Saturday night is always a busy night in downtown Vancouver, but a heavy date calendar for Saturday, Jan. 31 means larger crowds than usual on that evening.

What’s happening on January 31?

• A Vancouver Canucks game means 18,000+ expected at GM Place
• Monster Jam will likely bring another 30,000 to BC Place next door;
• three major live theatre events – Three Broadway Divas at the Orpheum, Carmen at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Vancouver Playhouse production – are expected to add another 6,500 people to the mix
• and 30,000 people will be coming to MissionsFest 2009 throughout the day at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, which wraps up for the evening at 10 pm.

So, Coast Mountain Bus Company will have Transit Supervisors on the scene in downtown Vancouver and in Surrey, and will be able to call in additional resources, as required.

And SkyTrain will run near-rush-hour service levels prior to the events, and will maintain the higher level of service until 11 pm to make sure the platforms are clear and no one is left behind.

To make things go a bit faster, you can pre-purchase return tickets at Stadium Station (valid until midnight) so they can bypass lineups at ticket vending machines. Having exact fare will also help speed up the process — you can check out our fare prices at the main TransLink site.

Also, because Stadium is the closest station to many of these events, be prepared for crowded conditions on that particular platform: you might want to consider leaving early, to avoid the rush.

For more information, please contact Customer Information at (604) 953-3333 or visit www.translink.bc.ca.