BSB Concert in Toronto: Tips for Visiting -

If you’re planning to see the Backstreet Boys at the Rogers Centre in Toronto this February, then you’ll be in the city during our deep winter season. As a Toronto area local (and BSB fan!), I’m going to give you all the tips for enjoying Toronto this winter, and specific tips for seeing a concert at the Rogers Centre in Toronto at that time of year.

Downtown Toronto, with lit up CN Tower and Rogers Centre — Rogers Centre and the CN Tower, lit up for the evening!

Toronto will be chilly in February (average temperature at -3°C or 27°F on average) but there are a lot of fun ways to enjoy this colder, quieter season in Toronto, and tips for planning your trip around a concert at the Rogers Centre. From one BSB fan to another, here’s your ultimate guide to Toronto in February for the Backstreet Boys concert!

What the Rogers Centre Will Be Like On Concert Night

The concert starts at 8pm, and will be dark outside when you’re walking to the Rogers Centre. Dress warmly, but don’t bring too many valuable accessories (ie: expensive mits or hatts) that could get lost, or fall under seats. You will need to wear layers to the concert, but you’ll want to take them off during the show, so a bag to keep them in or hanging them on your seat will be necessary.

The CN Tower and Rogers Centre right beside it

The Rogers Centre in Toronto is huge, and holds up to 55,0000 people. (Side note: the concert is at the Rogers Centre, not the Rogers Stadium. The concert will be held at the dome-like building right beside the CN Tower.) Both are lit up at night and a fun place to see a show.

The Rogers Centre falls into the elite “mega-stadium” category in terms of venues throughout the world, and is often selected by the world’s biggest acts by the most popular performers. So, it will be busy trying to get into the Rogers Centre on concert night. Just bring your patience and prepare for crowds and lineups. (Wear a mask if you’re cautious about germs at this time of year.)

The food served at the Rogers Centre is quite pricey, and mainly fast food. Unless you want a $20 hot dog or slice of pizza, I recommend eating before the show. There are a TON of restaurants near the Rogers Centre, but to be honest, they will all fill up fast on concert night. I recommend making advance registrations if you want to eat at any of the restaurants within a 5-10 minute walk of the Rogers Centre, because they will almost certainly all be full. Some of my favourites are the Steamwhistle Biergarden, Scaddabush Italian Grill, and Sportsnest Grill which is actually attached to the Rogers Centre. All of these places take reservations.

360 restaurant cn tower — a view from the 360 Restaurant at the CN Tower (right beside the Rogers Centre) pricy, but good. Reservations and a credit card will be required

Another option is to eat at the 360 Restaurant in the CN Tower. The sun will set between 5:30 and 6 at that time of year, so you should book an early dinner if you want to see a daytime or sunset view. But, the view at night is pretty incredible too.

The other option is to eat in a completely different part of the city that won’t be as full of fans who are planning to head to the concert straight after. The food courts at Union Station, Eaton Centre, St. Lawrence Market or the Underground PATH are good options, as are the restaurants on Queen street West, or along the Esplanate (The Olde Spaghetti Factory, Milestones, Jack Astors, etc.) These are all a bit further away and less likely to fill up on concert night.

Many photos of Toronto in winter — A collection of photos of Toronto in winter, all within a 10 minute walk (except the top right) of the Rogers Centre

Where to Stay in Toronto

The best, and most convenient place to stay (especially if you’re planning a trip around a concert at the Rogers Centre) is the area around Union Station. This is also known as the Entertainment District and everything in this area is within walking distance. Staying in this area puts you within walking distance of the Rogers Centre, the CN Tower, Scotiabank arena, Ripleys Aquarium (which has the longest underwater tunnel in North America) lots of restaurants. Some big hotels to consider in this area are Delta Hotels by Marriot, The Fairmont Royal York, Is Le Germain Hotel, and several others.

See my full list of hotels near Union Station here, which includes what the amenities they offer. If I was new to Toronto, and didn’t know it well, and I was mainly there for a show or concert, then this is exactly where I’d stay.

The other thing about the Union Station area is its VERY easily accessible from the Toronto airport. You can hop on the UP Express train from the Toronto Pearson Airport, and it will take you right to Union Station in 25 minutes where you’d be within walking distance from the Rogers Centre, or from wherever you’re staying. It can also bring you back there when its time to fly home. If you choose to grab an airport hotel, then you can also use the UP Express train to high tail it into the city for your concert.

My husband and I at an apartment that I found on Booking.com. I haven't been able to find this listing again unfortunately — My husband and I at an apartment that I found on Booking.com. I haven’t been able to find this listing again unfortunately

Having said that, the Entertainment District area can be a little pricy (no suprise, for a large cosmopolitan city.) You’re probably looking at at an average of $300-$500 per night for a hotel. If you want to save money, you can look for a rental thats deeper into the city; there are lots of phenomenal neighbourhoods in Toronto to stay in that would only be a short 10-20 minute TTC ride into the Entertainment District.

