A bold new era for Hamilton’s downtown
TD Coliseum offers a world-class experience for artists and fans in a reimagined, music-first venue that no longer feels like an arena.
The only thing left is for Sir Paul McCartney to take the stage and officially kick off the next chapter of Hamilton’s downtown concert venue and sports arena.
Media tours are done. The ceremonial ribbon has been cut. And TD Coliseum has had a practice run-through for what was billed as a “friends and family” VIP concert featuring Earth, Wind and Fire.
When the 83-year-old Beatle frontman hits the stage for stop on his Got Back tour on Friday night, he’ll be the first of 18 musical acts already announced for the roughly 18,000-seat venue that has undergone a $300-million transformation.
That word might seem an overstatement. But it’s not. Once inside, the place is virtually unrecognizable from the concrete-first former Copps Coliseum and FirstOntario Centre. At 40 years old, the venue feels entirely new.
What was once a true hockey arena with tens of thousands of square feet of unused space, is now a beautifully designed venue where every foot is utilized.
“The region needed a second big building,” said Chris Granger, interim CEO of venue developer Oak View Group (OVG), after a ribbon-cutting Thursday that drew Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath and officials from venue partner Live Nation and lead sponsor TD Bank.
“There's, as we all know, such an increase in touring right now, such an increase in demand for live entertainment, so to not have a second major world-class building in the market was a tragedy. To do it in Hamilton, where the people are so hard working and industrious and have such an appreciation for live music, this is a perfect setup for us.”
OVG has managed this renovation and will operate the arena going forward. Renovating an existing facility with a large downtown footprint is the sustainable and smarter way forward, says Granger. The project was designed by Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects and constructed by EllisDon.
“To be able to give a reimagination of the space and a reimagination of the building, I think it adds to the story of the building, and it adds to the connection between generations within the city. I met a woman two nights ago who said her first concert was in this building, and on Friday, she's bringing her daughter to her first concert in this building, which I just love,” he said.
A world class venue
The building is the same size it’s always been, but it feels much bigger now.
“In 1985, this opened as a full-size NHL-capacity arena but it never had all its space unlocked,” said Paul Young, senior vice president of project management during a tour for media outlets on Wednesday. “There was only one concourse, so whether you had upper, middle or floor seats, you came to the one concourse.”
There are three concourses where there once was just one. That means three levels of concessions and washrooms that reduces the needs to climb up and down stairs to seats, while broadening food choices and cutting down lines.
TD Coliseum goes well beyond the de rigeur hotdogs and French fries of an arena. There are numerous eating options now, including celebrity chef Matty Matheson’s Matty’s Patty’s and Rizzo’s Parm (just the second location for each eatery), the first Canadian location of Big Chicken, the fried chicken chain owned by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, and concessions dedicated to dipped sandwiches, Asian street food, Mexican and pizza.
There are self-serve markets that scan your credit card on the way in and automatically charge you for what you take out. In fact, the whole venue is now cash-free.
There are 24 sleek private boxes, including nine at floor-level, which aren’t found in any other arena anywhere in the world, according to Oak View Group officials. The 15 VIP suites on the second level, which existed in the previous venue, now have seats that extend out front. That required building an overhang over the lower bowl.
There are five members-only premium spaces, including the gorgeously colourful TD Lounge on the floor-level concourse, Rogers Club, with a massive bar and dedicated seats in the second-level of the bowl, and the Vinyl Room that is adorned with records and music posters and feels like the funkiest rec room you’ve ever seen.
Virtually all the premium boxes and memberships are sold.
The bowl, including the seats and the ceiling, are black now, adding to the upscale feel. The venue once featured distinctive orange, yellow and red seats. There are now direct passageways into the bowl (called vomitories — who knew?) from the second level, vastly improving seat access.
If you need the box office, that’s been moved to the corner of Bay and York (where the old Hamilton Bulldogs offices once were).
In terms of what artists and promoters care about, a sound consultant designed sound baffles in the ceiling and bass traps to make the space acoustically pleasing. The ceiling rigging system and the load-in and load-out facilities have been improved to make set up and take down faster and safer.
And what’s been dubbed the Artist Compound features five private dressing rooms that look like luxury hotel rooms, along with a lounge gathering space with stylish, Hamilton-centric art, large fridges and comfy furniture. This is a long, long way from setting up curtains in a hockey dressing room for performers.
There are also production offices and a lounge space for crew members.
“I have been involved in nine arenas and this is on par with the best in the world,” Young says while guiding a media tour. “Most arenas have nothing like it.”
The TD Lounge on the event level. 
