Thundervolt Roller Coaster at the PNE

Playland at the PNE is Vancouver’s amusement park with all kinds of rides including a roller coaster, bumper cars and fun kiddy rides.

The amusement park typically starts up for the season on the Victoria Day long weekend in May. It then runs on its own until the start of the PNE Fair which starts on August 22nd and ends on September 7th in 2026. Later in the year, in October, there is Fright Nights for the Halloween season.

There are a number of special event days that happen over the course of the summer. The first one in 2026 is Grad Night on June 27th. Then there’s Hot Dog Day on July 18th, Playland Pride on July 25th, Summerween on July 31st, PADS at Playland on August 9th, and Wellness Day on August 15th.

Visit pne.ca/playland for the attraction’s official website.

This article contains the following information:

Click any of the above links to jump to a specific topic, or continue reading to learn all about Vancouver’s Playland amusement park. Or, click Pacific National Exhibition (from late August until early September) or Halloween Fright Nights (in October) for PNE events and activities at various times of the year. See our article about Vancouver’s Playland Rides for descriptions of individual rides.

Playland at the PNE

Playland is Vancouver’s amusement park. It runs on weekends in the late spring and early fall, and from Wednesday to Sunday in the summer, except for the last three weeks leading up to the September Long Weekend when the place turns into the Pacific National Exhibition, or PNE.

Playland is open on select dates between the Victoria Day Long Weekend in mid-May and the start of the PNE Fair in mid-August. In 2026 the amusement rides attraction operates from May 16th until August 21st.

Between June 11th and July 19th the FIFA Fan Festival is being held on the PNE’s fairgrounds. Thankfully, Playland is still running during those dates. The PNE Fair will also run as usual, as it’s happening this year from August 22nd until September 7th.

During the fair there are all sorts of rides. There are also concerts, shows and other fun things to see and do.

Visit the PNE/Playland website for tickets and full details about the amusement park.

View of Playland from the Ferris Wheel — Rides at the Amusement Park

About Playland

Playland is a great place for kids. It has all kinds of rides including two roller coasters, with one being a 65-year-old wooden antique. Other popular ones for adults and teenagers include Atmosfear, Hellevator and The Beast. There are also all kinds of rides for little children.

Playland isn’t as modern and fancy as Disneyland, but it’s still tons of fun. Think of Playland as a massive, fancy midway carnival that comes to your town once a year – with the usual Tilt-a-Whirl, Scrambler and Ferris Wheel, but so much more. Playland has some fancier rides too, which makes it an impressive and fun place!

See our article about Playland’s Rides or check out the Playland website for descriptions of the attraction’s various rides.

PNE Mascot at Playland

Playland Hours and Admission

Playland runs on select dates between mid-May and mid-August. Days and hours of operation in 2026 are listed below. (Note: Exact dates, times and other details are subject to change.)

May 16th to May 31st, 2026: Open on Saturdays and Sundays between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm.
June 1st to 30th, 2026: Open on Saturdays and Sundays between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm.
July 1st to August 21st, 2026: Open on Wednesdays to Sundays each week. Hours are 11:00 am to 6:00 pm most days, although the park is sometimes open until 9:00 pm on select Fridays and Saturdays.

Visit the PNE/Playland website for tickets and full details about the amusement park.

Playland Ferris Wheel

Tickets Prices (as of July 2026)

There are a few different season passes to choose from for Playland in 2026. The Gold Fun Pass costs $114 and allows access to kid-friendly rides any day the park is open. The Gold Thrill Pass, meanwhile, costs $161. This pass is for people over 48 inches tall and includes access to the more thrill-seeker rides. (Note: the earlier you buy your pass, the more you save! If you bought a 2026 season pass well before Playland opened for the year, then you could have saved upwards of $25.)

New in 2026, there are two further season pass options – the Silver and the Bronze. Both are offered in the Fun or Thrill categories. The Silver pass is valid on weekdays starting in July. It costs $91 for the Fun pass and $138 for the Thrill pass. Meanwhile the Bronze pass is valid only on weekends, starting in May. Their cost is $103 for the Fun pass and $149 for the Thrill pass.

Day passes for all of the kid-friendly rides this year start at about $38 per person. One day of thrilling rides starts at around $50 each.

