Budweiser Gardens
Budweiser Gardens is a sports-entertainment centre, in London, Ontario, Canada – the largest such centre in Southwestern Ontario. Until 2012, it was known as the John Labatt Centre.
Budweiser Gardens Location within Ontario Budweiser Gardens Location within Canada | |
| Former names | John Labatt Centre (2002–2012) |
|---|---|
| Address | 99 Dundas Street |
| Location | London, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 42°58′57″N 81°15′9″W |
| Owner | London Civic Centre Corporation |
| Operator | Global Spectrum |
| Capacity | 9,036 - Hockey 9,000 - End stage concert 3,200 - Theatre mode (smaller concert) 2,800 - Theatre mode (with proscenium) 10,200 - Centre stage concert |
| Surface | 200 ft × 85 ft (61 m × 26 m) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | March 2001 |
| Opened | October 11, 2002 |
| Construction cost | $42 million, plus $10 million for land |
| Architect | Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects (BBB Architects) |
| Project manager | Trinity Planning & Projects Consulting |
| Structural engineer | VanBoxmeer & Stranges |
| Services engineer | The Mitchell Partnership, Inc. |
| General contractor | EllisDon |
| Tenants | |
| London Knights (OHL) (2002–present) London Lightning (NBL Canada) (2011–present) Western Mustangs-Men's Hockey (CIS) (2005–2007) | |
The John Labatt Centre, which opened on October 11, 2002, was named after John Labatt, founder of the Labatt brewery in London. Labatt still has a large brewery in London to the present day, although its head office was moved to Toronto in the early 1990s. The John Labatt Centre's name was changed to Budweiser Gardens (after Labatt's sister brand in AB InBev) in Fall 2012, as approved by London City Council on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 with a vote of 12–3.
The centre was built, in part, to be the new downtown home of London's Ontario Hockey League team, the London Knights, replacing the 40-year-old London Ice House in the south end of the city, near Highway 401. Since 2011, it is home to London's National Basketball League of Canada team, the London Lightning.