Earth Shaker Jumping at Monster Jam

Monster Jam is a monster truck show that usually takes place at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver around the school Spring Break in March.

The Vancouver event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but happened last year. It’s back again in 2023 from March 17th to 19th.

Other great events happening in Vancouver at the same time as Monster Jam this year include Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. in Burnaby and SYNCRA City in Vancouver. Both of those are awesome! That same weekend is also when lots of Irish-themed events happen too, including a Saint Patrick’s Day Boat Party and free CelticFest concerts and other activities outside the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Monster Jam in Vancouver in 2023

In 2023 Monster Jam happens on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of March 17th to 19th at the PNE in the Pacific Coliseum. Featuring an array of monster trucks, there are two shows on the Saturday and one each on the Friday and Sunday.

The 2023 edition of Monster Jam is a three-day event. There are shows at 6:00 pm on the Friday and Saturday, and shows at noon on the Saturday and Sunday.

Before both of the 12:00 pm shows there is a ‘Pit Party’ starting at 10:30 am which runs for about an hour. During the Pit Party, visitors can get close to the monster trucks, meet the drivers and take pictures.

Pit Party Passes must be purchased separately as they are not included with regular general admission. This earlier part of the event costs about an additional $20, with a regular ticket to the main show required in addition to that of the Pit Party.

During every show there are a variety of competitions planned including freestyle, two-wheel skills, donuts and racing. The audience can vote from their smartphones for the winners of the two-wheel skills, donuts and freestyle competitions.

Monster Jam Ticket Prices

Ticket prices depend on where you sit in the arena and how close you want to be to the monster trucks. The prices in 2023 range from about $26 to $90 for each of the three shows (plus taxes and online fees). As stated above, if you want to come before an early afternoon show for the Pit Party you have to buy an additional Pit Party Pass for $20.

Where Does Monster Jam Take Place?

Monster Jam usually happens at the Pacific Coliseum at the PNE. The venue’s address is 2901 East Hastings Street. Access to the coliseum is off Renfrew Street. That’s also where you’ll find parking (for $20 or so) in addition to various other places around the property.

The Pacific Coliseum is an ice rink in winter and an event venue at other times of the year. For Monster Jam, the floor area gets covered in dirt, and lots of it, and it gets piled in a huge mound in the middle of the arena. Lower seats at the venue get covered with a tarp and aren’t used by audience members for safety reasons.

SPRING BREAK IN VANCOUVER

For a list of other events taking place in the Lower Mainland during the school holidays in March see our article about Vancouver at Spring Break. Top activities include performances by Shen Yun (a performing arts group based out of the United States) and FlyOver Canada shows at Canada Place. There are also outdoor adventure games with Vancouver Mysteries.

Also taking place this time of year in 2023 is Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. which is an awesome superhero-themed attraction in Burnaby. It runs from March 3rd until May 28th. SYNCRA City will also likely still be in town. It’s an immersive electronic dance music experience in Vancouver.

2023 Monster Jam Trucks & Drivers

At the Monster Jam event there is a variety of trucks with unique names and decorations. Below are the featured trucks for 2023. (Note: Trucks and drivers are subject to change.)

Grave Digger – driven by Tyler Menninga
Megalodon – driven by Cory Rummell
El Toro Loco – driven by Mark List)
Monster Mutt – driven by Chris Koehler
Lucas Stabilizer – driven by Cynthai Cauthier
Avenger – driven by Jim Koehler
Axe – driven by Joe Foley

Other trucks that participated in the event in Vancouver last year included Earth Shaker, Jailbird, Jurassic Attack, Nitro Menace, Rockwell Red, and Scooby-Doo.

Megalodon Monster Truck — Megalodon at the Pacific Coliseum

What to Expect

We attended a Monster Jam event at the Pacific Coliseum at the PNE and had a great time. It was both fun and exciting. The event we saw was in March of 2022 which was the first time the show had been in Vancouver for over two years.

Adults as well as lots of young families attend the events. We knew it was going to be loud and so took ear plugs just in case. We were glad we did, and surprised at the number of other people who did the same. Less than a quarter of attendees wore ear plugs, but it wasn’t just children. A fair number of adults did too. Some kids even wore industrial-type ear protectors!

What Happens at the Show?

