a stop in Vancouver at the BC Place!
Their new tour will take them to 16 cities across the US and Canada, and fans can expect to see Mick, Keith, and Ronnie play their most popular hits.
This includes “Start Me Up,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Satisfaction” and more, as well as fan favourite deep cuts and music from their new album Hackney Diamonds.
Tickets start at just under $390 and can be purchased here—they’re going quick though, so don’t wait too long!
- Where: BC Place Stadium, 777 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver
- When: Friday, July 5th at 8 p.m.
Olivia Rodrigo at Rogers Arena
Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour—a brand new trek with special guests such as The Breeders, Pinkpantheress, and more—is coming to Vancouver this August.
Since her initial screen-to-stage transition in 2020, she’s earned seven Grammy nominations, winning three!
Plus, three singles off of her very first album have already made the charts—including ‘Deja Vu’, ‘Good 4 U’, and the hit song ‘Drivers Licence’.
Tickets aren’t quite on sale yet, but you’ll be able to purchase them here once they’re live!
- Where: Rogers Arena, 800 Griffiths Way, Vancouver
- When: Friday, August 9th at 7:30 p.m.
Ben Howard at Queen Elizabeth Theatre
The Ivor Novello Award-winning singer-songwriter Ben Howard’s new album is taking him on a North American tour, and Vancouver is included in his list of stops!
His album, Is It? is inspired by a recent realization that he suffers from TIAs (transient ischemic attacks—also known as mini-strokes.
This new music represents a further creative evolution for this artist and draws attention to a series of vignettes throughout Howard´s life.
Tickets will become available to the general public on February 16th and can be purchased here.
- Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 630 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
- When: Thursday, August 15th at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.)
P!nk at Rogers Arena
P!nk is hosting not one, but TWO shows at Rogers Arena on September 6th and 7th with special guests Cheryl Crow, the Script, and KidCutUp!
Since her debut P!NK has released eight studio albums, one greatest hits album, plus she’s sold over 42 million albums, over 75 million singles, more than 2.4 million DVDs worldwide, and has had eight number-one hits!
Check out this multi-Grammy award winning pop icon as she performs top hits throughout the duration of her successful career as well as some new tunes.
- Where: Rogers Arena, 800 Griffiths Way, Vancouver
- When: Friday, September 6th and Saturday, September 7th
Usher: Past Present Future at Rogers Arena
Due to an incredible increase in fan demand, the multi-platinum, 8-time GRAMMY award-winning global icon Usher, has decided to extend his 2024 North American tour.
And guess what?—that includes Vancouver!
His tour, “Usher: Past Present Future,” which celebrates the release of his 9th album Coming Home, is now a 51-date tour, with Vancouver’s date scheduled for November 7th at Rogers Arena.
General sales will begin on Friday, February 16th at LiveNation.com.
If you’re dying for the VIP Usher experience, there will be a variety of packages for fans to purchase and take their concert experience up a few notches!
Packages vary but it’ll include premium tickets, a Meet & Greet and photo op with Usher, pre-show VIP Lounge access, specially designed VIP gift item, and more.
- Where: Rogers Arena, 800 Griffiths Way, Vancouver
- When: Thursday, November 7th 2024 at 8 p.m.
