The following is a list of music venues in the City of Toronto. Toronto is one of the most toured cities in the world, with 85% of large world tours passing through the city between 2015 and 2023. [1] [2] Rogers Centre and Scotiabank Arena are the highest capacity venues in the city, and they host most of the shows by superstar artists. [1] Additionally, Toronto has the third largest concert market in the world, after New York and Los Angeles. [3]
Live Nation Canada owns many of the large and mid sized venues in Toronto, including Budweiser Stage, History, The Opera House, The Danforth Music Hall, and Velvet Underground. [4] This has been criticized by some as "monopolistic" and "big-footing". [4] Supporters believe Live Nation is a benefit as it acquires venues that may otherwise go out of business, but critics say their practices push out independent venues and smaller promoters. [4]
The following is an interactive map of Toronto's music venues with concert capacities greater than 1,000 people.
This section includes music venues with a capacity greater than 1,000 people. Defunct venues are not included.
Venue | Exterior image | Interior image | Max. capacity [lower-alpha 1] | Description | Year opened | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rogers Centre | 40,000 – 50,000 [5] | Large sports arena that can be reconfigured for concerts. [6] Previously known as the "skydome". [6] Since its design didn't have live acoustics in mind, sound quality can vary. [6] Accessible by a 10-minute-walk from Union Station [6] | 1989 | Entertainment District (1 Blue Jays Way) [6] | ||
Scotiabank Arena | 19,800 [7] | Multi-use arena that hosts concerts. The venue describes itself as having a "state-of-the-art" BOSE sound system. [7] In terms of ticket sales, Scotiabank Arena is the busiest concert venue in Canada, and thirteenth busiest in the world as of 2018. [8] Accessible through the nearby Union Station. [7] | 1999 | Entertainment District (40 Bay St) | ||
Budweiser Stage † | 17,000 [9] | Located on one of Ontario Place's artificial islands, Budweiser Stage is primarily a concert venue. [9] The venue consists of ringed sections. [9] The innermost area is enclosed and seats 5,000; the outermost ring is a grassy hill without seats, where smoking is allowed. [9] The sound quality is worsened in this section however, and improved in the inner seats. [9] Due to the closure of Ontario Place, parking is ample. [9] | 1995 | Ontario Place (909 Lake Shore Boulevard W) [9] | ||
CNE Bandshell † | 10,000 [10] | Entirely outdoor venue that hosts concerts part of the Canadian National Exhibition. [10] | 1936 [10] | Exhibition Place (60 Prince Edward Island Cr) | ||
Coca-Cola Coliseum | 4,100 – 9,200 [11] | A multi-use arena originally built for the Canadian National Exhibition. Can be accessed via Exhibition GO, as well, 5,000 parking spaces are available. [11] | 1921 | Exhibition Place (45 Manitoba Drive) | ||
Sobeys Stadium † | 9,100 [3] | Tennis arena located in the suburban York University campus. [3] As of the early 2020s, it was underutilized for tennis, causing it to be pivoted more towards concerts. [3] The venue can be accessed by the Pioneer Village subway station and has 7,000 parking spaces. [3] | 2004 | York University (1 Shoreham Dr) | ||
The Theatre at Great Canadian Toronto | 5,000 [12] | Entertainment venue located in Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, which is the largest casino in Canada. [12] The venue is run by Great Canadian Entertainment and located near Pearson airport and Highways 401 and 427. [3] | 2024 | Etobicoke (1133 Queens Plate Dr) | ||
RBC Echo Beach † | 4,000 | Entirely outdoor venue which is also located in Ontario Place. Concertgoers stand on beach sand and there is no cover, unlike Budweiser Stage. [13] | 2011 [13] | Ontario Place (909 Lake Shore Boulevard W) [13] | ||
Meridian Hall | 3,200 | Opened as O'Keefe Centre, renamed several times including Hummingbird Centre and Sony Centre. | 1960 | Downtown Toronto (1 Front Street East) | ||
