FTL War Memorial Auditorium

Standing as a tribute to military veterans on the western end of Fort Lauderdale's 93-acre Holiday Park, the War Memorial Auditorium first opened on January 14, 1950, and quickly became one of South Florida's most versatile entertainment spaces. Over the decades, the Art Deco-style building hosted U.S. Presidents, Buddy Holly concerts, World Boxing Champion Hector Camacho title fights, Championship Wrestling from Florida tapings from 1951 to 1987, professional wrestling television productions, symphony performances, and trade shows. In 2019, the NHL's Florida Panthers entered a 50-year, one-dollar-per-year lease with the City of Fort Lauderdale to revitalise the aging facility. The result is a 100-million-dollar transformation that preserved the original Art Deco exterior while completely gutting and rebuilding the interior. The reopened FTL War Memorial features a 44,000-square-foot, 3,400-capacity concert venue with a general-admission floor and a new premium seated mezzanine level, modern lighting and sound systems, four large artist dressing rooms, multiple bars, VIP seating areas, and an industrial kitchen for catered events. The broader FTL War Memorial campus includes the Baptist Health IcePlex, a 144,000-square-foot facility with two NHL-regulation ice rinks serving as the Florida Panthers' practice home and a community recreation hub. Pantherland, a 7,500-square-foot flagship retail store, and The Federal, a full-service restaurant with an outdoor patio, complete the complex. Grammy-winning singer Melissa Etheridge performed the grand opening concert. The venue is located at 800 NE 8th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. The renovation project earned recognition as the 2025 ULI Southeast Florida and Caribbean Project of the Year. The revitalised campus continues to serve as an honoured memorial for Broward County's military veterans.

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Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: 800 NE 8th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States, 33311

Website: https://www.ftlwarmemorial.com/

Capacity: 3400

Opening Date: 14/01/1950