Hamilton’s TD Coliseum officially opens after over 700 days of renovations

After more than 700 days of vision, planning and construction, Hamilton’s new TD Coliseum is officially open.

Thursday was the grand ribbon-cutting ceremony, ahead of Friday night’s opening act: Sir Paul McCartney.

The common theme heard all day is that this was a long time coming.

A long time coming for concert goers, sports fans and the workforce here in the Hamilton downtown core, who played a big role in Hamilton’s revitalization.

It finally became official in downtown Hamilton: the former Copps, now TD Coliseum, enters a new era of entertainment.

“People tend to underestimate and underappreciate Hamilton,” said Chris Granger, the Interim CEO of the Oak View Group. “We believe that ends today.”

Developer Oak View Group, TD Bank, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath and Premier Doug Ford were on hand to cut the ribbon for the facility’s grand opening Thursday,

18 months of work, at a cost of roughly $300 million, transformed the 18,000 seat arena into a premier destination for future live music concerts, sporting events and other attractions.

“I have been to almost every arena of consequence on the planet — I can tell you this arena lacks nothing,” said Granger.

New open concepts, a revamped and expanded lower bowl, more premium seating and plenty of food options will be noticeable moving forward, but there are also plenty of choices outside of the coliseum.

“Just this week, just having Earth, Wind and Fire perform, we saw all the foot traffic again,” said Erika Puckering, CEO of the Electric Diner restaurant. “The lively experience again is exactly what we’ve been waiting for.”

Restaurants like the Electric Diner say they already saw bookings in advance, ahead of Friday’s first show.

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A relief after months of closure and construction.

“Since the closure last spring, we definitely saw the decrease in traffic,” said Puckering. “We definitely make adjustments in regards to staffing. We normally hire over the summer, we didn’t this past summer or need to this summer.”

Meanwhile, at Rapscallion & Co. on James street, the popular eatery is experiencing constant inquiries.

“We’ve seen a lot of early reservations being booked well in advance — as soon as the announcement was made at TD Coliseum about the Paul McCartney concert,” said Steven Souvoravong, the Assistant General Manager of Rapscallion & Co. “We’re constantly receiving phone calls, as you can hear it going right now.”

With many eateries booked up, very little hotel space available and city services ready to assist operations, Hamilton’s Chamber of Commerce believes this is a new beginning for a prosperous future.

“If you look at the Taylor Swift concerts, they did $282 million in economic impact over the six shows,” said Greg Dunnett, the President and CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. “That was with 50,000 people. I think we can assume safely, the major shows being hosted here at the venue will be $10 to 20 million in economic activity for the city as a whole.”

The city will likely see a huge influx of concertgoers coming from out-of-town Friday night.

Metrolinx told CHCH News that it adjusted its times on the GO train out of the West Harbour Station to accommodate visitors.

They say the final train will depart to Union Station in Toronto at 11:40 p.m., 16 minutes later than normally scheduled.

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