For 65 years, Toronto’s most iconic stage has been where extraordinary moments come to life. Since opening in 1960 as the O’Keefe Centre—and later known as the Hummingbird Centre and the Sony Centre—Meridian Hall has been home to world-class performances, legendary artists, and countless memories.

Fun Facts:

• Opened: October 1, 1960.

• Original name: The O’Keefe Centre for the Performing Arts (1960–1996), named after its sponsor, the O’Keefe Brewing Company. In 1996, the venue was renamed the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts (1996–2007) following a significant donation from Hummingbird Communications Ltd. A decade later, in 2007, Sony acquired the naming rights, and the venue became the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (2007–2019).

• On September 15, 2019, the venue was rebranded as Meridian Hall (2019–present) following a significant partnership with Meridian Credit Union, Ontario’s largest credit union and the third largest in Canada. This collaboration marked one of Canada’s most substantial cultural sponsorships at the time.

• Location: 1 Front Street East, at Yonge & Front, Toronto.

• Architects: Page & Steele (chief design architect Peter Dickinson; associate architect Earle C. Morgan).

• Design: Modernist style with Alabama limestone, black granite, Carrara marble, bronze detailing, and a striking cantilevered entrance canopy. Considered a landmark in Canadian mid-century modern architecture.

• Opening production: Camelot starring Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet, premiered before heading to Broadway.

• The venue has hosted international stars such as Judy Garland, Harry Belafonte, Tom Jones, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Bob Dylan, Janet Jackson, Elton John, Leonard Cohen, Charles Aznavour, Liza Minnelli, David Bowie, Mariah Carey, Lorde. S Club 7, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, among many others.

• Groundbreaking American musical legend Prince performed at Meridian Hall (then the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts) in Toronto on March 25, 2016. He played two back-to-back shows that evening as part of his Piano & a Microphone Tour—just a few weeks before his passing in April 2016.

• On June 29, 1974, Mikhail Baryshnikov, then a 26-year-old principal dancer with the Soviet Union’s Kirov Ballet, defected from the USSR during a tour stop in Toronto. This dramatic escape occurred at the O’Keefe Centre (now Meridian Hall), marking a pivotal moment in Cold War-era cultural history.

• Seven Lively Arts mural: Created by Canadian artist York Wilson in the main lobby (depicting painting, sculpture, architecture, music, literature, dance, drama).

• Served as home base for the National Ballet of Canada and the Canadian Opera Company for decades.

• Capacity: 3,172 seats—Canada’s largest soft-seat theatre.

Photo: O’Keefe Centre. © 1960.