Cirque du Soleil is a world-famous Canadian circus company. It brings its shows to Vancouver about once a year.
Cirque du Soleil is amazing! It’s a phenomenal company that’s way more than just a circus! Its shows are spectacles like none other!
Last year Cirque du Soleil brought ECHO to Vancouver’s Concord Pacific Place. It was in town from October until early January. In the spring of 2025, the circus is back, but this time for just five days. Crystal is at the Pacific Coliseum from June 4th to 8th.
Information in this article includes the following topics:
Big Top Location | Admission Details | What to Expect | Cirque du Soleil Videos | Tips & Advice | About Cirque du Soleil | Other Information
Cirque du Soleil in Vancouver
Each year Cirque du Soleil brings one of its world-famous circus shows to Vancouver. From opening day until the end of the season, Vancouver audiences are entertained by its amazing acts. Performances include acrobatics shows, live music, dancing and all kinds of jaw-dropping entertainment.
Big Top Location
Cirque du Soleil usually sets up its trademark “Grand Chapiteau” tent at Concord Pacific Place. The venue is between the eastern tip of False Creek and BC Place Stadium, at 88 Pacific Boulevard. The Grand Chapiteau is a massive big-top-style structure with castle-like points supported by masts. All seats are comfortably cushioned with backs. The venue itself is a spectacle to be seen!
Sometimes, instead of setting up the Grand Chapiteau, the Cirque du Soleil shows take place at the Pacific Coliseum at the PNE. In 2025, Crystal is at the Pacific Coliseum for a short run from June 4th to 8th.
Admission Details
General admission tickets to Crystal in Vancouver start at around $45 for adults and range up to about $140 for those who want to be close to the stage. That’s a little cheaper than ECHO and other Cirque de Soleil fall/winter productions, which cost around $67 to $230 this past year.
Discounts are available for the following:
- Children’s rates apply for those aged 12 and under.
- Family Packs include a discount for families purchasing four to eight tickets.
- lnfants under 2 years old enter for free, provided they share the same seat as a parent.
VIP packages include premium seats with the best views of the stage, along with an open bar and appetizers both before the performance and during intermission. VIP tickets also include a complimentary souvenir to take home, plus free parking and access to an extra-nice restroom and other VIP areas.
(Note: There are no VIP packages for Crystal. All details are subject to change. See the official Cirque du Soleil website for the most up-to-date information.)
What to Expect at Crystal
Crystal is a very unique Cirque de Soleil production. It debuted in Quebec in 2017. The show is the first Cirque performance that takes place on an ice rink and most of the performers are on skates throughout the show.
There are still the trapeze and other aerial feats that Cirque de Soleil is known for, but with the addition of a lot of skating-related entertainment. The performers push the boundaries on what can be done on skates!
As is the case with all Cirque du Soleil shows, the set, costumes, music, acting and tricks you’ll see at Crystal are all amazing! It’s terrific fun for people of all ages. To see some scenes of previous Cirque du Soleil in Vancouver, click Cirque du Soleil Videos.
Crystal is a 125-minute long show that includes a 25-minute break in the middle.
Visit cirquedusoleil.com for tickets and the show’s official website.
More Details
Below is other information from previous years that’s good to know about Cirque du Soleil’s productions when they take place in the Grand Chapiteau in Vancouver. The Pacific Coliseum shows should be similar.
- The venue is heated.
- There is no coat check area most years.
- With the exception of service dogs for people with disabilities, animals are not permitted.
- Backpacks and other packages bigger than a briefcase or handbag are usually not permitted in the venue.
- A limited number of booster seats for young children are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you think you’ll want one, arrive early.
Tips & Advice
The following is a list of suggestions to help you make the most of your Cirque experience.
TIP #1: Arrive early to give yourself plenty of time to find parking. The Entrance Tent and vendors open about 45 minutes before each show.
TIP #2: The performances usually start on time and latecomers can only enter during specific short breaks. Because of logistical issues, latecomers in wheelchairs are admitted only at half time during the 25-minute intermission (or at least that’s been the case in the past). So don’t be late!
TIP #3: You can take photos and video of the show with your phone, without flash, but not with 35mm, DSLR cameras or more professional equipment.
