| Address | 4800 US Highway 301 North |
|---|---|
| Location | East Lake-Orient Park, Florida |
| Coordinates | 27°59′26″N 82°21′45″W |
| Opened | 1977[1] |
| Owner | Florida State Fair Authority[2] |
| Operator | Florida State Fair Authority |
| Former names | Tampa Fairgrounds Arena (1977–83) |
| Tenants | South Florida Bulls men's basketball (1979–1980) Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) (1984) Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) (1992–1993) Tampa Bay Tritons (RHI) (1994) |
| Seating capacity | Indoor soccer: 9,200 Ice hockey: 10,425 Concerts: 11,926 |
| Dimensions | 88,000 sq ft (8,200 m2) |
| Website | www.floridastatefair.com |
Expo Hall is an indoor arena located at the Florida State Fairgrounds in East Lake-Orient Park, Florida. It is used primarily as an exhibition hall during the Florida State Fair, but has also hosted concerts and sporting events.
The South Florida Bulls men's basketball team used Expo Hall as their main home arena for the 1979–80 season before the on-campus USF Sun Dome opened.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies of the defunct North American Soccer League used Expo Hall for 8 of their 16 home games during the 1983–84 indoor season. At that time the arena's capacity was 9,200.[3] This would also prove to be the league's final indoor campaign before suspending operations following the 1984 outdoor season.[4]
The arena was more famously used by the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning during the team's inaugural season of 1992–93. The facility's seating capacity of 10,425 proved too small for the Lightning, and the team relocated to the ThunderDome in St. Petersburg for three seasons, until its permanent home, Benchmark International Arena, was built in downtown Tampa.
In 1994 the expansion Tampa Bay Tritons of Roller Hockey International played for one season at Expo Hall before folding. Mark Messier owned the club.[5]
The facility currently[when?] hosts graduation ceremonies for Hillsborough County's public high schools.
Noteworthy entertainers to perform in concert at Expo Hall include Robert Plant, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, No Doubt, Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Peter Frampton, Stone Temple Pilots, Yes, George Michael, Santana, Beastie Boys, Alabama, Motörhead, and the Smashing Pumpkins.[6]
References
- ^ McMorrow-Hernandez, Joshua (27 April 2015). Tampa Bay Landmarks and Destinations. Arcadia. ISBN 9781439651063. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
- ^ "Expo Hall venue information". Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- ^ Bunch, Ken (November 8, 1983). "Arena possible site for Rowdies". Milwaukee Sentinel. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
- ^ Beard, Randy (November 5, 1983). "Don't hold your breath as Rowdies unveil schedule". Evening Independent. p. 4-C. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ Brown, Arthur R. Jr. (June 11, 1994). "Tritons to make roller hockey home debut". Lakeland Ledger. p. 3D. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
- ^ "Expo Hall Tampa Concert Setlists". www.setlist.fm. Archived 28 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 March 2017.