Fort Worth closed a chapter of downtown history Sunday with the final public event inside its distinctive \u201cflying saucer\u201d arena, ending 58 years of concerts, graduations, sports and civic gatherings before the building is demolished and replaced with new convention space.<\/p>\n
The free farewell, titled \u201cIt\u2019s Goin\u2019 Down,\u201d was held from noon to 4 p.m. at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena at Ninth and Main streets. The city billed<\/a> it as the final public event inside the arena before remediation and demolition in early 2027.<\/p>\n Last Day At The 1968 Arena<\/p>\n The venue opened in 1968 as the Tarrant County Convention Center and was christened by Bob Hope. It became a downtown landmark for its circular roofline and for decades hosted concerts, high school graduations, sports and civic events.<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s program included live music spanning five decades, vendor booths, commemorative merchandise and a roughly 10,000-square-foot historical exhibit highlighting the arena\u2019s past. Organizers also created<\/a> an oversized commemorative ticket inspired by a $6.50 Rolling Stones floor ticket from 1972 that workers discovered in arena storage. Admission was free, and the city provided free parking in the Houston Street and Commerce Street garages.<\/p>\n Mayor Mattie Parker said the send-off was meant to honor the building while pointing to the expansion scheduled for completion in 2030. <\/p>\n \u201cFort Worth continues to lead as an \u2018unexpected city,\u2019 one that celebrates who we are, honors where we\u2019ve been, and most importantly, celebrates where we\u2019re going,\u201d Parker said in a city announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n What Replaces It<\/p>\n Demolition of the arena is planned for early 2027, rather than immediately after Sunday\u2019s farewell. Its removal is part<\/a> of Phase 2 of Fort Worth\u2019s $701 million convention center expansion and modernization.<\/p>\n City officials said the arena is being replaced with more traditional convention space so Fort Worth can host multiple convention clients at once. Dickies Arena, which opened in 2019, has already taken over many large concerts and sports dates that once filled the flying saucer.<\/p>\n What Changes Now<\/p>\n With Sunday\u2019s farewell complete, the public chapter of the 1968 arena has ended. The next major steps are remediation followed by demolition in early 2027. Until then, the flying saucer will remain part of the downtown skyline, even though its final public gathering has now passed.<\/p>\n As of Sunday evening, the city had not announced an official attendance figure for the farewell.<\/p>\n