After hosting the World Cup earlier this summer, Toronto is getting another major event as South Korean supergroup BTS will take over Rogers Stadium for two sold-out concerts on August 22 and 23, bringing an estimated 100,000 fans to North York across the weekend. This will be their first Canadian performance since three shows in Hamilton in 2018.
For local fans, the wait has been especially long. BTS had planned to return to Toronto in 2020, but those concerts were ultimately cancelled during the pandemic. The group was then forced into a lengthy hiatus, while all seven members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service.
Now, they are back with their ARIRANG world tour, and Toronto is the only Canadian stop on a massive international run that spans 88 shows across 34 cities.
Anticipation for this event is already high, as members of the group have started showing up in the city. Earlier last week, J-Hope and RM were spotted at a Chris Brown concert, which sparked outcry from some of their local fans.
An official BTS merchandise pop-up on Bloor Street has been attracting hundreds of fans each day, with concertgoers and collectors lining up for special merchandise, including $37 posters, $75 keychains and hoodies for over $250.
Toronto is also embracing the arrival beyond the commercial side of the concerts. City council has approved the temporary co-naming of a section of Yonge Street between North York Boulevard and Finch Avenue as ‘’BTS Boulevard’’ during the group's visit. A similar measure was approved to co-name a stretch of the city ‘’Taylor Swift Way’’ when the pop superstar came to town in 2024.
The concerts also coincide with the Toronto Korean Festival, which runs from Friday through Sunday and will feature programming celebrating Korean culture. Local BTS fan organizers will have a presence at the festival, while additional fan activities are planned around Rogers Stadium before the shows.
For longtime fans, this is the culmination of years of waiting. BTS last performed in Toronto in 2015, when the group was still playing much smaller venues. Their next Canadian appearance came three years later in Hamilton, where they sold out three nights. This time around, BTS will now perform at Rogers Stadium with a 360-degree, in-the-round stage designed specifically for the tour, bringing the group much closer to the 50, 000 fans.
Their latest album, ARIRANG, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in April and recorded the biggest sales week for a group album in more than a decade.
Courtesy of Jennifer Precious Finch’s archive 
Josh Martin for Rolling Stone
