It's official. The Junos are coming back to Hamilton in 2026
Canada's biggest night in music — the Juno Awards — is returning to Hamilton in 2026, the seventh time the city is hosting the event, organizers announced Thursday.
Hamilton last hosted the Junos in 2015 and will once again honour the nation's top musical talent, with the 2026 Juno week running from Thursday, March 26, to Sunday, March 29.
The week-long event will culminate with the 55th Annual Juno Awards, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) said in a news release.
CARAS president and CEO, Allan Reid, said Hamilton's dynamic music scene and rich cultural heritage make it "an ideal location" for the awards.
"We are thrilled to return to Hamilton and be one of the first events in Hamilton's newly renovated downtown arena," Reid said in the release.
"The city and province of Ontario continue to show their passion for music and the arts, we're looking forward to 2026."
The announcement comes just over a week before this year's Junos, which take place on March 30 at Vancouver's Rogers Arena, hosted by singer Michael Bublé.
Next year, Juno week events will be held at the newly transformed Hamilton Arena, which is scheduled to reopen in late 2025.
According to the release, the arena will be upgraded with several new features, including premium seating options, "state-of-the-art acoustics," upgraded concourses and advanced production capabilities for maximum efficiency.
Arena renovations 60% complete
"Hosting this prestigious award show in our soon-to-open venue will showcase the incredible transformation of the space and also the creative musical energy in Hamilton and throughout Ontario," said Nick DeLuco, Oak View Group senior vice-president and general manager of Hamilton Arena, in the news release.
Oak View's vice president of project management Ryan Zrenda gave CBC Hamilton a tour of the arena on Wednesday. The renovation has turned the entire facility into a construction site, with 300 workers there daily.
The project is about 60 per cent complete, Zrenda said. The renovation began in May 2024, with EllisDon as the main construction contractor. Oak View Group is an American company that specializes in sports and entertainment venues.
In an interview, DeLuco said the goal is to be done by late November or early December. He said the Junos will be part of an opening series of events that will contain "diverse content and different options."
Longtime arena-goers will be "shocked" when they come in for the first time, DeLuco said. "Everything on the inside is really different."
For example, he said, the renovation is opening up previously inaccessible spaces across upper and lower levels in the arena, with the goal of making it easier for people to get in and out, and to access food, drinks and lounge spaces. The old design funnelled guests through one main route.
Other highlights include special box seats at floor level, a new artist lounge and another elevator, company representatives said.
The city and local music and tourism promoters have been advocating for the awards to come back to the city since at least last summer.
At a General Issues Committee meeting last July, Tim Potocic, founder of Sonic Unyon Records, supported the 2026 bid by the city's tourism department.
Events like the Junos "add massive economic impact … support the arts and the music sector, showcase local talent, build community, create legacy and they are a massive driver for the city in general," Potocic said at the meeting.
"They not only bring economic impact when they're here, but they also leave economic impact when they leave. They're huge for the local community business, downtown business throughout the entire city, our hotel room stays, and they're just giant [economic] drivers.
"They create massive vibrancy and they're incredible for our entire city when we have these events," Potocic added.
'A great opportunity for local talent'
Juno week is also "a great opportunity for local talent to engage with national-level talent when they're coming through town, and also gives them a great opportunity to play locally," Potocic said.
He noted that "Hamilton was the incubator, the first city that stepped up when the Junos changed their model to the arena model."
In January Mayor Andrea Horwath announced that Ontario was supporting the city's bid to host the awards.
"Our city has a rich and historic music scene that has shaped Canada's cultural landscape for generations and continues to thrive today," Horwath wrote on social media site X.
