el mocambo toronto

Country musician announces show at El Mocambo indicating it might reopen this spring

Toronto music fans have been anxiously awaiting the announcement of a reopening date for legendary venue El Mocambo for what seems like forever, but one country musician may have accidentally revealed that it'll be open by the spring.

Country artist Corb Lund announced a Canadian leg of his Agricultural Tragic Tour this spring, and the list of tour dates says he's set to play El Mocambo on May 22. 

Back in Demember, a PR representative for the venue said a concrete date had yet to be solidified but El Mocambo would be reopening its doors sometime in early 2020. 

The construction wall that stood covering the establishment's facade finally came down at the end of November and just yesterday a private Chinese New Year celebration celebration was held inside. 

In 2018, head of El Mocambo Entertainment, Andy Curran, told the Toronto Star the music joint would eventually contain a 400-person capacity venue on the ground floor, a long, wide room in the 600-700-person range and a newly installed recording studio.

The renowned concert venue originally opened its doors in 1948, and it's been graced with the presence of rock icons such as Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters and The Rolling Stones. 

Its initial closure was more than six years ago and endless rumours spread about what would become of it.

The venue eventually underwent at least $20-million worth of renovations and a new version of the iconic palm tree sign was unveiled, and soon it'll host music newbies and legends once again. 

Lead photo by

Lori Whelan


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