Project Overview
The Pacific National Exhibition is one of Vancouver’s most iconic entertainment and event destinations, encompassing the Pacific Coliseum, Playland, livestock and event buildings, sports facilities, offices, and other public spaces.
Following a major warehouse fire in 2022, PNE moved forward with a broad lighting modernization initiative across the site. Radiance Energy was selected to deliver a complete LED upgrade designed to improve lighting quality, reduce operating costs, support entertainment requirements, and provide greater control across the complex.
The Challenge
The PNE operates a wide range of buildings and outdoor environments, each with different lighting requirements.
Aging fixtures were creating maintenance and performance issues, while sports and event spaces required lighting suitable for competition, spectators, and television production. Playland and entertainment areas also required dynamic RGB lighting, while risk-management priorities called for better monitoring and sensor capabilities across the site.
The Solution
Radiance Energy delivered a comprehensive LED and RGB lighting upgrade across the PNE site, including the Pacific Coliseum, offices, livestock barn, sports facilities, Playland, and other operating areas.
The project incorporated dimming, colour-changing capabilities, wireless controls, sensors, and a centralized back-end system for monitoring and reporting. These controls allow lighting to be adjusted by space, time, and operational need while supporting both energy management and guest experience.
At the Pacific Coliseum, programmable exterior lighting introduced dynamic colour displays that can be used for community events, commemorations, and special occasions.
Project Results
- Site-wide replacement of aging lighting with high-efficiency LED technology
- Improved, more uniform lighting across multiple facility types
- Programmable RGB lighting at the Pacific Coliseum
- Wireless controls, dimming, and colour-changing functionality
- Centralized monitoring and reporting capabilities
- Improved flexibility for sports, entertainment, and filming requirements
- Expanded sensor capabilities for risk management and facility monitoring
One Lighting Platform for a Complex Entertainment Site
The PNE is not a single building—it is a complex collection of arenas, attractions, barns, offices, outdoor spaces, and entertainment venues.
The lighting solution therefore needed to be flexible enough to support everything from sports and television production to amusement environments and day-to-day operations.
By combining LED technology with programmable controls and monitoring, Radiance created a system that could adapt to the needs of each space while giving PNE greater control over site-wide lighting performance.
Pacific Coliseum RGB Lighting
One of the most visible elements of the project is the programmable exterior lighting at the Pacific Coliseum.
The new system allows the venue to display a wide range of colours and lighting patterns for special events, public causes, and community recognition. The PNE now uses the Coliseum lighting as part of its broader public-facing programming.
