The flying saucer-shaped Fort Worth Convention Center is coming down, but not before people have one last chance to reminisce over the 58-year-old venue.
The arena’s last event, called “It’s Goin’ Down,” will be from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20. The free celebration is set to include live music from Emerald City Band, interactive experiences, activities, commemorative merchandise and giveaways and a historical exhibition set to be more than 10,000 square feet. The exhibition will include a grand piano and the original 1966 blueprints for the arena, according to Fort Worth spokesperson Andra Bennett.
“In true Fort Worth form, we will say farewell to our storied arena with a finale for North Texas residents and visitors,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said in a news release. “Fort Worth continues to lead as an ‘unexpected city’, one that celebrates who we are, honors where we’ve been, and most importantly, celebrates where we’re going as we look ahead to the exciting convention center expansion in 2030.”
The demolition of the arena, set for early 2027, will make way for the second phase of a $701 million project. The $606 million Phase 2 expansion will include a four-story modernized space with an exhibit hall, meeting rooms and ballroom.
The Olympic Torch is carried in front of the Fort Worth Convention Center ahead of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The convention center is planned to be demolished in early 2027. (UTA Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection)
The center has hosted Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, to name just a few artists who’ve performed there. The Olympic torch passed in front of the arena on its way to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and local and national teams played inside the walls that also hosted political events, conventions and circuses.
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“Like many Fort Worthians, I attended the circus and sporting events in the arena and worked behind the scenes in operations here for more than a decade,” Cynthia Sanchez Serrano, director of the city’s public events department and general manager of the Fort Worth Convention Center, said in the release. “We look forward to welcoming everyone to reminisce and make new memories in this space.”
Other Fort Worth locals who remember their graduations, concerts and other fond memories of the arena can upload photos of related memorabilia to the Fort Worth Public Library’s History Center.
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This article originally published at ‘It’s Goin’ Down’: Final event bids farewell to Fort Worth Convention Center.