It is a jam-packed weekend of sports activities in Vancouver, with three main league video games going down downtown.

The festivities started Saturday with soccer followers gathering in Terry Fox Plaza for a tailgate social gathering earlier than the BC Lions recreation.

The Lions beat the Calgary Stampeders 41-30 in entrance of a crowd of 30,149 to punch their ticket to the CFL’s Western Final.

Next door at Rogers Arena, the Vancouver Canucks dropped the puck in opposition to Dallas at 7 p.m.

The doubleheader of NHL and CFL video games on the identical day is a uncommon prevalence.

“We got here to see the Canucks recreation, however we noticed the BC Lions playoff recreation was on, so we determined to go to each video games,” mentioned Brad Troop, who drove six hours for the back-to-back video games.

“It’s unbelievable, two occasions on at some point. You do not see that.”

“I’ve been a Lions fan since about ’69,” mentioned Clarence Juillette, who’s held season tickets to the staff since 2011.

“We’ve been to about six Grey Cups together.”

The final time the Lions received the Grey Cup was in 2011.

One fortunate fan was additionally capable of win massive Saturday, with the group giving out a pair of tickets to one in every of Taylor Swift’s not too long ago introduced concert events at BC Place subsequent December.

On Sunday, the Vancouver Whitecaps take the sector for a playoff recreation of their very own.

The busy weekend isn’t simply thrilling for sports activities fans, however for downtown companies as nicely.

“The financial impression of those occasions is basically essential to our companies, to our eating places, to town usually,” mentioned Jane Talbot, CEO of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association.

“We have three big games happening and there’s a lot to celebrate.”