The MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre (originally Ford Amphitheatre and formerly 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre and Live Nation Amphitheatre) is an outdoor amphitheatre in

East Lake-Orient Park, Florida East Lake-Orient Park is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 22,753 at the 2010 census, up from 5,703 at the 2000 census following an expansion of its borders. The area is th ...

. The venue is located on the

Florida State Fairgrounds The Florida State Fairgrounds is located in East Lake-Orient Park, Florida. In addition to holding the annual Florida State Fair, the fairgrounds also host a wide variety of other events throughout the year. The 2022 Florida State Fair took plac ...

, adjacent to Interstate 4, in the eastern side of town. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre has a capacity of approximately 20,000 (9,900 reserved seats and 10,000 on the lawn).

About the venue

Originally named the

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

Amphitheatre, when opened by Christian artists Michael W. Smith, David Crowder and headliner Mercy Me on July 23, 2004. It was renamed the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre when the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...

were purchased by the

lawyer referral service A lawyer referral service maintains a network of lawyers, and connects people in need of lawyers with its participating attorneys. A potential client who contacts a lawyer referral service is directed to a lawyer who practices in the area of law t ...

for 2010 to 2012. The name change was not well received. In an online poll accompanying an article on the subject in the

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

, 95% of people responded with either "I hate it" or "I think it's pretty lame". At the beginning of 2013, it was announced Live Nation chose not the renew the naming rights for the facility. For the first five months of 2013, the venue was known as the Live Nation Amphitheatre. On May 15, 2013, MidFlorida Credit Union, a Florida-based financial institution acquired the naming rights for three years. The amphitheater has played host to many music festivals. On the first Sunday of every December, it hosts 97X's Next Big Thing, an all day rock festival, mainly featuring

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

bands. Bands that perform there must obey a decibel limit, due to noise complaints from residents that live close to the venue. A wall was erected in an attempt to help shield the noise.

Events

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Landmarks in Tampa, Florida Music venues in Florida Tourist attractions in Tampa, Florida Theatres in Tampa, Florida Music of Tampa, Florida 2004 establishments in Florida Florida State Fair Event venues established in 2004

About the venue

Events

See also

References

External links