"From legendary artists to rising stars, Hamilton has long been a hub of creativity and musical excellence."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
LILLEY: CBC pushes left-wing political values in effort to cancel Christian singer
But the public broadcaster's news coverage of the 'MAGA musician' has instead made Sean Feucht a much bigger celebrity in Canada Get the latest from Brian Lilley straight to your inbox American musician Sean Feucht had been scheduled to perform in Moncton, N.B., on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Photo by Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0 CBC went on a religious war against a Christian singer this past week in an effort to cancel his concerts. Instead, CBC raised the profile of Sean Feucht in Canada and showed just how politicized their news coverage has become. It started several days ago as Canada's public broadcaster went wall to wall with coverage of Feucht's show in Halifax. They described him repeatedly as a 'MAGA musician' and then made it clear to their readers and viewers that Feucht holds views that no Canadian should welcome. 'Sean Feucht is a religious singer from the U.S. who has expressed anti-diversity, anti-2SLGBTQ+ and anti-women's rights views on his platforms,' read one story about his original venue in Halifax being cancelled. Other media outlets joined in the pile on, simply describing Feucht as MAGA and therefore unacceptable. We don't need to tell you more than that, we've already told you that he likes the bad Orange man in the White House – BAN HIM! This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A protestor chants slogans against pro-Maga and Christian singer Sean Feucht during his performance at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / MONTREAL GAZETTE The original venues for all six concerts cancelled on him – some reportedly keeping the fees he had already paid. Feucht may not be a household name in Canada, but he has played and toured here many times and he quickly found new venues. The media hype about the dangers of allowing a Christian rocker to perform here kept up and when he played Montreal on Friday night, radical protesters showed up to try and forcibly shut down the show. Montreal police arrest a protester who refused to stop eating on the stairs of Ministerios Restauración during pro-Maga and Christian singer Sean Feucht's performance in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / MONTREAL GAZETTE CBC quoted a spokesperson for Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante saying they believe in freedom of expression but not for this guy. 'Freedom of expression is one of our fundamental values, but hateful and discriminatory speech is not accepted in Montreal and, as in other Canadian cities, the show will not be tolerated,' Catherine Cadotte told CBC . Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mayor Valérie Plante at a press conference on the terrace at City Hall in Montreal on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Photo by John Mahoney / MONTREAL GAZETTE The mayor's office tried to shut down the show even after it moved from a municipal venue to a church – and the city is now threatening to fine that church. They claimed Feucht didn't have a permit to play and it wouldn't be allowed to go forward, a claim CBC dutifully put to the singer as he spoke with media ahead of the show. 'It's because you don't have a permit,' a CBC-Radio Canada journalist stated to Feucht on the issue of why some wanted his show shut down. 'I don't think you need a permit to worship in a church,' Feucht responded. Feucht, the American, has a better understanding of how our country operates than a CBC journalist, that is truly sad. If we lived in a country fully run by CBC and Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante, then we would have to sign away freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and freedom expression – three fundamental freedoms protected by Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Pro-Maga and Christian singer Sean Feucht speaks before his performance at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / MONTREAL GAZETTE As you can see, there is a selective approach to who gets those rights and freedoms protected. There is a lot of chatter about what kind of musical acts are acceptable these days. Concerts for British punk rap duo Bob Vylan were cancelled after they shouted 'death, death to the IVF' at the Glastonbury music festival. Irish rap group Kneecap are slated to perform four sold-out shows in Toronto and Vancouver later this year but there are calls for them to be banned from Canada for their open support of banned terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When CBC did a story on protests against Kneecap, they spoke with the Centre for Free Expression about how problematic it is to ban musical acts. That's something they only did in Feucht's case after days of broadcast and online print stories whipping up the Canadian public about the MAGA invasion. I'd never heard of Sean Feucht before this past week and CBC 's decision to join a Holy War to shut him down. They may have gotten the venues to deny him entry, but they also made him a much bigger celebrity in Canada than he would have been otherwise. CBC also showed that while they claim to stand up for Canadian values, they don't mean the ones in the Charter, they mean the left-wing political values they push every single day. blilley@ Columnists Toronto & GTA Columnists Sunshine Girls Columnists
