Exhibition Stadium — officially the Canadian National Exhibition Stadium and nicknamed ‘The Ex’ — stood on the Exhibition Place grounds along Lake Shore Boulevard West in Toronto, Ontario. Opened on August 5, 1959, it served as home to the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and later welcomed the expansion Toronto Blue Jays as Canada’s first Major League Baseball franchise in 1977.
The stadium was a product of circumstance rather than design, with CFL grandstands hastily adapted for baseball use. Its L-shaped configuration left fans near first base twisting nearly 90 degrees to see home plate, and some outfield seats sat as far as 820 feet from home base. Despite being memorably called ‘the worst stadium in sports’ by Blue Jays president Paul Beeston, Exhibition Stadium hosted twelve Grey Cup championships, 968 Blue Jays regular-season games, and an estimated 71,000 fans for a 1980 The Who concert.
Stats at a Glance
- Teams: Toronto Blue Jays (MLB, 1977–1989), Toronto Argonauts (CFL, 1959–1988), Toronto Blizzard (NASL, 1979–1983)
- Location: Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Opened: August 5, 1959
- Demolished: January 31, 1999
- Peak Capacity (Football): 54,741 (1976–1988)
- Peak Capacity (Baseball): 43,737 (1978–1989)
- Surface: AstroTurf (from 1972)
- Grey Cups Hosted: 12
A Stadium Unlike Any Other
The Blue Jays’ inaugural game on April 7, 1977, set the tone for a stadium full of unforgettable quirks — played in snowing conditions against the Chicago White Sox, it became instant Toronto folklore. The AstroTurf surface lay over uneven ground, causing visibility problems so severe that catchers reportedly could only see a center fielder from the knees up. Seagulls were a constant presence, drawn by Lake Ontario nearby, and became part of the stadium’s identity — most notoriously in August 1983, when Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield accidentally struck and killed one during warm-ups, briefly triggering a police incident. Despite its flaws, the Blue Jays drew over 1.7 million fans in their very first season.
Football Heritage and the End of an Era
For the Toronto Argonauts, Exhibition Stadium was home for three decades, hosting twelve Grey Cup championship games. The 1982 Grey Cup — dubbed ‘the Rain Bowl’ for its miserable weather — played a direct role in accelerating plans for a domed stadium. Both the Argonauts and the Blue Jays departed for the newly opened SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) by 1989, leaving Exhibition Stadium without its anchor tenants. The structure sat largely idle through the early 1990s, closed in 1996, and was demolished on January 31, 1999. In 2007, BMO Field opened on the same site, carrying on the tradition of professional sport at Exhibition Place.
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Exhibition Stadium FAQs
When did Exhibition Stadium open and when was it demolished?
The stadium opened on August 5, 1959, primarily for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. After both its major tenants left for SkyDome in 1989, it closed in 1996 and was demolished on January 31, 1999. BMO Field was later built on the same site, opening in 2007.
What teams played at Exhibition Stadium?
Three major professional teams called it home: the Toronto Argonauts (CFL, 1959–1988), the Toronto Blue Jays (MLB, 1977–1989), and the Toronto Blizzard of the North American Soccer League (1979–1983).
What was the Blue Jays’ first game at Exhibition Stadium like?
The Blue Jays played their inaugural home game at Exhibition Stadium on April 7, 1977, against the Chicago White Sox in snowing conditions — a fittingly memorable beginning for Canada’s first MLB franchise. Despite the weather, the game went ahead and the Blue Jays won 9–5.
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Photo: Jerry Reuss / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.