Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 19/06/2026 22:34:00

Built to replace the ageing Jacksonville Coliseum, the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena is the principal indoor arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Part of the Better Jacksonville Plan, it broke ground in November 2001 and opened on 28 November 2003 at a cost of around 130 million dollars, designed with state-of-the-art techniques to give it the acoustics needed for major concerts. The multipurpose arena seats up to 15,000 for concerts, about 14,091 for basketball, 13,141 for ice hockey and 13,011 for arena football, allowing it to flex between a wide range of events. Its first concert was headlined by Elton John in November 2003, and it has since hosted dozens of touring artists across country, rock, rap and other genres, along with family shows and major sporting events. Originally named the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, it became the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in March 2019 under a naming-rights agreement with the VyStar Credit Union, a deal that included annual contributions to a veterans' trust fund in keeping with the building's memorial dedication. Owned by the City of Jacksonville and operated by ASM Global, it sits next to the stadium of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. The arena has been home to a long list of tenants over the years, including college basketball's Jacksonville Dolphins, the arena-football Jacksonville Sharks and the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen, and it houses the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame. It has also hosted high-profile events such as NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games. As Jacksonville's flagship arena, the venue serves as the city's main destination for large-scale concerts and indoor sports. More than two decades after replacing the old coliseum, it remains a central part of the downtown sports and entertainment district along the St. Johns River.