A quarter of the year has passed, which means concert season is almost here! After the long winter, I’m really looking forward to the warm weather, sunshine, and experiencing live music again. As a big concert fan, I’ve already got tickets for The Neighbourhood in April and Bruno Mars in May.
Bruno Mars’ highly anticipated tour will be stopping in Toronto at Rogers Stadium. If you haven’t heard of it yet, Rogers Stadium opened last summer at Downsview Park. It’s essentially a park, but other than the venue, it’s mostly open land. This venue was designed to be temporary, operating for only five years, to attract residents and set the stage for a future housing development.
For many, this year will mark their first show at Rogers Stadium. Whether you’re seeing Bruno Mars, BTS, or another artist yet to announce their tour, here is everything you need to know before heading to a show at Rogers Stadium this year.
The first show the Rogers Stadium opened with was Stray Kids, last June. As someone who is into K-pop, I have heard a lot from different fans’ perspectives on TikTok. I myself had two shows lined up at Rogers Centre a few weeks later – Coldplay and Blackpink. So having people who went to Stray Kids was good because I felt prepared for my first show at the venue – or so I thought. I went to Coldplay’s first night, the second show ever at Rogers’s stadium on July 7th, and while the show itself was phenomenal, I didn’t expect how getting to the venue would be.
Going with my younger sister, we debated whether to drive to the venue since it wasn’t too far from where we live, but parking is limited, and just getting there was a nightmare, so we opted to park at Highway 407 Station and head down to Downsview Station. Unless you plan on getting there bright and early, the best way to get there is to commute either by TTC or by GO Transit, taking the Barrie line from Union to Downsview Park. Downsview is essentially just land when getting there. When getting off the station, aside from the stadium being easy to spot, there are signs and staff along the way to help direct you.
People online would say they hated the walk because it was “so long,” but honestly, if you have someone to talk with, the only thing that made it feel endless was the heat in peak summer, but the walk itself is 10 to 15 minutes.
You then reach the security checkpoint; just show them your ticket, make sure to empty your water bottle, and you’re in. Well, not technically in, but it’s more like a fairground, you have the Ferris wheel, with its center logo updated for the current performers, along with various booths to explore, such as VR experiences and lounges.
There are multiple merch lines scattered across the venue. A helpful tip: most attendees rush to the first line they see, but the lines closer to the actual venue tend to be much shorter. I recall the line for Blackpink merch in the center being quite long. However, my sister and I noticed they opened a new section of the line, which had previously been reserved for VIPs, to general attendees, and we were lucky enough to be the very first people in that section!
The washrooms at Rogers’s stadium are generally decent and clean for porta-potties. However, the stadium’s water is not my personal preference. I’ve brought my water bottle with me on the two visits, and while they claim it’s Brita water, I find it has a metallic taste, which might just be my palate.
If you know you’ll need water, I recommend skipping the hassle of carrying your own bottle and just buying the $5 bottled water. It tastes better, is cold, and even though paying for water is annoying, I think it’s worth it.
Doors usually open an hour before the show. The stadium has multiple entrances:
- Gate 1: Generic entrance, open to all.
- Gate 2: For Rogers customers (show your device or the MyRogers app) and VIP ticket holders. Note: Gate 2 often has long lines, so those who are not Rogers customers might be better off using Gate 1.
- Gate 3: For Amex users. Present a valid American Express card to enter with up to four people.
I do remember Gate 2 having long lines, so you’re in luck if you aren’t a Rogers customer; you are probably better off going to Gate 1.
My entry experiences for two concerts—Coldplay and Blackpink—differed significantly, as I had floor seats for the former and grandstand seats for the latter.
To enter the fairground, there are three distinct queues: one for the left grandstand, one for the floor, and one for the right grandstand.
The entry process itself varied. For Blackpink, with grandstand seats, we entered from the side of the fairgrounds. To access the stairs to your seats, simply show an employee your ticket. For the floor, the entry depends on the seating arrangement. If it’s a general admission (standing) floor, you’ll need to show the wristband given at the entrance. If it’s a seated floor area, you must present your ticket for access.
Once you’re inside, you enjoy the show! After it finishes, however, you face the part that everyone online has complained about—and the part I’m personally dreading: getting home. I mentioned earlier that the walk to the venue wasn’t too bad. Well, the journey back to the station will make you question that. For the Stray Kids concert, I heard the main issue was simply the confusion of the walk back, as most people were heading to Downsview. They were apparently using a traffic light system to manage the crowd.
Picture it: the concert ends, and 50,000 people are rushing towards the subway station. Of course, it’s going to be chaotic. A traffic light system was intended to prevent a stampede. Employees, equipped with a light or megaphone, were supposed to direct foot traffic to keep everyone from simply running to the station.
Another option is to walk to Wilson or Sheppard West stations, which is what I did the second time I attended an event at Rogers Centre. The distance was similar, but the advantage was continuous movement. We were constantly moving, crossing main streets with police directing traffic, rather than just standing and waiting in a queue. If you dislike waiting, walking to either of those stations might be a better choice. The downside was that we were heading south before going north to our destination, which added time to the journey home.
During the night of the Coldplay concert, we had to brave the main rush. The show ended at 11 p.m., and we didn’t reach the subway platform until 12 a.m. Considering we only had three stops to travel, I can’t imagine the experience of those with longer commutes. If you’re heading toward Union Station, you’re in luck; the queue to get onto the GO Train is less brutal than the subway line. Even if you’re like me and need to go northbound to Vaughan, the GO platform is far less crowded than the subway’s southbound platform.
Is Rogers Stadium a bit of a hassle compared to other venues in Toronto? You can say so, but from my experience, it isn’t as bad as what others say online, so don’t be fooled. Just remember to wear comfortable shoes, grab a cold bottle of water, and maybe have a post-concert playlist ready for that long walk back to the station. A little bit of planning goes a long way in making sure your night is remembered for the music, not the commute.