Event-level gathering spaces. 
A second-level private suite. 
The event-level Vinyl Room. 
The event-level Vinyl Room. 
The event-level Vinyl Room. 
The Rogers Lounge is on the third concourse. 
The House of Peroni lounge is a second level premium space.
It should be noted that sports locker rooms are at the other end of the lower concourse from the Artist Compound. The Toronto Rock will play their first home game in the new venue on Dec. 13. A Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) neutral-site game between the Toronto Sceptres and the Seattle Torrent is coming Jan. 3.
A new, four-sided scoreboard will be lowered for games and raised into the rafters for concerts.
Oak View Group officials have said they are focused on bringing some level of professional hockey back to Hamilton but no timeline has been publicly talked about.
“Obviously, we built the building with an eye towards hockey,” said OVG’s Granger. “So more to come on that one, but we would not be doing the building the correct service had we not thought about or contemplated ultimately having hockey here for sure.”
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749 days later
It was 749 days ago when the groundbreaking on the building happened, TD Coliseum general manager Nick DeLuco reminded the crowd at the ribbon-cutting.
“We stood here talking about a vision, a dream of what this venue was going to become, and now it's real. I want to say thank you to everybody involved in this project, from start to finish, whether it be the City, our project management team, everybody at OVG. We truly believe we built a venue that is world class, something for Hamilton to be proud of, something for the region to surround itself with and come to events and live entertainment here.”
Raymond Chun, group president and chief executive officer of TD Bank Group, says the bank is focused on supporting experiences that matter.
“I think these days, in a world where we often do feel far apart from one another, what I've always said is that live music brings people closer together. There is nothing like it that I know of. It breaks down barriers, it fosters community, creates memories that last a lifetime, and that is part of our promise at TD Bank to all of those we serve.”
Horwath said the day marks a bold new chapter in a "reborn landmark that reflects the confidence, the ambition and the momentum that continues to define our city."
It will be a key part of a broader strategy to revitalize Hamilton's downtown.
"Because when we invest in our core, the beating heart of every city, we become stronger, more vibrant and more resilient. The benefits ripple outwards, supporting local restaurants, shops, hotels, galleries and creating jobs and growing the number of people choosing to live, work, learn and innovate here, which secures a bright future for Hamilton.”
The importance of filling this anchor venue with music and sports fans from within Hamilton and beyond night after night can’t be overstated for downtown restaurants, retailers, hotels, and other cultural institutions, such as the Art Gallery of Hamilton, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and Theatre Aquarius.
“These buildings are catalytic in all cases. It drives economic activity in and around the building,” said Granger. “It certainly drives out-of-towners to come into the city and spend money in the city. It drives hotel nights, but it also drives civic pride, and it drives confidence when people know that they have an act like Paul McCartney coming to their city. And it's that confidence, and it's that civic spirit or civic pride, that I think then engenders more entrepreneurial spirit. So it's not just about the direct economic activity. I think it's also about the psyche that a project like this creates. So we're really excited to see what happens next.”
The next chapter for TD Coliseum is Matheson’s new Iron Cow Public House, at the east end of the arena on York Boulevard. It will open in mid-December and according to a press release, it “celebrates hearty meals, classic British staples, and the convivial energy that defines pub culture. Designed for those stopping in for a pre-show pint to families gathering around Sunday roasts.
“The Iron Cow captures the soul of the traditional British pub, but through our lens,” says culinary director, Chef Coulson Armstrong. “It’s about taking what people already love about pub culture and making it uniquely Canadian.”
The 150-seat restaurant features three spaces: a main dining room and bar, an private dining room, and The CAF, a tucked-away nook for 15–20 guests complete with its own bar, darts and pool table.
It will be open from Tuesday to Sunday, whether or not the arena has an event.
Upcoming shows include MGK (Dec. 8), Andrea Bocelli (Dec. 9), Brad Paisley (Dec. 12) and the Jonas Brothers (Dec. 14). Musical highlights for 2026 so far include The Offspring (Feb. 13), Nine Inch Nails (Feb. 18), TWICE (March 6 and 7), Journey (March 9), Rod Stewart (March 10), the JUNO Awards (March 29), Cardi B (March 31) and the Guess Who (June 1).
TD Coliseum: By the numbers
Total investment: $300 million
Total square footage: 463,300 sq. ft.
Capacity: 18,000+, (lower for concerts)
Suites: 24 including nine floor suites
Washrooms: 67
Concession stands: 29
Automated grab & go markets: 8
Bars: 18
Full-service restaurant: 1 (Iron Cow Public House)
Premium clubs/lounges: 5
