The City will celebrate the reopening of the Knoxville Civic Coliseum Oct. 11, 2019, at the Ice Bears’ new season kickoff. The newly renovated Coliseum is part of the nearly $11 million renovation project at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum located at 500 Howard Baker Jr. Ave.

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero will drop the first puck at 7:35 p.m., with City Council members joining her to mark the start of the Ice Bears’ exhibition game against the Huntsville Havoc.

KCAC is home to the Ice Bears professional hockey team and hosts hundreds of events every year.

KCAC first opened in 1961 and includes the 6,500-capacity Coliseum and the 2,500-capacity Auditorium.

Transformational updates to the Coliseum began in 2018.

Renovations have included demolition and replacement of the original 1961 ice floor as well as the design and installation of the highly anticipated center-hung scoreboard. All Coliseum restrooms have been remodeled with 75 new fixtures added. Additionally, the color-changing LED sports lighting has been updated to reduce glare and shadows on the ice.

At the Oct. 11, 2019 game, Ice Bears fans for the first time will see live video feeds, with replay capability, on four giant screens. New scoreboard details will also be visible from all Coliseum seats. 


Renovations at the Coliseum include:

• Ceiling and truss sandblasting and repainting;
• New LED sports lighting; 
• New HVAC units;
• A completely upgraded fire alarm system and emergency lighting in the entire building;
• Improvement of the roof drain system; 
• Power upgrades to meet the needs of larger performances;
• Replacement of the original 1961 ice floor; 
• Installation of new dashers with wide-view acrylic glass;
• Upgrades to restrooms, (mostly complete); and
• Installation of a center-hung, four-sided video panel system and scoreboard.

Renovations on the Auditorium’s catwalk, stage floor and orchestra pit are ongoing between scheduled performances and are expected to be completed in early November 2019.