Benefits of season passes include 2 free tickets to opening weekend of the PNE Fair. Season Passholders also get to take a buddy for free on any one day that Playland is open (as long as they made their season pass purchase before June 15th). There are other perks too, like the Pizza & Play Voucher for a free slice of pizza and a game pass.

Note: Last year Playland had a special discount available online during the second half of the summer. Attendees could use the promo code 2FOR1 to get two tickets for the price of one for any weekday between late July and August 15th. Details for 2026 are to be confirmed.

Visit the PNE/Playland website for tickets and full details about the amusement park.

Playland Ride Fun — Breakdance Amusement Ride

Playland Rides

The following rides are open at Playland in a typical season:

AtmosFear, Balloon Explorer, The Beast, Breakdance, Bug Whirled, Cap’n KC, Cedar Rapids Log Flume, Choppers, Cool Cruzers, Dizzy Drop, Enterprise, Flutterbye, Gladiator, Hellevator, Hell’s Gate, Honeybee Express, Merry-Go-Round, Pirate Ship, Rock’n’Cars, Scrambler, Sea-to-Sky Swinger, Skybender, Sweet Escape Mini Golf, Teacups, ThunderVolt, Westcoast Wheel and Wooden Roller Coaster.

The ThunderVolt coaster is the most recent major addition to the park. It replaced the now-retired corkscrew coaster in 2024 and is currently the fastest electric coaster in the country.

Watch the video below for an idea of what some of the rides look like. The video was filmed during Fright Nights. Check out our Playland Rides article to learn more about each ride, along with rides that may return in the future.

(Note: The music in this video is Roller Coaster by Scandinavianz from Pixabay.)

Playland Special Events

Playland hosts a number of different special event days over the course of the summer. Unless stated otherwise, admission to the park on these days doesn’t cost anything extra. They’re simply fun themes and unique activities that enhance the overall experience.

The schedule for 2026 is below. Click Playland Events for the most up-to-date information.

Grad Night 2026 (June 27th) – Playland is open from 7:00 to 11:00 pm for Grad Night, with tickets for the evening session costing just $26. While primarily marketing towards those graduating from school, the event is open to everyone who wants to come out and enjoy the rides and games.
Hot Dog Day (July 18th) – National Hot Dog Day is celebrated with $1 hot dogs sold near the Wooden Roller Coaster. They’re available for as long as supplies last.
Playland Pride (July 25th) – helping kick off the Vancouver Pride Festival, local drag performers host a Drag Bingo event from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. There are prizes to be won and plenty of entertainment.
Summerween (July 31st) – for those who can’t wait for Fright Nights, Summerween is when Playland dresses up in full Halloween vibes for just one day. There are often fun activities like trick or treating and a costume contest in addition to the decorations and, of course, the rides.
PADS at Playland (August 9th) – the Pacific Assistance Dog Society has plenty of representation at the park on this day, including visits from a number of the furry friends themselves!
Wellness Day (August 15th) – this event features the Run & Ride, where participants go on a group run through the park before enjoying their favourite rides.

Tips & Advice

Below are some suggestions and additional information to help you make the most of your Playland experience.

TIP #1: Take a sun hat and sunscreen on hot sunny days as there isn’t a lot of shade. Also take a water bottle.

TIP #2: Try to arrive early on weekends and days with good weather. This way you’ll be able to enjoy the most popular rides first, before the afternoon crowds and accompanying ride lineups.

TIP #3: The Flume (water log chute ride) is especially popular on hot days. Also, do the roller coasters and Flume early in the day before the crowds form, or at the end of the day if it’s not hot weather. You don’t want to be cold for the rest of the day after getting soaked on the Flume!

TIP #4: In past years Fun-Priced Thursday ran on all Thursdays in July and August. Everyone could get a Thrill Pass for the normal price of a Fun Pass. This meant you could save up to about $15 or so per person. Whether this happens again in the future is to be confirmed.

TIP #5: If you plan to leave and return later, don’t forget to get a re-entry stamp on your way out so you can get back in.

TIP #6: Most years members of the BC Automobile Association (BCAA) get around 30% off admission and ride passes at the Pacific National Exhibition (i.e. when Playland becomes the PNE from the third week of August until the first weekend in September). The discount is for the PNE, not Playland.

TIP #7: Some people love the old wooden and rickety roller coaster, and some people don’t. It’s a “classic” (i.e. antique), so don’t say you haven’t been warned!

Visit the PNE/Playland website for tickets and full details about the amusement park.