SkyDome

Venue info

Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose stadium, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Originally opened in 1989, it is home to the American League's Toronto Blue Jays, the CFL's Toronto Argonauts and, as of 2008, the NFL's Buffalo Bills' second playing venue in the Bills Toronto Series. While it is primarily a sports venue, it also hosts other large-scale events such as conventions, trade fairs, concerts, funfairs, and monster truck shows. The stadium was renamed "Rogers Centre" following the purchase of the stadium by Rogers Communications, which also owns the Toronto Blue Jays, in 2005. The venue was noted for being the first stadium to have a fully-retractable motorized roof, as well as for the 348-room hotel attached to it, with 70 rooms overlooking the field. It is also the most recent North American major-league stadium built to accommodate both football and baseball. The stadium will be the centrepiece of the 2015 Pan American Games as the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium will also be the main venue for the 2011 IIFA Awards, a major Bollywood (Indian film industry) awards show with most actors and actresses showing up for the ceremony. It will be taking place from June 23 to June 25, 2011. The stadium officially opened on June 3, 1989 and hosted an official grand opening show: "The Opening of SkyDome: A Celebration". It was broadcast on CBC television the following evening hosted by Brian Williams. With a crowd of over 50,000 in attendance, it was the first test of the new facility. The event was a showcase of Canadian talent, and included performances from a wide variety of acts. The celebrities consisted of Alan Thicke, Oscar Peterson, Andrea Martin of SCTV, impersonator André-Philippe Gagnon and rock band Glass Tiger.