TIP #4: Pretty much every seat in the house is a good one. The best seats, however, are at the front in the middle section. If you want to take photos, you can get some amazing shots from up close. The only drawback to sitting so close is that you have to look up more often for the acts that take place high in the air. If you have neck problems, then you’ll want to sit further back.
TIP #5: On days when they don’t sell out, Cirque du Soleil sometimes permits people to upgrade their seats on the day of the show. If you go to the concierge desk inside the big top, they might have a sign saying that ticket upgrades are available. If they are, the cost to do this starts at about $10, but goes up to $40 or $60 depending on how big an upgrade you are looking for.
For tickets and full details about the show, see the official Cirque du Soleil website.
Cirque du Soleil Videos
To get even more of an idea about what to expect at the show, check out the following slideshow video. It shows photos we took when we attended ECHO in 2024.
The following video scenes are from the KOOZA production in Vancouver from 2023. As you’ll see, the show was quite the spectacle as well!
About Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil is a world-famous circus and acrobatics theatre group. It offers shows under a big top tent in Vancouver’s Pacific Concord Place each year as well as at other venues across the globe.
The Montreal-based company tours the world with its shows and often visits Vancouver for a multi-week stay at some point each year.
If you miss a Cirque du Soleil show in Vancouver and you happen to be in Las Vegas any time of the year, you can catch one of the many shows that play there.
Shows currently in Vegas (as of February, 2025) include KÀ (MGM Grand), Mad Apple (New York New York), Michael Jackson ONE (Mandalay Bay), Mystère (Treasure Island) and O (Bellagio). See the official Cirque du Soleil website for more details.
Visit cirquedusoleil.com for tickets and the show’s official website.
History of Cirque du Soleil Shows
Below is information about the different Cirque du Soleil productions that have shown in Vancouver over the years.
Vancouver Shows in Recent Years
In 2024 ECHO played from October 9th, 2024, until January 5th, 2025. The story was about evolution, the animal kingdom and the things we depend on. The main characters in the show explored bonds between humans, nature and animals, and found out that their decisions could significantly influence the world.
In 2023 KOOZA visited Vancouver from October 21st until the end of year. KOOZA was a story of The Innocent’s identity. The character went on a journey to find his place in the world, and he encountered various characters along the way.
In 2022 Alegria was at Vancouver’s Concord Pacific Place between late March and early June. It was a classic Cirque du Soleil show that also debuted in a slightly different version in 1994. The show depicted a kingdom without a king, and the power struggle that followed between the old and new movements.
Cirque du Soleil didn’t visit the Lower Mainland in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It visited every year for a number of years before then, though, and will likely continue to tour here in the years ahead.
For tickets and full details about the show, see the official Cirque du Soleil website.
Other Past Vancouver Shows
In 2019, Luzia was a fantasy story set in a fictitious Mexico. The name was a combination of the Spanish words light (“luz”) and rain (“lluvia”). Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia shows ran from October until December then.
In 2018, Cirque du Soleil was in Vancouver for only a very brief time. The production was Corteo and it showed at the Pacific Coliseum at the PNE for just five days in mid-October. The show returned to BC in 2024 and played at the Save-On Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria on Vancouver Island from January 11th to 14th.
In 2017 Kurios was Cirque du Soleil’s Vancouver production. It was a science-fantasy story about a fictitious 19th-century inventor who builds a machine that defies the laws of space and time. The show played in Montreal, QC, between May 23rd and July 14th last year.
In December 2016 Cirque du Soleil brought Toruk – a performance based on James Cameron’s movie Avatar – to Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum for just under a week.
In 2015 Vancouver’s Cirque du Soleil production was KOOZA which took place at Concord Pacific Place from the end of October until late December.
TOTEM, a story about the evolution of mankind, was Cirque du Soleil’s show in 2014 and it played in mid-May under the big top at Concord Pacific Place. The performance followed the mystical evolution of the human race from amphibian form to its desire to fly.
Other Information
To buy tickets to a Cirque du Soleil show or for more information, check out the Cirque du Soleil website.
For a list of other shows and events in the Lower Mainland, click any of the following:
For a list of what’s happening on different days of the month while Cirque du Soleil is in town, check out Vancouver’s October, November and December event calendars.
To learn about the circus in its hometown, visit the MontrealsBestPlaces.com website.
