BTS is coming to Toronto for the 1st time in a decade. Here’s how Rogers Stadium is preparing
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Global K-pop sensation BTS is on their way to Toronto in just a few weeks for the first time in over 10 years and some fans are worried about how crowds will be managed in the year-old venue.
The group will be bringing their Arirang World Tour to Rogers Stadium on the evenings of Aug 22-23 playing for over 100,000 fans over the two nights.
Rogers Stadium is located on the north end of the old Downsview Airport runway and opened in June 2025. Concertgoers voiced concerns about crowd management when K-pop group Stray Kids played the opening concert of the stadium.
It took some fans up to two hours to exit the stadium, as the venue and transit services from Downsview Park were ill-equipped to handle the throngs of people coming in and out of the show.
One attendee reported crowds coming to a standstill after the show because stadium staff were letting people out towards Downsview station “in batches.”
Leaving the stadium can take up to an hour: spokesperson
Live Nation, which operates Rogers Stadium, has been working to mitigate traffic issues by coordinating with public transit providers.
“We’ve worked closely with TTC throughout the season,” said a spokesperson from Live Nation Canada in news conference Tuesday.
“The additional subway and bus services they provided on concert nights has made a meaningful difference in keeping people moving after the show.”
Despite these changes, the spokesperson said leaving the stadium can still take up to an hour.
The new configuration includes a 360-degree stage, with the K-pop band performing in the center of the stadium. (The Canadian Press)
Ahead of the BTS concert, Rogers Stadium is planning to manage the expected high volume of crowds by introducing measures like opening early, banning fans from queuing overnight to enter, and a dedicated day for fans to buy merchandise before the show.
“We’ll be in what we would call a new configuration for BTS specific to that show,” said the Live Nation spokesperson.
This configuration also includes a 360-degree stage, with the K-pop band performing in the center of the stadium.
While Rogers Stadium is adding seats where the stage normally sits, the change will not increase the actual number of seating.
According to Ticketmaster the capacity for the concert is 50,547 seats.
The stadium has recently come under fire this spring, when residents who live nearby said it was causing road closures, parking problems and transit delays. People in the surrounding neighbourhoods (and some even several kilometres away) reported high levels of noise, forcing Toronto city council to consider forcing Live Nation to make changes.
Live Nation said its concerts are within city’s noise limits and pays for municipal officers to monitor levels.
Stadium can prepare by comparing recent shows: crowd expert
Kevin Kennedy, a local crowd safety specialist, suggests the stadium can mitigate past issues by assessing the crowd before they come into the venue.
For example, BTS will be performing in Arlington, Texas, and Baltimore, Maryland, before coming to Toronto in August.
According to Ticketmaster the capacity for the concert is 50,547 seats. (The Canadian Press)
Kennedy also said different artists will bring different types of crowds, many amongst them who won’t be familiar with the stadium’s layout.
“You have to make sure the systems are set up — the design, the information and the management — to accommodate people who are coming there for the first time,” said Kennedy.
Preparing for ‘the Army’ to march the stage
Toronto-based K-pop fan Sokvin Vann was at the Stray Kids concert last year. She said she felt like a “test dummy” for Rogers Stadium.
“It was a little tough to navigate because there were no clear instructions,” said Vann, who is also the founder of the Toronto BTS Army which is a fan group dedicated to the band.
She said the main crowd control issue was the minimal capacity for fans to take transit home. “There was the GO station … everyone funneled through there.”
She is one of about 100,000 fans who get to see the band over their two-show run.
Vann says despite her last experience, she is optimistic about the show, and is specifically looking forward to the new stage experience.
“Because BTS decided to do a 360 stage for this tour, wherever you’re sitting, the view is going to be incredible.”
