Live Nation Entertainment has unveiled plans for a new 50,000-seat stadium in north Toronto to host top global music acts.
Rogers Stadium, to be built on a former runway, will open in June 2025 on former Downsview Airport lands earlier slated to host a giant film studio complex. Live Nation is partnering with Northcrest Developments after it shelved plans for the film studio on a 370 acre site formerly used by Downsview Airport.
The property developer has an option to revive plans for a film studio development in the future. The outdoor Rogers Stadium will be built on the north end of the runway, not where the film studio was planned.
“This was a natural response to an unprecedented amount of stadium-level artists on the road today, we now have another home for them to perform,” Erik Hoffman, president of music at Live Nation Canada, told a press conference in Toronto on Thursday.
Hoffman added Toronto’s rising profile as a destination for major pop music artists and rock bands has been been built up in part due to the contribution of hometown artists like Drake and The Weeknd. “Today’s announcement embodies exactly where Toronto sits on the global stage,” he argued.
Live Nation will continue to host summer concerts at the Rogers Centre in the city’s downtown core. Northcrest, the lead developer, bought the former Downsview airport lands from Bombardier in 2018, and has also planned residential and retail developments on the property just north of downtown Toronto.
Rogers Communications, the Canadian media giant, will have naming rights on the new concert venue. “We’re excited about the opportunity to strengthen not just Toronto, but Canada’s entertainment and cultural industries, together with Live Nation, Northcrest Developments and our government partners,” Tony Staffieri, CEO of Rogers Communications, told the press conference.