BC Lions host Roughriders on Halloween after averaging 24,484 fans at BC Place

The BC Lions will play a home playoff game on Halloween, and the party starts well before the 1:30 p.m. kickoff. Tailgating at the Plaza of Nations on Saturday will include trick-or-treating for kids, ahead of the Lions' West Semi-Final against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at BC Place.

The Lions finished the regular season 10-8. It is the fourth time in five years they have hosted the West Semi-Final, and two of the earlier home playoff games drew crowds of more than 30,000, according to Daily Hive Vancouver.

For fans deciding whether to go, the regular-season crowds offer a guide. The Lions averaged 24,484 at BC Place this season, third-best in the CFL behind only Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. Technically, that is a 9.4 per cent decline from the 2025 average of 27,028, but Daily Hive called the comparison "a bit misleading."

The reason is last year's home opener. A Lions win over the Edmonton Elks, with a Snoop Dogg pre-game concert, drew 52,837 fans and pulled the 2025 average up. Without that game, the Lions averaged 23,801 in 2025, below this year's figure.

This season's schedule had its own quirk. Because of the FIFA World Cup in Vancouver, BC Place was unavailable for the Lions' first two home games, which were played at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna in front of crowds north of 19,000. The 24,484 average covers BC Place games only. Counting the Kelowna games in both 2025 and 2026, overall attendance dropped 1.6 per cent to an average of 22,570, according to CFL Stats Geek.

Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke told Daily Hive that hosting a playoff game in the West, in front of home fans, is a big deal.