Burton Cummings Theatre ranked Top 5 theatre in Canada based on audience numbers

The Burton Cummings Theatre enjoyed its best year yet in 2025, reaching record number performances, sell-outs and audiences – 115, 27 and 122,000-plus respectively – in 2025. The 90,355 tickets sold from January through October, 2025 earned the Burt a top-five ranking for ticket sales among Canadian Theatre counterparts, a North American placing of 75, and a world-wide ranking of 92, as tracked by Pollstar, the live entertainment industry’s leading global trade publication, tracking touring success and live music business trends.

The Burt is hot off two record months in October and November. October saw seven sold-out shows and 20,000 tickets sold across 17 events to beat the previous monthly attendance high set in March 2024. Eighteen November shows yielded the highest paid attendance to date at 21,977, including nine sell-out performances, which over the two months included The Beaches, Wyatt Flores, Jessie Reyes, and the theatre’s namesake Burton Cummings.

Since assuming management of the 1,579-seat Burton Cummings Theatre in 2014, and ownership in 2016, True North Sports + Entertainment has invested more than $2 million in the theatre’s revitalization – from critical maintenance and renewal and accessibility upgrades to preserve and modernize the historical theatre, to significant interior and exterior improvements contributing to both guest comfort and esthetics. Notable recent upgrades include the installation of a state-of-the-art sound system and a stage replacement, rigging upgrades and backstage renovations which have equipped the theatre to accommodate diverse performances with advanced production needs and an increasing volume of shows. Attendance has grown from just 30 shows per year in 2014 to consecutive 100-plus performance seasons, attracting legendary artists, return and first-timers and up-and-coming performers alike.

Superior backstage and guest experience and production flexibility make the Burt an attractive option for diverse types of performances, including November’s Ms. Lauryn Hill Artist in Residence Tour, which opened in Winnipeg and included final rehearsal dates at the Burt where the final touches were put on her show. A focus on attention to detail, including world-class backstage services like customized menus, and a proficient production team offer unprecedented hospitality and expertise no matter what the genre of performance.

True North will celebrate 10 years of ownership of the Burton Cummings Theatre in April 2026.