Junos week is here. Here’s what you need to know, from road closures to free music shows

Hamilton hosts the Junos Sunday, and the musical awards show is bringing tourists, musicians, concerts and a ton of themed events to the city this week.

From road closures, to where to enjoy free live music, here’s what you need to know the week of the Junos. 

City detouring buses, cyclists downtown

The city has announced multiple Junos road closures, bus detours and restrictions on parking starting as early as March 24. Much of the action happens right downtown, around the TD Coliseum on Bay Street, between King and York Boulevard.

“Residents are encouraged to plan ahead, allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes when travelling downtown during the event,” it said in a public service announcement Friday.

One transit-related bonus for Juno Awards broadcast ticket holders — they can show their ticket to ride HSR buses for free on March 29 as of 3 p.m. 

Buses:

• Starting March 24 at 7 a.m. and ending March 31 at 7 p.m., HSR routes 4 Bayfront, 7 Locke and 8 York will detour. 
• The bus stop at 120 King St. W. will be out of service on March 29. Customers are encouraged to use stops at King and James streets or King and Caroline streets instead. 
• On March 29, commuters should expect “significant” delays downtown, particularly for westbound buses travelling on King Street between James and Bay Streets.

Bikes:

• From March 24 to 28 and March 30 to 31, northbound and southbound cyclists on Bay Street will be detoured to reconnect with Bay Street.
• The Bay Street bike lane will be closed from King Street to York Boulevard on March 29. 

Cars:

• From March 24 at 7 a.m. to March 31 at 5 p.m., there will be a road closure on Bay Street from King Street to York Boulevard.
• On March 29, there will be no access to the Jackson Square underground parking entrance on Bay Street. On other days, drivers can get into that lot at Market and Caroline streets.

CBC at Merit Brewing

Between March 27 and 30, from early morning to late night, CBC will have special programming at Merit Brewing on James Street N., — not far from the CBC Hamilton newsroom. 

There will be live broadcasts of radio shows Weekend Mornings, Here and Now, Canadian Music Mix, Fresh Air, In the Key of C, Saturday Night Jazz, and Commotion.

Admission is free for all ages. Attendees can enjoy a photo booth, and there will be family-friendly programming and trivia on Sunday. Friday and Saturday programming runs until 11 p.m.

You can also check out CBC’s new Phono Mat machine. Stationed near the entrance of the brewery, the Phono Mat is a CBC-branded machine that will dispense records of Juno-nominated artists and host Mae Martin. For a chance to win a free record, guests will be invited to participate in Junos Bingo, which will run multiple times throughout the weekend.

Free shows

In addition to CBC’s, some Junos events are free, including shows in Tourism Hamilton’s local concert series, the Honouring Ceremony Indigenous showcase, a drone light show and a kids’ event and panel discussion at the Central library branch. 

See our events listing for more information about those and other, paid events. 

Some places around the city will also be open extended hours — including the Art Gallery of Hamilton (with discounts for Juno ticket holders) and nightlife venues such as NThenYou.

How to navigate Junofest

The largest series of Junos concerts is called Junofest. On March 27 and 28, there will be shows presented by CBC across multiple Hamilton venues, including Mills Hardware, Corktown Pub and Ooey Gooey’s. You can see the Friday and Saturday schedules here and plan your nights — with different musical acts coming on nearly every hour at venues around the city from 8 p.m. until as late as 2 a.m.

There are individual tickets and two-day passes available for these shows, for people 19 and older. Shows will be first come first serve. If one venue is full when you arrive, organizers say, try another one nearby. 

Watching the Junos

If you don’t have tickets but want to see the big show on Sunday, you can watch or listen on CBC. The awards broadcast will air live across Canada at 8 p.m. on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, CBCMusic.ca/junos and stream globally on CBC Music’s YouTube channel. 

It will include a tribute to Nelly Furtado for her induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, featuring artists including Alessia Cara, Jully Black, Shawn Desman and Tanya Tagaq. 

The broadcast from TD Coliseum will include performances by MICO and Sofia Camara, as well as special appearances from Begonia, Billy Talent, Melanie Fiona, and local pro hockey players Sarah Nurse and Renata Fast.

After party

At The Music Hall venue, The Juno Awards After Party will celebrate the end of the Junos. 

The event is ticketed and 19-plus. It starts at 11 p.m. on March 29. 

Proceeds go towards the MusiCounts charity’s school music funding programs. They help schools purchase instruments, equipment, and resources for music education. 

Some venues are throwing their own unofficial after parties as well. Cadence Weapon is among those DJing Sunday night until late at NThenYou, for instance.