By Jim Carchidi
Orlando's Kia Center is celebrating 15 years of energizing fans and the economy with a schedule of marquee sports and entertainment events. Located at 400 W. Church Street, the 18,500-seat venue opened as the Amway Center on October 1, 2010, and was renamed in 2023. Its impressive architecture is matched by an impressive history, summed up by stats and fun facts compiled here.
Did you know?
Amway marketing company owned the naming rights to two Orlando event venues. The first, Amway Arena, was on W. Amelia Street and demolished in 2012 to make way for Creative Village. The second, Amway Center, was renamed Kia Center when the Kia Corporation purchased its naming rights in 2023.
- The first event held at Kia Center (then, Amway Center) was an October 8, 2010, concert featuring Mexican mariachi singer Vincente Fernandez.
- The venue replaced the Amway Arena, located at 600 W. Amelia Street. The building was originally known as the Orlando Arena and later renamed the TD Waterhouse Centre. It was imploded in 2012 and the property is now part of the Creative Village district.
- Within two years of opening, the center hosted the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. Three years after that, it hosted the 2015 ECHL All-Star Game.
- A total of 340 works of art are displayed throughout the building. The collection includes paintings, mixed media, and photographs.
- More than 1,800 vehicles can park at the adjoining, eight-story Geico Garage.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the arena hosted a WWE residency that lasted from August 21 to December 7. Production took place on a closed set called WWE ThunderDome.
By the numbers
The Kia Center tower measures 180 feet in height.
Kia Center has welcomed approximately 20 million guests to 3,291 events. Among those are:
- 496 concerts
- 644 Orlando Magic games
- 1 NBA All-Star Weekend
- 3 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships
- 494 Orlando Solar Bears games
- 1 ECHL All-Star Game
- 7 NHL preseason games
- 26 WWE events
- 30 comedy shows
Food sales are a big deal at any venue and Kia center concession stands and restaurants have served more than 10,573,424 drinks and 898,304 hot dogs.
Aside from hosting world-class events, Amway Center has created more than 4,070 jobs and generated an economic impact of $6.5 billion. The tourism economy is also boosted with about 416,000 hotel nights booked each year in conjunction with events.
What's next
A series of upcoming building improvements were made possible by a county-approved Tourist Development Tax fund allocation of $226 million. The funds will be made available over a 10-year period and used for upgrading infrastructure, such as electrical, plumbing, security, and fire protection systems. Furnishings will also be replaced and new finishes added in public-facing areas.
The remaining anniversary month schedule features season home openers for the Orlando Solar Bears (October 17), the Orlando Magic (October 22), along with the following list of concerts:
- Andrea Bocelli, October 9
- NBA YoungBoy, October 11
- Billie Eilish, October 14
- Jonas Brothers, October 26 & 27
- Elevation Worship & Steven Furtick, October 30
For information on upcoming events and ticket sales, log onto KiaCenter.com.
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