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, which last hosted the Junos in 2015, will once again honour the nation's top musical talent, with the 2026 Juno week set for Thursday, March 26, to Sunday, March 29.

The 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."

A spokesperson for the city told CBC News that the city's contribution to the event will be $500,000, coming from a reserve dedicated to conventions, sports and events, while an additional $300,000 will be contributed from the Hamilton Tourism Development Corporation.

The announcement comes just over a week before this year's Junos on March 30 at Vancouver's Rogers Arena that will be 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," Nick DeLuco, Oak View Group senior vice-president and general manager of Hamilton Arena, said 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 a U.S.-based global company that specializes in sports and entertainment venues. 

In an interview, DeLuco said the goal is for the work 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 Ontario would support 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." 

The 2025 Juno Awards will be broadcast live on CBC-TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen and globally on CBC Music's YouTube channel.