Drawing on editorial insight and hard data from Billboard Boxscore, the Toronto stadium and waterfront venue secure the only Canadian entries on the list.
Balancing editorial insight and hard data from Billboard Boxscore, the global list showcases 28 venues that are defining today’s live music experience — from stadiums and arenas to open-air amphitheatres and intimate clubs.
The intentionally unranked 2026 list highlights two Canadian venues: Rogers Centre is the top Canadian stadium, while RBC Amphitheatre is named the top Canadian amphitheatre. Last year, Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena was the sole Canadian entry, representing the top Canadian arena, but it’s not present on 2026’s directory.
“Known for its signature retractable dome — one of the few at a stadium in North America — Rogers Centre allows artists to tailor their shows with flexible stage configurations,” Dave Brooks writes in the list entry.
advertisement
At a 49,282 capacity, the Toronto stadium and home of the Blue Jays baseball team — not to be confused with Rogers Stadium — has hosted some of the biggest artists, including The Weeknd, who set a record for performing the most shows by a Canadian male artist last August. Over two weekends, he completed four sold-out dates at the venue he still calls by its classic name, SkyDome. The year prior, Taylor Swift snagged six sold-out nights at the venue across two weekends in November, playing to over 240,000 concertgoers and bringing the city $39.7 million from direct and indirect spending.
Other notable shows at the venue include the sibling trio Jonas Brothers, country juggernaut Morgan Wallen and pop-punk band My Chemical Romance.
“Recent renovations have improved sightlines, upgraded concessions and enhanced production versatility. Touring professionals respect its dependable infrastructure while locals love its prime downtown location — steps from the CN Tower and Toronto’s bustling entertainment district, where music, dining and nightlife connect for one seamless experience,” Brooks writes.
advertisement
A new name (but older venue) is also making the list.
Back in October, Live Nation Canada and RBC announced a multi-year partnership to expand the city’s waterfront venue — starting by replacing its former name, Budweiser Stage — as the bank takes over the title sponsorship of the event space.
With stellar views of the Toronto skyline, the beloved concert venue — built on the site of the old Ontario Place Forum — opened in the mid-1990s and was known as Molson Amphitheatre before it was renamed Budweiser Stage in 2017.
Embarking on renovations, the now-15,000 capacity event space will elevate its indoor and outdoor offerings, including an expanded summer-season capacity and approximately 9,000 seats in the winter, with seats and an open-air lawn section from May to October. The city skyline views will remain central to the venue’s identity.
The venue will close for renovations in the fall of 2027 and reopen in spring 2029, with its full year-round transformation complete by summer 2030. With the proposed changes and transformation, RBC Amphitheatre is set to significantly increase its show count, hosting over 1.5 million fans annually.
"I think we have to continue to invest in cultural infrastructure so that we can accommodate these shows," Wayne Zronik, president of business operations at Live Nation Canada, told Billboard Canada. "The Amphitheatre is 30 years old; by the time this is done, it would have been 35. You have to revitalize these things."
advertisement
The schedule for the newly-renamed venue is already filling up, including shows from pop-R&B singer Khalid, chart-topping artist Alex Warren, metal rock quintet Evanescence, 2010s hitmaker Pitbull and the second edition of female and queer-led music festival All Things Go Toronto.
