The Garrett Coliseum is a 12,500-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, United States. The arena is the centerpiece of the Alabama Agricultural Center, home to the Alabama National Fair. It was built in 1951 and named after W. W. Garrett, the first chairman of the Alabama Agricultural Board. The coliseum's first event was a concert by

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

. In 2005 and 2006, it was home to the

Montgomery Maulers The Montgomery Bears were a professional indoor football team that played their home games at the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Alabama. They are a member of the American Indoor Football Association. The team began play as the Montgomery Maul ...

of the

National Indoor Football League The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, A ...

. The arena contains 8,500 permanent seats and can seat up to 10,500 for end-stage shows, 12,500 for

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and center-stage concerts. The Garrett Coliseum Complex is also home to the official state horse show, by Law on the books the Alabama Open Horsemans Association State Championship Horse Show, which is held every year on Labor Day Weekend. Garrett Coliseum is unique among indoor arenas for its

bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...

which is located at the coliseum's stage end. The Coliseum also contains a 33,600-square-foot arena floor. Adjacent venues in the Alabama National Fairgrounds include the Crawford Arena with 26,243 square feet of space; Teague Arena with 7800 square feet of space; a 14,400-square-foot Exhibit Building, and the 10,500-square-foot Homer Lewis Building.

References

External links

Official website
Sports venues completed in 1951 Sports venues in Montgomery, Alabama Indoor arenas in Alabama 1951 establishments in Alabama {{MontgomeryAL-stub