At the event that we saw there were four different competitions plus a motocross bike jumping show at around half time. There was a monster truck speed race, 2-wheel competition, donut competition and freestyle event. There were also a couple of 15-minute intermissions while they set up and took down the jump and landing ramp for the motocross freestyle exhibition.

Grave Digger Monster Truck on 2 Wheels — Grave Digger on Two Wheels

The First Half of the Monster Truck Show

The event we attended started right on time. After the singing of Oh Canada the speed racing began. Two monster trucks raced around the track at a time.

The second competition was even more impressive. At it the trucks had to balance and drive around on 2 wheels. Sometimes they were on their front tires, sometimes on their back tires and occasionally they were able to bounce back and forth from one set of tires to the other. The balancing abilities of these drivers and their machines were amazing!

Intermission and Motocross Event

After the 2-wheel competition there was a 15-minute intermission which gave audience members a chance to replenish their refreshments and use the restrooms. It also allowed time for crews to set up the jump and giant inflatable landing ramp for the motocross event that happened next.

The motocross jumping exhibition was excellent. Wow! Could the bikers ever jump! This event complemented the other elements of the show nicely and was a great addition. It added a bit of diversity and a different kind of action.

Motocross Bike Stunts — Motocross Stunts at Monster Jam

More Monster Truck Competitions

After a second 15-minute intermission, the third monster truck event was the donut competition. Here the vehicles took turns doing donuts (not eating them) at different ends of the arena. Some of them managed to spin around in circles like superstar figure skaters on ice (but giant ones churning dirt out all over the place)! It was pretty cool!

Next came the finale – the freestyle competition – where each of the trucks got about a minute to show off their finest skills. This event featured jumps, balancing acts and even a full flip by one of the trucks! This round was definitely the highlight of the night!

Throughout the evening, after each event, audience members got the chance to give competitors a score out of 10 using their phones via an online website. Moments later the result was announced based on the average of everyone’s opinion. At the end of the night the results were tallied and the winner announced. At our event first place went to Grave Digger.

Two hours and ten minutes after the event started, everything was over. It was a fun and exciting 130 minutes! We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

Scooby-Doo Monster Truck Handstand — Scooby-Doo at Monster Jam

About Monster Jam

Monster Jam is a monster truck event that celebrates its 31st year in 2023. It’s a live motorsport event that tours North America with giant souped-up vehicles with massive tires and incredibly springy shocks.

The event is run by the Florida-based company Feld Entertainment which also manages events like Disney on Ice, Marvel Universe Live, Jurassic World and Sesame Street Live.

Monster Jam tours the continent every year. It stops in numerous cities including Vancouver. The events take place in medium-sized sports arenas as well as massive stadiums. Typically, the larger the venue, the bigger and more spectacular the jumps and the tricks.

Kind of similar to WWE wrestling events, the shows feature well-known stars that compete regularly, except they are vehicles with personalities instead of muscular actors. Celebrity vehicles in the Monster Jam world include Blue Thunder, El Toro Loco, Grave Digger, Max-D, Monster Mutt and Scooby-Doo, among others. Different vehicles appear at different events and drivers of particular machines aren’t always the same.

The machines have huge wheels and fancy designs (including shark, dog, dinosaur and other shapes and decorations). Even if you haven’t been to a monster truck event yourself, you might have seen replicas of Monster Jam vehicles at toy stores or in your kids’ bin of Hot Wheels cars. One of us recognized the Grave Digger truck as one of his toys from years ago!

The events are fun, entertaining, family-friendly and loud!

THE CIRCUS IS COMING!

Looking for other fun, family-friendly events to attend with your kids? Then also be sure to check out the Royal Canadian International Circus. It visits Metro Vancouver in 2023 between May 4th and may 22nd. (TIP: With this event, if you use the promo code VANSBESTPLACES you can get 2-for-1 pricing when purchasing general admission tickets online.)

Tips and Suggestions

Below are some tips to help make this the best monster truck show experience for you.

TIP #1: Bring some earplugs with you if you have extra sensitive ears. Monster Trucks are known for being extremely loud so it is recommended that you protect your ears in some way. This is especially important if you have small children in your party.

TIP #2: If you’re super into monster trucks, get the Pit Party Pass so you can get up close and take some cool photos with the trucks and/or drivers.

TIP #3: Arrive early, especially if you plan to get food or drinks or go to the washroom before the show. The event usually starts right on time.