From free transit to a fan zone ferris wheel: a sneak peek at Toronto's Rogers Stadium ahead of 1st show
TORONTO – Live Nation Canada is offering a first look at a new open-air music venue set to host some of the world's biggest acts this summer.
A tour of the expansive 50,000-capacity Rogers Stadium at Downsview Park in North York showed blue plastic chairs lining the edge of the venue's bowl, and a stripped-down stage ready to be retrofitted to an artist's needs.
Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected for a string of 14 concerts running through September, starting Sunday with K-pop group Stray Kids.
A ferris wheel anchors the fan zone, where concertgoers can buy food and drinks from vendors, or visit two private eateries that require reservations.
Live Nation President of Music Erik Hoffman says a stadium of this size is 'a need' for the city and will inject $100 million into the local economy.
Metrolinx and TTC will both offer free rides from Downsview Station, which is about 10 minutes from the stadium.
While the two August shows by Brit rockers Oasis are sold out, tickets to Coldplay's four nights in July are available through re-sale and vary in price from several hundred dollars to more than $1,500.
Hoffman says ticket prices are set by artists who charge 'what they have to' to put on a large-scale show.
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Although Thursday's tour was dampened by rain, Live Nation representatives say events will proceed on rain or shine, just like any festival experience.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025.
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Downsview Park venue opens Sunday with concert by South Korean boy band Stray Kids Members of the media got a sneak peek at Toronto's newest music venue, Rogers Stadium, at Downsview Park in the North York area of Toronto, on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk / Toronto Sun Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. If you build it, they will come. Live Nation Canada apparently took a cue from Field of Dreams when it came to building Toronto's newest seasonal outdoor music venue — the 50,000-seat Rogers Stadium at Downsview Park. The venue opens Sunday with a concert by South Korean boy band Stray Kids before hosting two of the biggest British bands in the world — four shows by Coldplay in July and two by the reunited Oasis in August — among others for a total of 14 shows in its inaugural season. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account One month from today, we'll be living a lot of firsts:🎤 First show at Rogers Stadium 🇨🇦 First time @Stray_Kids perform in Canada 🔥 First time hearing dominATE live The countdown starts NOW. What was the first Stray Kids song that made you a fan? Drop it below ⬇️ — RogersStadium (@Rogers_Stadium) May 29, 2025 It's expected to inject between $80 million and $100 million into the local economy. 'I'm so excited for people to see it,' said Erik Hoffman, president of music at Live Nation Canada. 'This project, over just about anything else that we've ever done, has brought this curiosity factor. When's the last time we built a stadium? Well, how about when was the last time a stadium was built for music only. It's never happened (here).' A tour around the grounds Thursday during a rainstorm — plastic ponchos will be sold on the grounds — showed off the stadium's impressive blue grandstands, which reach as high as row 54 and can hold 37,000 seats, while general admission and seats on the floor (depending on the show) can handle 18,000 people. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A view of the stage as members of the media got a sneak peek at Toronto's newest music venue, Rogers Stadium, at Downsview Park in the North York area of Toronto, on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk / Toronto Sun Then there's the enormous stage measuring 168 feet wide by 72 feet long for the Stray Kids show. 'The beautiful part of this is that we built it from the ground up and we're a bunch of production and music people who know what it's like to go into sports (venues) and try to facilitate a concert,' said Live Nation Canada vice-president of operations Nathalie Burri, who conducted the tour. 'And sometimes it's challenging to fit within the confines of that. So the experience is paramount.' For fans, that means getting to the venue via three TTC stations (Downsview Park, Sheppard West, Wilson), free TTC and GO Transit rides after concerts throughout the summer courtesy of Live Nation Canada, three separate entrances — the main gate, the Rogers customers and American Express gates — a free Ferris wheel, the Sirius-XM Stage featuring up-and-coming Canadian acts, a new 5G network set up for social media posting and over 600 washrooms. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A view from the stage as members of the media got a sneak peek at Toronto's newest music venue, Rogers Stadium, at Downsview Park in the North York area of Toronto, on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk / Toronto Sun There is no on-site public parking, but there are pickup and drop-off areas with the gates opening at 4:30 p.m. for most shows followed by an 11 p.m. curfew. It's a cashless venue and there are food and beverages available both outside and inside the venue to be provided by Liberty Oak Hospitality. There will be more than 100 concession stands, two 250-seat restaurants, 24 VIP boxes, the 175-seat Birkenstock Lounge and between 40-50 food trucks (including Randy's Patties) that will rotate. 'We hired 900 people two weeks ago and 80% of them are from the local community,' said Nick DiDonato, president of Liberty Entertainment Group. 'So kids in the area and North York, who are going to be able to walk to work. And most of those people, (this) will be their first job or a summer job and this experience will stay with them for their lives.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Right now, Rogers Stadium has a five-year lease to operate within 55 of the 370 acres available at Downsview Park. 'It is temporary,' said Burri. 'So everything you see here actually at the end of September is going to come down.' Beyond that, Hoffman is happy that bands that couldn't play in Toronto over a lack of availability at Rogers Centre can now come north to Rogers Stadium. 'This project is about filling a large global need for stadium acts,' he said. 'These shows, without question — Oasis, Coldplay, System of a Down with Deftones, definitely Blackpink — none of those would have come to Toronto had we not built this. That I can say without question.' Read More Canadian concert tours: Hottest tickets in 2025 Oasis: From clash to cash Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances. Toronto Raptors Canada Celebrity Canada Canada
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A photograph of the brand new 50000 seat Rogers Stadium front gates for concerts in Toronto on Thursday, June 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette Fans heading home from a concert at Toronto's newest concert venue this summer will be able to ride the TTC and GO Transit for free. City and provincial officials made the announcement on Thursday during a media tour of Rogers Stadium, the largest purpose-built outdoor concert venue in Toronto. With limited parking on the site, fans are urged to use public transit to get to Rogers Stadium, as it is about a 10-minute walk from Downsview Park TTC and GO Station. Concertgoers can also get off at Sheppard West Station and Wilson Station as alternatives. The temporary, open-air venue, which has a capacity to host 50,000 people, is located at the former Downsview airport. Rogers Stadium shouldn't be confused with Rogers Centre, which is located downtown. Rogers Stadium People stand on the stage at the brand new 50000 seat concert venue, Rogers Stadium, in Toronto, Thursday, June 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette (Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS) It will open its doors for the first time on Sunday when K-pop group Stray Kids brings their Dominate World Tour to Toronto. GO Transit says it will add three southbound Barrie Line trains from Downsview Park GO to Union Station on Sunday to help fans get home. Meanwhile, the TTC says it will roll out extra subway trains based on crowd size. Other music acts set to perform at Rogers Stadium include Oasis, Coldplay, Hozier and Blackpink. During Thursday's announcement, Ontario Premier Doug Ford invited Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow on a date to one of the upcoming concerts, touting their 'phenomenal' working relationship. 'Come to Rogers Stadium and we're going to have a great time. And I'll be there with the mayor one of these concerts. You pick the concert, mayor, okay, and I'll take you along there,' Ford quipped. The stadium is expected to operate in the summer months and will eventually be demolished as the area will be turned into a $30-billion mixed-use urban space over the next three decades. With files from Phil Tsekouras
