B.C. Lions open upper deck for Week 7 game against Saskatchewan Roughriders

Photo courtesy: Jeff Vinnick/B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions have opened the upper deck at BC Place Stadium for their July 19 game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Starting in 2023, the Lions branded their annual home game against Saskatchewan as the “Watermelon Smash.” Fans from both teams are invited to the Terry Fox Plaza before the game to compete in a watermelon eating contest.

“Watermelon Smash has become one of our great summer traditions with passionate fans on both sides embracing all of the excitement,” said Lions president Duane Vienneau in a statement. “We love the passion of our great Lions fans who always clutch up with our Rider counterparts in town to support their team.”

The Lions have won both editions of the Watermelon Smash to date, winning 35-20 in 2024 and 19-9 in 2023.

A club spokesperson has previously indicated to 3DownNation that the lower bowl at BC Place Stadium seats approximately 25,500 fans, so it would appear the crowd is at or near that figure with over a week for further ticket sales.

B.C. hosted a crowd of 52,837 for its season-opener against the Edmonton Elks as Snoop Dogg performed before kickoff. There were 20,138 fans in attendance in Week 3 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Lions averaged attendance of 26,883 last season, ranking third in the CFL.

The B.C. Lions (2-3) will visit the Edmonton Elks (1-3) at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday, July 13 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. B.C. is coming off a 21-20 walk-off win over the Montreal Alouettes, while Edmonton got its first win of the season in a 39-33 home victory of the Ottawa Redblacks.

The weather forecast calls for a high of 24 degrees and a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada and on CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 730 CKNW in Vancouver and 880 CHED in Edmonton.