Big Ears Festival - David Byrne Knoxville Civic Auditorium Knoxville

The Knoxville Civic Coliseum (original name is General James White Memorial Civic Auditorium and Coliseum) is located at 500 Howard Baker Jr. Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee. The Coliseum was opened to the public in 1961. The venue has a seating capacity of around 2,500 (auditorium), and 6,500 (Coliseum). The arena is owned by the City of Knoxville and operated by SMG. Painter, Weeks, and McCarty designed the architecture of the Knoxville Civic Center.

Right now, the arena is home to the SPHL’s Knoxville Ice Bears and the University of Tennessee Ice Vols of the ACHA. The venue remained the main home to the Smoky Mountain Wrestling. A regional wrestling promotion that was done by the Hall of Famer and pro wrestler Jim Cornette from the year 1992-1995 was hosted by the Coliseum.
The arena has hosted the Knoxville Speed of the UHL, the Knoxville Knights of the EHL, and the Knoxville Cherokees of the ECHL. Tennessee Riverhawks that is the professional indoor football franchise was also the home tenant to this arena. Fastest tickets sellout record was broken by “Chicago” on August 26, 1971. Not only this, but the venue has also hosted events such as Symphony Orchestra concerts, plays and musicals, comedy shows, and circuses.

Box office hours for purchasing tickets directly from Knoxville Civic Coliseum are through Monday – Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM or you can purchase tickets online at TicketsOnSale.com.