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada-Mexico arrangement perfect fit for Pony Corral musician José 'Pepê' Cortes
'I usually do this one later on in the night but since I just had a request for it, here we go, off to Mexico!' It's Saturday evening at the Pony Corral Restaurant & Bar on Pembina Highway. Entertainer José 'Pepê' Cortes launches into a rollicking version of La Bamba, diners on the eatery's spacious riverside patio put down their forks and knives to clap along to the Ritchie Valens hit, which Cortes performs on guitar with the assistance of a pre-recorded backing track. Given his high-spirited delivery, one would never guess that Cortes, a summertime fixture at the Fort Garry hotspot since the mid-2000s, has sung the crowd-pleaser 'oh, about a million times,' over the years. Jose (Pepe) Cortes, who is a one-man show, performs on the riverside patio at the Pony Corral Restaurant & Bar three nights a week. 'The thing I try to remind myself is that there's always going to be somebody here for the first time who has never heard me do La Bamba, which, I suppose because I'm from Mexico, people kind of expect,' Cortes remarks later, during a break between sets. That's fine with him, he continues. His job, he feels, is to make guests forget about whatever might be troubling them, if only for an hour or two. So when he spots somebody beaming and raising their glass during La Bamba or Besamé Mucho, another Mexican standard that's part of his act, he tells himself, 'mission accomplished.' Cortes, 66, was born in Mexico City, the second eldest of five siblings. Growing up, he was a big fan of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, he says, casually dressed in sandals, grey shorts and a pale-blue short-sleeve dress shirt . By the time he was 11, he was teaching himself to play popular songs he heard on the radio, on an acoustic guitar borrowed from a relative. Not that he always understood what he was singing about. 'We did take English in school but no, there were lots of times I didn't have a clue what the lyrics meant, I was mostly just pretending,' he says, mentioning he has answered to the nickname Pepê — even his mother calls him that — for as long as he can remember. Before long his older brother Eduardo, Lalo for short, began accompanying him on drums. Cortes guesses he was 12 or 13 when a sign went up in their neighbourhood, advertising for bands to volunteer their services for an outdoor music festival. After talking a pair of classmates into joining them, the foursome made its official debut as El Dilema, covering rock tunes by American groups such as Grand Funk Railroad, with Cortes handling lead vocals. El Dilema was well-received. Before long the group was getting booked for community dances around town, now billed as Children owing to how young they were. The band eventually expanded to seven members and by the mid-1970s, Children had become a popular nightclub draw, not just in Mexico City but in more touristy destinations, as well. Cortes was 21 in 1979 when Children was booked for a weeklong engagement at the Princess Hotel in Acapulco. Also appearing there was a band called Zig Zag, which got its start in Mexico before relocating to Minneapolis. Following one of Children's performances, the members of Zig Zag told Cortes they were impressed with his voice, especially when he sang falsetto on Bee Gees numbers. Also, would he be interested in going with them when they headed back to the States? It seemed like a great opportunity and after discussing it with his bandmates, he made the difficult decision to leave Mexico. Supplied José 'Pepe' Cortes in Mexico with the band Children 'Zig Zag mostly did classic rock — Boston, Kansas, that kind of stuff — and we used to get standing ovations for our version of Bohemian Rhapsody,' Cortes says with a laugh, adding besides the Twin Cities, they were also getting booked for shows in North and South Dakota, and, later on, in Canada. In August 1984 Zig Zag was hired for a social being held at the Canadian Forces Base in Shilo. In attendance was a pharmaceuticals rep originally from Deloraine who had relocated to Brandon. Cortes struck up a conversation with her between sets. Within a year, they were married and living in Winnipeg. Cortes continued his musical career after moving to the city. He started off with a country-rock outfit called Raven before being introduced in 1987 to Wayne Hlady, founder of the Beatles tribute act Free Ride. For the next 18 years, Cortes-as-George Harrison played guitar and sang with Free Ride. It was a lucrative gig, he says, but because the band was often booked as many as six nights a week, it caused a strain in his marriage. 