The biggest night in Canada in music, the Juno Awards, will return to Hamilton in 2026, the seventh time the city is organizing the event, the organizers announced Thursday.
Hamilton, who was the host of Junos in 2015, once again will honor the best musical talent in the nation, with the week of Juno 2026 scheduled for Thursday, March 26 to Sunday, March 29.
The event will culminate with the 55th annual Juno awards, said the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Faces) in a press release.
The president and CEO of Faces, Allan Reid, said that Hamilton’s dynamic music scene and the rich cultural heritage make it “an ideal place” for the awards.
“We are delighted to return to Hamilton and be one of the first events in the newly renewed Arena in the center of Hamilton,” Reid said in the statement.
“The city and the province of Ontario continue to show their passion for music and arts. We are anxious for 2026”.
The announcement occurs just over a week before Junos this year on March 30 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver that will be organized by singer Michael Bublé.
Next year, the events of the Juno week will be held at the newly transformed Hamilton Arena, which is scheduled to reopen at the end of 2025.
According to the statement, the sand will be updated with several new features, including premium seat options, “latest generation”, improved competitions and advanced production capabilities for maximum efficiency.
Sand renovations 60% complete
“Organizing this prestigious prize in our place that will open will show the incredible transformation of space and also the creative musical energy in Hamilton and all ontarium,” Nick Deluco, Senior Vice President of Oak View, and general manager of Hamilton Arena, said in the news statement.
Oak View Project Management Vice President Ryan Zrenda gave CBC Hamilton a tour of the Arena on Wednesday. The renewal has turned the entire installation into a construction site, with 300 workers there.
The project is approximately 60 percent, Zrenda said. The renewal began in May 2024, with Ellisdon as the main construction contractor. Oak View Group is an American company that specializes in sports and entertainment places.
In an interview, Deluco said the goal is for the work to be done at the end of November or early December. He said that Junos will be part of a series of opening events that will contain “diverse content and different options.”
Arena attendees for a long time will “be surprised” when they first come, Deluco said. “Everything inside is really different.”
For example, he said, the renovation is opening spaces previously inaccessible in the upper and lower levels in the sand, with the aim of facilitating that people enter and leave, and access food, drinks and lounge spaces. The old design channeled the guests through a main route.
Other outstanding aspects include special seats in the box at the floor, a new hall of artists and another elevator, company representatives said.
The city and local promoters of music and tourism have been advocating that the awards return to the city since at least last summer.
At a meeting of the General Themes Committee last July, Tim Potoric, founder of Sonic Unyon Records, supported the offer of 2026 by the City Tourism Department.
Events like Junos “add a massive economic impact … They support the arts and the music sector, show local talent, build the community, create legacy and are a massive driver for the city in general,” Potoric said at the meeting.
“They not only provide an economic impact when they are here, but they also leave an economic impact when they leave. They are huge for the business of the local community, the business of the center of the entire city, our hotel room stays and are giants. [economic] drivers
“They create a massive vitality and are incredible to our entire city when we have these events,” added Potoric.
‘A great opportunity for local talent’
Juno’s week is also “a great opportunity for local talent to get involved with talent nationwide when they arrive in the city, and it also gives them a great opportunity to play locally,” Potoric said.
He pointed out that “Hamilton was the incubator, the first city that took a step forward when Junos changed his model to the sand model.”
In January, Mayor Andrea Horwath announced that Ontario would support the city’s offer to organize the awards.
“Our city has a rich and historical music scene that has shaped the cultural landscape of Canada for generations and continues to thrive today,” Hothath wrote on the social media site X.
“From legendary artists to rising stars, Hamilton has long been a center of creativity and musical excellence.”
The 2025 Juno awards will be broadcast live on CBC-TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen and Globally in CBC Music YouTube channel.
