Nashville, Tenn. (Dec. 18, 2025) – Bridgestone Arena will celebrate 30 years in Music City in 2026 and today announced it will spend the year honoring its iconic memories, moments and more.
Bridgestone Arena first opened its doors on Dec. 18, 1996 for Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas Show. The evening welcomed 13,000 fans to the holiday event with special guests Gary Chapman, Vince Gill, Michael W. Smith and CeCe Winans. Including that grand opening, the arena has seen more than 50 million guests walk through its doors to enjoy Nashville Predators hockey, concerts, family shows and special events like the SEC Basketball Tournament and the Country Music Association Awards.
In 1998, the Nashville Predators debuted, introducing professional hockey to Music City. Bridgestone Arena is home to the franchise’s biggest milestones, and it has hosted some of the National Hockey League’s marquee events, including the NHL Draft (2003, 2023), NHL All-Star Game (2016) and Stanley Cup Final (2017).
In January, Bridgestone Arena will launch a year-long celebration commemorating its 30 years in Music City with the anniversary formally occurring on Dec. 18, 2026. Throughout the year, fans can look forward to exclusive giveaways, specialty merchandise, unique events, content and much more as ithonors three decades of spectacular moments that happen Only in Smashville.
"We are excited to celebrate 30 years of Bridgestone Arena in 2026,” Bridgestone Arena and Nashville Predators Chief Venues Officer David Kells said. “Since 1996, the arena has been home to incredible live entertainment, shows and of course, unforgettable Predators hockey highlights. Our venue has provided millions of fans memories to last a lifetime and a place they can call home. The world-class sporting events and entertainment that we attract have been a catalyst to help keep downtown Nashville growing, vibrant and active. We are grateful for every day and look forward to 30 more great years at the heart of Broadway and Music City.”
The arena has hosted a wide variety of events, including 22 SEC events; 19 CMA Awards; 18 Country Music Television (CMT) Awards; five Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards; and thousands of concerts, shows and more.
Bridgestone Arena is a seven-time International Entertainment Buyers Association Arena of the Year award winner (2008, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2025); seven-time Academy of Country Music’s Large Capacity Venue of the Year award winner (2009, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2024); and a two-time CMA Venue of the Year award winner (2017 and 2019). A nominee for the Pollstar Arena of the Decade, Bridgestone Arena has 17 consecutive and 20 overall nominations for the Pollstar Magazine Arena of the Year award, winning it in 2014, 2017 and 2023.
Country music legend Garth Brooks holds the record for the most headline concerts at Bridgestone Arenawith 19, including a nine-show residency in 2010. Tim McGraw – the artist behind the Predators’ iconic goal song – has performed at the arena 13 times and he hosted the first-ever New Year’s Eve Show in 1996 with his wife, Faith Hill. Comedian and Nashville native Nate Bargatze saw 19,365 attendees at his show on April 15, 2023, setting the all-time attendance record at the arena.
In June 2019, the Metropolitan Sports Authority unanimously approved a landmark 30-year lease agreement between the City of Nashville, Powers Management and the Nashville Predators that will keep the team at its current location through 2049. Just a few months later in September, the Predators and Bridgestone Americans celebrated one of the strongest partnerships in professional sports by announcing another extension to the naming-rights agreement for Bridgestone Arena, ensuring that Nashville’s downtown arena continues to bear the Bridgestone Americas brand through 2030.
Bridgestone Arena enters its 30th year by reaffirming its long-standing commitment to Nashville’scontinued growth and vitality. Looking ahead, the upcoming arena renovation – Smashville’s Next Stage– will transform the venue into a best-in-class destination for patrons, performers and athletes. Envisioned as a premier gathering place where the world comes together to experience sports, entertainment and hospitality, this next chapter reinforces Bridgestone Arena’s enduring role at the heart of Nashville and Broadway’s future.
More details about the anniversary celebrations will be announced in the new year.
