Canad Inns Stadium Canad Inns Stadium ( formerly Winnipeg Stadium ) is a Canadian football stadium currently being demolished located north of Polo Park Shopping Centre in Winnipeg , Manitoba . The Stadium , whose naming rights are owned by the locally based hotel chain Canad Inns , was opened in 1953 and in its current configuration , seats 29 , 533 for football . It has been the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL since 1953 . It is also the home of the Winnipeg Rifles of the Prairie Football Conference and has been home to various iterations of the Winnipeg Goldeyes and Winnipeg Whips ( AAA Montreal Expos farm team ) baseball teams . The stadium is set to close after the new Investors Group Field at the University of Manitoba is completed in June 2013 . History . During the Blue Bombers ' early years , the team played at Osborne Stadium , a much smaller venue located near the Manitoba Legislative Buildings . The fast passing - dominated play of Bombers quarterback Jack Jacobs dramatically increased attendance at Blue Bombers game and precipitated the need for a new , larger stadium . In the wake of several unsuccessful proposals for a new stadium , a plan for the construction of a new 15 , 700 seat home for the Blue Bombers in the Polo Park district was approved by the City of Winnipeg in 1952 . The stadium was officially opened on August 14 , 1953 , with a fundraising gala to benefit the Winnipeg Unit of the Shriners Hospitals for Children . Foster Hewitt served as the master of ceremonies as 12 , 000 spectators watched an array of Shriners , athletes , politicians , and Hollywood actress Corinne Calvet inaugurate the stadium . The following night , the Winnipeg Blue Bombers played the first football game at the new facility against the Ottawa Rough Riders . The stadium became known as " the house that Jack built " in recognition of the contributions of Jack Jacobs . The on - field success of the Blue Bombers and their growing fan base led to numerous expansions of the facility beginning in 1954 , when capacity was raised to 17 , 995 . Of those seats , only 10 , 166 were on permanent concrete grandstands , with the remainder being temporary seating in the stadium corners . Further additions included the construction of new north end - zone seating in 1966 and expansion of the west side grandstands , including a new upper deck , in 1972 . In 1978 , the east side grandstands were expanded , with a new upper deck , raising capacity to 32 , 946 . Seats were also added in 1987 when the Stadium was configured to accommodate baseball , at which point its capacity peaked at 33 , 675 . Astroturf was installed in time for the 1988 season which the team welcomed with a Grey Cup victory that year in Ottawa at Lansdowne Park with Sean Salisbury at quarterback . The Stadium ' s seating capacity remained at that level until 1999 , when lower deck benches were replaced by theatre - style seats , the press boxes were enlarged and a club lounge added . Following renovations , seating capacity was reduced to 29 , 533 , the figure at which it stands today . In 2001 , the name of the facility changed from Winnipeg Stadium to Canad Inns Stadium following the purchase of naming rights by Winnipeg - based hotel chain Canad Inns . Baseball . The original baseball grandstands were built at a cost of $ 184 , 000 in 1954 and were located in the southwest corner of the complex . The grandstands housed the original incarnation of the Winnipeg Goldeyes as well as the AAA Winnipeg Whips . The grandstands were demolished in the early 1980s to make way for the Blue and Gold Room and for nearly a decade , baseball could not be accommodated in the facility . CanadInns Stadium once again became a multi - sport venue in the late 1980s . In an effort to attract a AAA baseball club to Winnipeg , artificial turf , retractable seats on the east side stands , and new seating behind the home plate area ( the northwest corner of the field , in the football end zone area ) were installed . Although AAA baseball never returned to the city , the Rochester Aces of the independent Northern League moved to Winnipeg for the 1994 season , adopting the Goldeyes name . After five seasons at the Stadium ( which included a short - season baseball single - game attendance record of 22 , 081 set in 1997 ) , the Goldeyes moved to a new baseball - only facility , CanWest Global Park , in 1999 . Major events . Canad Inns Stadium hosted the opening ceremonies of both the 1967 and 1999 Pan - American Games . The 1967 Games saw the construction of new north end zone seating . The 1999 Games saw several improvements in preparation for the event , including new seats to replace old benches , additional media and club seating facilities , improved lighting and sound , and a new Sony JumboTron scoreboard . The stadium ' s artificial turf was replaced in 2003 , and a new AstroPlay surface was installed . The CFL Grey Cup championship game was held at Canad Inns Stadium in 1991 , 1998 , and 2006 . In each instance , temporary seating was used to increase the stadium ' s capacity . The stadium ' s attendance record was set on November 24 , 1991 , when 51 , 985 fans watched the Toronto Argonauts defeat the Calgary Stampeders for the Grey Cup . For the 2006 Grey Cup , temporary seats were erected at the south end of the football field , raising the Stadium ' s capacity to 44 , 784 . While the stadium is best known as a professional sports venue , it has been used to host numerous amateur sports events and other entertainment events , including the Rock on the Range music festival , since 2009 . The stadium was also used for many years by the Red River Exhibition and for hosting concerts by The Rolling Stones , Pink Floyd , David Bowie , Paul McCartney , AC / DC , Eagles and U2 . Plans . The stadium is scheduled to be replaced in 2013 by Investors Group Field , a new stadium currently under construction on the University of Manitoba campus . Groundbreaking for the new stadium took place on May 20 , 2010 . The Blue Bombers were originally expected to move in time for the 2012 CFL season , but construction delays at the new stadium will force the team to play their home games at Canad Inns for the season . Plans were unveiled in June 2012 for the stadiums demolition and replacement with retail and commercial units . A new Target store was recently announced as the primary retail anchor for the site , replacing the Zellers store at the Polo Park Shopping Centre that will be closed by March 2013 and will not be converted to Target .