'We had two kids, a boy and girl. I was Mr. Mom during the day, cooking the meals and seeing them off to school, but the minute my wife got home, I'd be out the door,' he says. Free Ride definitely helped pay the bills, he goes on, but still, his wife desired a normal life, one that would enable them to socialize with family and friends on the weekend, instead of him always appearing at this bar or that. He understood her point — he even tried his hand at a 'real' job working for a local landscaping firm — but in the end they had grown too far apart. Following his divorce in 2005, Cortes made the decision to part ways with Free Ride. For a while he'd been writing songs of his own, but because Free Ride was all-Beatles, all-the-time, he knew there would never be an opportunity for him to perform his compositions in front of a live audience. One of the first places that hired him after he struck out on his own was the Pembina Highway Pony Corral. There he was encouraged to mix in original tunes alongside time-tested favourites such as Under the Boardwalk, Imagine and Brown Eyed Girl. He also returned to his roots, by sprinkling in Spanish-style songs popularized by the likes of the Gipsy Kings and Santana. By 2011, Cortes, who did three sets a night, Wednesday through Saturday, had developed a loyal following. That summer he was on Facebook when he spotted a message from a person he'd gone to school with in Mexico City. He remembered she used to be pals with his first girlfriend. Out of curiousity he asked if the two of them were still in touch. They were, she replied. SUPPLIED Free Ride as The Rolling Stones. Jose 'Pepe' Cortes is Keith Richards,, front Five minutes later, he received a second message, this time from his ex, a woman named Gabriela. 'She was like 'hi, how are you.' She told me she was living in Tequisquiapan, about three hours from Mexico City. After messaging back and forth a bit more, she said I should come for a visit, which I ended up doing that winter.' Cortes fell in love with both Gabriela and the town, notable for its quaint cobblestone streets and rustic houses. On the flight back to Winnipeg he thought if he could land a gig there, he'd probably move. Four years later he was preparing to do just that. Ahead of his imminent departure, Peter Ginakes, owner of the Pony Corral, proposed they stage a 'Farewell Pepê' concert in his honour, on the patio. That night the place was jam-packed, with lineups stretching into the parking lot. As Cortes was putting away his guitar for what he thought would be the last time at that locale, Ginakes approached him to say, 'You know, there isn't any reason we can't do this every summer.' Cortes, who has dual citizenship, refers to his current situation, which sees him living and performing in Tequisquiapan for nine months of the years, and spending June through August in Lorette with his daughter Sam and her husband, as the 'best of both worlds.' Not only does he get to see his two adult children as well as a pair of grandchildren, ages five and nine, when he's here he holds down a Las Vegas-style residency at the Pony Corral three nights a week, Thursday to Saturday. Added bonus: his son Matthew occasionally supports him on bongo drums. 'It's funny because couples who used to come see me at the Pony 20 years ago, back when they were dating, now show up with their kids to catch the show,' he says. 'The other night my own grandkids were here and the oldest one spent the whole time in one of the Tiki huts, banging away on the table like he was playing drums.' Cortes, who has recorded four CDs of original material, figures he currently has close to 150 songs in his repertoire, including what he refers to as the calypso medley, which he put the finishing touches to in Mexico, this past winter. Jose (Pepe) Cortes on the patio at the riverside Pony Corral Restaurant & Bar (Pier7) at 1700 Pembina Hwy. 'For that one, I kick off things off with Lionel Richie's All Night Long, then switch to Kokomo by the Beach Boys, September by Earth, Wind and Fire and finally Hot Hot Hot (by Buster Poindexter). If that doesn't get people tapping their toes, nothing will.' And although Gabriela has only come with him to Winnipeg once — she found it too chilly, even in June, he says with a wink — he intends to make the annual trip north for as long as Ginakes and the Pony Corral will have him. 'The only tough part is I'm not as young as I used to be,' he says, polishing off the last of his coffee. 'Lots of times customers will go, 'Pepê, it's so good to see you,' and offer to buy me a drink. I have to tell them thanks, but no thanks… or at least to wait till Saturday night, when I don't have to work the next day.' Monthly What you need to know now about gardening in Winnipeg. An email with advice, ideas and tips to keep your outdoor and indoor plants growing. David Sanderson Dave Sanderson was born in Regina but please, don't hold that against him. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Toronto Star
This Toronto singer-songwriter brings musicians into prisons. Now, a jazz great is coming back for an encore
American jazz guitarist Bill Frisell is one of the gentlest, most soft-spoken musicians you're likely to ever meet, with the demeanour of a Boy Scout. He's never been convicted of a crime. But two years ago, I found myself accompanying him to prison — where he performed for inmates at Collins Bay Institution in Kingston. Frisell, 74, is an internationally renowned legend, for his solo work, his high-profile jazz collaborations and his association with the likes of Elvis Costello. He has his choice of gigs anywhere in the world. Why would he play one at a penitentiary in Ontario? Michael Barclay is the author of three books, including 'Hearts on Fire: Six Years That Changed Canadian Music 2000-05.'