My favourite thing about Toronto, is in fact is distinct and unique neighbourhoods. If you want to stay outside of the Entertainment District, then I recommend Old Toronto, Cabbagetown, Trinity Bellwoods, or the Junction. Last time I stayed in Toronto, I spent 3 nights in the Junction area and we loved it there – lots of great food, Victorian houses, and acessible to downtown via TTC.

toronto in winter — Skating infront of the Old City Hall, just a few blocks north of the Rogers Centre and CN Tower area

How to Get Around Toronto

If you stay in the Union Station/Entertainment District area, then you won’t need to worry about our public transit system (called the TTC) as much, because you’ll be able to walk everywhere.

But if you want to actually see more of Toronto, or you stay in an area further away, then you’ll be riding the TTC! That stands for Toronto Transit Commission, and it includes our metro, and the street cars. It’s easy to use. Our transit map is actually really small compared to other huge cities. You can just tap your credit card to hop on the subway (or buy a pass, or ticket, but tapping your credit card is simpler) and you can hop on the subway and take it anywhere you want.

The TTC and Toronto are generally very safe. Practice the same precautions as you would in any other major city. I go to Toronto often as a female on my own, and have spent lots of time there with my kids and its a very safe city. If you’re at all worried and want to dive into Toronto’s safety stats or what kind of crime does happen, then feel free to read my article on safety in Toronto.

Is Toronto Worth Actually Seeing Outside of this Concert?

Unless you’re very short on time, I wouldn’t recommend coming all the way to Toronto, and not spending some time seeing the city. It has a lot to offer. It’s a foodie city, it has Canada’s largest museum (the Royal Ontario Museum), as well as the highest observation deck in the western hemisphere with a glass floor (the CN Tower.)

If someone asked me how to spend time in Toronto, then I’d recommend a few things:

Walking through Old Toronto, seeing the Old City Hall with the TORONTO sign in front of it. Go skating there if you want to! continuing east to see Sankofa Square (formerly Dundas Square) and the Eaton Centre which is one of Canda’s largest malls. If you continue further east from there, you’ll see the beautiful Flatiron Building, the Hockey fall of Fame, and the St. Lawrence Market.
Head up to the Kensington Market, and Chinatown area. The easiest way for this is to take the metro to Spadina, and then hopping on the 510 streetcar getting off at Nassau. The Kensington Market is the foodie area of the city, and its one of my favourite neighbourhoods. They actually food tours there year round. It’s very close to Chinatown, and the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Walk along Queen street West, which is known as being one of the best neighbourhoods in the world according to Vogue! It also has great food options, and lots of colourful graffiti. Looks for Graffiti Alley, which is very popular for picture takers but will likely be very quiet in the winter!
Trying lots of great food. Toronto is so multicultural and has amazing food variety, from cultures all over the world. You can find anything. You could venture to Koreatown, Little Italy, Chinatown for very authentic ethnic food options, or find great restaurants on Queen st West, Kensington Market and downstairs at the St. Lawrence Market. If you’re staying overnight, see my recommendations for best breakfasts in Toronto
Ice skating at different rinks around the city. We have free skating trails, and rinks throughout the city that are open (dependent on weather, sometimes they face intermittent closures if the temperature rises too much.) At many of them, you can rent skates on-site. Skating is one of a bunch of cool things to do in Toronto in winter. Specifcally, look for Nathan Phillips Square, the Bentway or the Harbourfront skating are open, they are so beautiful day and night

Graffiti Alley in Toronto. This place has become a draw for photographers, and winter is a less busy time to see it! There are also tons of nearby cafés

If you have more time in the area, there are lots of amazing day trips from Toronto; the most popular being Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is only a 2 hour drive from Toronto, and you don’t necessarily have to rent a car. There are a lot of ways to get to Niagara Falls from Toronto here with public transit; the GO Train, the Flexibus Shuttle, or signing up for a day trip on Viator.

Renting a car to visit the Niagara Peninsula is useful because you could also pop over to Niagara on the Lake, which is by far one of our quaintest, touristy villages. Or, you could take public transit out there and try to find an Uber over to Niagara on the Lake if you want to see it (its only about a 20 minute drive.)

If you’ve already seen Niagara Falls, then we also have some amazing waterfalls in a place called Hamilton which is just half our southwest of Toronto.

Final Thoughts on Visiting Toronto for the Rogers Centre Backstreet Boys Concert

The Backstreet Boys concerts will take place on weekends, and a weekend is a good amount of time to see the best of Toronto, with a 2 or 3 day itinerary. I love Toronto and exploring everything it offers, so if you are interested in diving deeper into the things to do there, check out my one week Toronto itinerary. As a fellow Backstreet Boys fan, I hope that you have an amazing time visiting our city!

The last time Backstreet Boys visited our city was 2022 at the Budweiser Stage, which is much smaller and not currently open in the winter. I didn’t get to see them that time, as I had a newborn, and am so excited to see them in early 2027. I hope that this article covered most of your questions, and if they didn’t, feel free to shoot me an email or DM me on instagram and I’ll do my best to answer!