Take a peek inside Ottawa's newest music venue before its official opening

History Ottawa opens to the public on Thursday

The new ByWard Market live entertainment venue occupying the former Chapters building at the corner of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive will open its doors to the public on Thursday.

The National Capital Commission (NCC) announced it had bought the prominent chunk of real estate, located near Rideau station and the Rideau Centre mall, in 2024.

The NCC revealed the next year that it was partnering with Live Nation Canada to open a two-storey venue there with capacity for about 2,000 people.

Canadian hip-hop superstar Drake was also involved in the venture known as History Ottawa.

So when CBC got an early look at the place on Monday, naturally we asked when the Canadian artist will perform there.

"Being a global superstar, he's had a lot of insights and direction on creativity and how the [space] is gonna look," Ali Shafaee, regional vice-president with Live Nation Canada, said during the tour. "Even the premium lounge upstairs, his whole team was involved in hand-picking the furniture that goes in that room. So he is active in terms of the project itself.

"When he will grace us with his presence in Ottawa, TBD."

As Shafaee explained, the main floor is a general-admission standing room space, though according to the website, it's also "convertible" in order to accommodate concerts and galas too.

On the second floor, "we've got our premium space, which would be 112 seats that you can purchase individually as seats or in groups as part of our lodges," Shafaee said.

There is standing room behind the reserved seats that is accessible with a general admission ticket, the website adds.

Sixty shows are planned for the rest of 2026, of which about 35 have been announced, according to Shafaee, plus another 150 next year.

With Live Nation Canada also operating venues in Toronto and Montreal, "being able to add Ottawa [as a touring] stop is super important," Shafaee said.

Bronwyn Campbell moved to Ottawa from Vancouver where she managed the Commodore Ballroom.

"I like watching people be happy and creating these memorable moments for people," she said. "So I'm really excited to have some bodies in the room and feel that again."

The American rock band The Wallflowers will perform at History Ottawa's Thursday night grand opening.

History Ottawa is comparable to the 2,200-capacity concert space at Ottawa's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and the National Arts Centre's Southam Hall, which has more than 2,000 seats.

"It's not only us," Shafaee said when asked about revitalizing the ByWard Market, where the Ottawa Police Service has increased its presence this year to improve public safety.

"There's so much development that's coming into the [market]. The investment being made from the private sector into hotels, restaurants, spaces like us is very, very strong right now. So I think everybody shares not only the same goal, but the same vision that if you bring life, then it will create more safety and security. And I think that's super important."

With files from Sandra Abma, Francis Ferland and Andrew Foote