While Toronto has bid a sad farewell to far too many live music venues over the last few years, a new state-of-the-art facility has just opened up in Niagara Falls to offer an exciting live music escape just outside the city.

OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino is a world-class venue that is finally ready for its debut. Construction on the 200,000-square-foot theatre began in 2017, and after a whopping 685,000 hours of work invested — and delays opening due to lockdowns — the stage is now ready to welcome performers and fans.

The 200,000-square-foot venue is directly connected to Fallsview Casino via an environmentally-controlled pedestrian tunnel.

Patrons can at long last visit the absolutely epic, 5,000-seat venue starting this month, with a range of bands, stand-up comedians and other performers set to grace the space in the months ahead. 

blogTO was given a secret sneak peek of the brand-new complex prior to its long-awaited debut, and let us tell you, we were beyond impressed with the technical features, amenities, and overall look and feel of the place.

Beyond the stage, guests have access to bars, seating, and plenty of natural light, all in a sleek, contemporary space that takes design cues from the Falls.

The influence of Niagara Falls itself can be felt throughout the space, which is a very intentional aspect of its contemporary architecture.

Fans are greeted with multiple bars and seating spaces for eating and drinking, and those with accessibility needs can rest assured that AODA standards are top of mind, with 31 accessible parking spaces directly below and dedicated elevator access to the entrance level. 

While the theatre appears absolutely huge — and realistically it is, with nearly double the capacity of popular attractions like Massey Hall — it also somehow feels super intimate, with an impeccable and unobstructed view from every single seat.

Architects designed the multi-tiered space, which features two levels of orchestra seating and upper and lower balconies so that every single chair is no more than 150 feet from the stage.

A sawtooth seating arrangement also provides consistently good sightlines throughout the venue, and two 30-by-18-foot screens flanking the stage ensure you don't miss a thing.

There isn't a bad seat in the house, with no spot more than 150 feet from the stage. The chairs themselves each have their own cupholder, and are designed to maintain acoustics whether they are empty or occupied.

These features were definitely noticeable during the exclusive, treat performance by Juno Award-winning band The Beaches. There were no bad seats, no pillars in the way, and the acoustics were flawless.

The band itself also touted the pros of the space: "It's a pretty levelled-up venue compared to some of the places we've played at," they said during a Q&A session after their set.

The Beaches seemed to thoroughly enjoy the 6,400-square-foot stage space and its state-of-the-art offerings.

"It's really cool to be able to play to so many levels as well, we don't often have that opportunity. It allows for some more fun blocking."

Members also said that they were "really blown away" by the sound quality from the stage, which they described as "amazing." They also deemed the lighting "incredible," adding that it "looks like something we would bring on tour."

The band noted the venue's exceptional sound quality and lighting.

It's understandable why the venue would be spectacular to perform in given that the stage itself is more than a staggering 6,400 square feet, which makes it the largest one in the area.

And if any show wants to be even more intimate, a partition can be dropped to limit the audience to just orchestra seating, transitioning the venue into a much smaller capacity.

OLG Stage has 5,000 seats, including 150 wheelchair positions.

As far as materials go, the entire venue has been built to LEED principles, with full accessibility that includes 150 wheelchair positions.

As The Beaches said, the acoustics, sound and lighting systems are among the most modern and best available, making it obvious that the OLG Stage is brand new and ready to rock into the future.

The fully-digital venue boasts a House Meyer LYON audio system capable of producing 105dB
continuous SPL with peaks of 125dBC. The tech specs are impressive, to say the least.

Its convenient location, on the way back into Canada from the U.S., as well as its direct connection to the iconic Fallsview Casino, hotels and restaurants in the area mean the OLG Stage is sure to become a stop on the North American tours of many top artists.

The stage's proximity to Niagara Falls and its endless attractions will also help its future standing as one of the most popular venues in the province that performers — and the public — won't want to miss.

Performers and fans alike won't want to miss out on the new state-of-the-art venue, which will build up an incredible roster of shows in the months and years to come.

Check out the all-new OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino at an upcoming show this season, which includes Bret Michaels on March 18, Pitbull on April 8, Dane Cook on April 15, Gabriel Iglesias on August 11, Kane Brown on August 19 plus way more!