Monster Jam is a monster truck show that takes place at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum at the Pacific National Exhibition in both the spring and fall.

The event usually happens around Spring Break in March and around Thanksgiving in October. In 2024 the autumn show happens on the last weekend of September, so a bit earlier than usual. Other events that same weekend include the White Rock Night Market and Riverfest in New Westminster (both of which are free). There is also the Battle of the Brush art competition, Vancouver International Film Festival, and haunted house attractions like Dreadworks in Surrey as well as Maan Farms Haunted Mazes and Reapers Maze of Terror in the Fraser Valley.

To learn about everything happening on the last weekend in September, see our September Calendar of Events. To learn about Monster Jam, continue reading.

This article contains the following information about Monster Jam:

Monster Jam in Vancouver in 2024

In the spring of 2024 Monster Jam happened on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of March 8th to 10th at the PNE in the Pacific Coliseum. The show takes place at the same venue on September 28th and 29th.

Featuring an array of monster trucks, there are two shows on the Saturday and one on the Sunday at the fall event in 2024. The Saturday shows start at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm while the Sunday show starts at 1:00 pm.

Before the first Saturday show and the show on Sunday there is a “Pit Party” starting at 10:30 am. It runs for about an hour and that’s when 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 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 usually vote from their phones for the winners of the two-wheel skills, donuts and freestyle competitions.

Earth Shaker Jumping at Monster Jam — Earth Shaker at Monster Jam

Monster Jam Ticket Prices

Ticket prices for the 2024 event depend on where you sit in the arena and how close you want to be to the monster trucks. The prices in the fall range from about $22 to $95 for each of the shows (plus taxes and online fees). (Note: The extra fees alone range between about $16 and over $25 per ticket.)

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.

For tickets to the event, see the Monster Jam website.

Where Does Monster Jam Take Place?

Monster Jam happens at the Pacific Coliseum at the PNE. The venue’s address is 2901 East Hastings Street. Access to the Coliseum is on Renfrew Street. That’s also where you’ll find parking, which costs $25 or so.

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, which is 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.

Monster Jam Trucks & Drivers

At the Monster Jam event there are a variety of trucks with unique names and decorations. Below are the featured trucks for the fall 2024 shows. (NOTE: Trucks and drivers are subject to change.)

Grave Digger – driven by Weston Anderson
Great Clips Mohawk Warrior – driven by Bryce Kenny
El Toro Loco – driven by Fernando Martinez
Megalodon – driven by Ashley Sanford
Earth Shaker – driven by Joe Urie
Monster Mutt Rottweiler – driven by Carson Williams
Velociraptor – driven by Devin Winfield
Jurassic Attack – driven by Tim Hall Jr.

For tickets to the event, see the Monster Jam website.

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 saw a number of other people who did the same. Less than a quarter of attendees wore ear plugs, but it was both children and adults. Some kids even wore industrial-type ear protectors! It was loud, but also a lot of fun! Wow did we ever have a blast!

What Happens at the Show?

At the event that we saw there were four different monster truck competitions, plus a motocross bike jumping show around halfway through. There was a monster truck speed race, a two-wheel competition, a donut competition and a freestyle event. There were also a couple of 15-minute intermissions to facilitate setting up and taking down the jump and landing ramp for the motocross freestyle exhibition.

The First Half of the Monster Truck Show

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

The second competition was even more impressive. This is where the trucks had to balance and drive around on two 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 two-wheel competition there was a 15-minute intermission to give the audience a chance to replenish their refreshments and use the washrooms. 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 we saw 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 out dirt all over the place). It was pretty cool!

Next came the finale – the freestyle competition – where each of the truck drivers 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, the audience 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 10 minutes after the event started, everything was over. It was a fun and exciting couple of hours! 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 32nd year in 2024. 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.

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. 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 a toy of his from years ago!

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

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

Tips & Advice

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’s 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.