Massey Hall | 2,700 [14] | Historic performing arts theatre. The hall is designated a National Historic Site of Canada, [15] and was specifically designed for high-quality acoustics, one reason why live albums are frequently recorded there. [16] | 1894 [17] | Downtown Toronto (178 Victoria Street) [17] | ||
Roy Thomson Hall | 2,600 | |||||
History | 2,600 [18] | Drake-owned venue which is almost completely standing-room only. [18] Food and alcohol are served by the bars surrounding the floor. [18] There are also a small amount of box and theatre style seats available. [18] | 2021 [18] | The Beaches (1663 Queen Street E) | ||
Rebel | 2,500 | 2016 | ||||
Elgin Theatre | 2,100 | 1913 | ||||
Four Seasons Centre | 2,000 | |||||
Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage† | 2,000 | Outdoor venue located on the waterfront. [19] It hosts free shows and music festivals. [19] | 1992 [20] | Harbourfront (235 Queens Quay W.) | ||
Convocation Hall | 1,700 | University of Toronto (31 King's College Circle) | ||||
Meridian Arts Centre | 1,700 [21] | 1993 [21] | North York (5040 Yonge St) | |||
Danforth Music Hall | 1,400 [22] | Originally built as a cinema theatre, the hall is designated as a heritage building. [22] It can be accessed via Broadview station on the Bloor–Danforth line. | 1919 [22] | Riverdale (147 Danforth Ave) [22] | ||
Winter Garden Theatre | 1,410 | 1913 | ||||
Phoenix Concert Theatre | 1,350 | |||||
Queen Elizabeth Theatre | 1,250 | 1956 | ||||
The Concert Hall | 1,200 | |||||
Koerner Hall | 1,100 | Concert hall part of the The Royal Conservatory of Music's Telus Centre for Performance and Learning. [23] Built for high-quality acoustics. [23] Accessible via St. George Station on the Bloor-Danforth line. [23] | 2009 | Yorkville (273 Bloor Street W) | ||
The symbol "†" denotes an outdoor venue. |
This section includes music venues with a capacity less than 1,000 people. Defunct venues are not included.
Venue | Capacity [lower-alpha 2] | Year built [lower-alpha 3] | Location | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Opera House | 800 | 1909 | Riverside (735 Queen St E) | [24] |
The El Mocambo | 650 | 1910 | Kensington Market (464 Spadina Ave) | [17] |
The Axis Club | 620 | 2002 | Little Italy (722 College St) | [25] |
Lee's Palace | 550 | 1919 | The Annex (529 Bloor St W) | [17] [26] |
Adelaide Hall | 550 | 2013 | Downtown Toronto (250 Adelaide St W) | [27] [28] |
Imperial Room | 500 | |||
The Great Hall | 480 | 1889 | Near Parkdale (1087 Queen St W) | [29] |
Velvet Underground | 440 | 1995 | Queen West (508 Queen St W) | [30] |
Horseshoe Tavern | 400 | 1947 | Downtown Toronto (370 Queen St W) | [31] [17] |
Lula Lounge | 340 | 2002 | Brockton Village (1585 Dundas St W) | [32] |
The Garrison | 270 | 2009 | Trinity-Bellwoods (1197 Dundas St W) | [33] |
The Rivoli | 240 | 1982 | Queen West (334 Queen Street W) | [34] |
Mazzoleni Concert Hall | 240 | 1901 | Yorkville (273 Bloor Street W) | [35] |
Hugh's Room | 200 | 1894 | East Chinatown (296 Broadview Ave) | [36] |
Sneaky Dee's | 200 | 1987 | Little Italy (431 College St) | [37] |
The Drake Hotel | 200 | 1890 | Near Parkdale (1150 Queen St W) | [38] |
918 Bathurst Centre (The Music Gallery) | 200 | 1976 | The Annex (918 Bathurst St) | [39] |
Bovine Sex Club | 200 | 1991 | Queen West (542 Queen St W) | [40] |
The Baby G | 170 | 2016 | Brockton Village (1608 Dundas St W) | [41] |
The Dakota Tavern | 130 | 2007 | Trinity-Bellwoods (249 Ossington Ave) | [42] |
The Monarch Tavern | 120 | 1910 | Little Italy (12 Clinton St) | [43] |
Free Times Cafe | 110 | 1980 | Kensington Market (320 College St) | [44] |
The Cameron House | 70 | 1896 | Queen West (408 Queen St W) | [32] [45] |
The Rex | Unknown | 1951 | Downtown Toronto (194 Queen St W) | [46] |
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. was a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s. He has been referred to as Canada's greatest songwriter, having several gold and multi-platinum albums and songs covered by some of the world's most renowned musical artists. Lightfoot's biographer Nicholas Jennings said, "His name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness."
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