Budweiser Stage — known from 1995 to 2009 as the Molson Amphitheatre and renamed from 2017 to 2025 — stood as Toronto’s signature outdoor concert venue, perched on the waterfront grounds of Ontario Place at 909 Lake Shore Boulevard West. Built at a cost of approximately CA$15 million, the amphitheater opened on May 18, 1995, with Bryan Adams headlining the inaugural show. Its striking 60-foot covered pavilion, open-air reserved seats, and sweeping grass bowl gave the venue a capacity of around 16,100 fans.
Over its three decades of operation, the venue hosted an extraordinary range of artists — from Van Halen and Rush to Drake, Eminem, The Weeknd, and Depeche Mode — cementing its place as one of Canada’s most beloved live music destinations. Managed by Live Nation and administered by the Ontario Place Corporation on behalf of the Government of Ontario, it welcomed more than eight million patrons before being renamed RBC Amphitheatre in October 2025.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Ontario Place, 909 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Type: Outdoor amphitheater
- Opened: May 18, 1995
- Capacity: ~16,100 (5,500 covered pavilion seats, 3,500 open-air seats, 7,000 lawn)
- Season: May – October (outdoor only)
- Operator: Live Nation / Ontario Place Corporation
- Famous for: Bryan Adams inaugural show (1995); over 8 million lifetime attendees
A Waterfront Stage Built for the Masses
Constructed on the site of the older Ontario Place Forum — demolished in the winter of 1994–95 — Budweiser Stage was designed by architect Michael Moxam to maximize both sightlines and crowd volume. The venue’s tiered layout placed reserved covered seating directly beneath a soaring roof structure, with additional open-air seats fanning out beyond, and a sprawling grass bowl at the back that became a beloved, casual viewing option for fans wanting an affordable night out under Toronto’s summer sky.
The waterfront setting added an almost unmatched atmosphere: summer evenings at Ontario Place arrived with Lake Ontario breezes, distant city skyline views, and the natural acoustics of an open hillside. The combination made the venue a seasonal pilgrimage for Toronto music lovers, reliably selling out shows from May through October each year.
A Legacy of Names and a Future Rebuild
The venue cycled through several naming-rights partnerships over the years — Molson Amphitheatre (1995–2009), Molson Canadian Amphitheatre (2010–2017), and Budweiser Stage (2017–2025), reflecting a series of sponsorship deals typical of major North American concert venues. In October 2025 it was renamed RBC Amphitheatre following a new banking partnership.
Plans are also underway for a major reconstruction: the venue is expected to close in fall 2027, reopen in 2029, and debut as a year-round facility by summer 2030, with expanded outdoor capacity of around 20,000 and a covered winter configuration seating approximately 9,000. The rebuild will transform what was a purely seasonal amphitheater into one of Canada’s most versatile large-scale entertainment venues.
Explore more: Live Music venues.
Budweiser Stage FAQs
What is the seating capacity of Budweiser Stage?
Budweiser Stage held approximately 16,100 people, split across about 5,500 covered pavilion seats, 3,500 open-air reserved seats, and a grass bowl for around 7,000 lawn ticketholders.
When is Budweiser Stage open during the year?
As an outdoor amphitheater, Budweiser Stage operated seasonally from May through October. It had no winter programming due to its open-air configuration.
Is the venue still called Budweiser Stage?
No. As of October 28, 2025, the venue was renamed RBC Amphitheatre following a new corporate naming-rights deal. The Budweiser Stage name was in use from January 2017 through October 2025.
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Photo: Dillan Payne / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.