It replaced a condemned grandstand and became the Ohio State Fair's big-name stage. The Celeste Center at the Ohio Expo Center, 717 East 17th Avenue in Columbus, opened in 1991 and seats 10,200 for concerts in an amphitheatre-style bowl. The name honours a governor: Richard F. Celeste, Ohio's chief executive through the 1980s and later United States Ambassador to India, whose administration oversaw the fairgrounds redevelopment after the old State Fair Grandstand was demolished in 1990. The building is a shape-shifter by design: 60,000 square feet of unobstructed floor under a 53-foot peak ceiling converts from a 10,200-seat concert hall to a 300-booth trade show, a banquet for thousands, an equine and livestock arena or a sports floor - often overnight during the Fair. The permanent stage measures 75 by 32 feet with temporary staging options, backed by air conditioning, dressing rooms with showers and a full-colour outdoor marquee - infrastructure that lets the Fair's July-August concert series run headline acts nightly. The concert ledger spans generations: Christina Aguilera sold the room out in 2000 on her first tour, and the annual Fair series has cycled country, rock, hip-hop and gospel headliners through the bowl for over three decades, alongside the Arnold Sports Festival's boxing and cheer events. Practical notes: the relatively low 53-foot roof keeps sound tight but sightlines matter - the amphitheatre bowl favours centre sections; Expo Center parking is vast except during the Fair, when arriving via the 11th Avenue gate early is the practised move. The fairgrounds around it carry the deeper history: the Ohio State Fair has occupied this 360-acre site since 1886, and the Expo Center now hosts more than 175 events a year contributing roughly 478 million dollars to the state and local economy - with the Celeste Center as its largest indoor stage.

Type: Stadium / Arena

Address: 717 East 17th Avenue, Columbus, OH, United States, 43211

Website: https://www.ohioexpocenter.com

Capacity: 10200

Opening Date: 01/01/1991

Accessible