LEXINGTON, Ky. — Pollstar magazine recognized Rupp Arena and the historic Lexington Opera House in its Mid-Year Report for the second consecutive year, solidifying their statuses as Lexington’s premier live entertainment venues.
“Rupp Arena continues to outperform expectations, delivering results on par with major national markets,” said Joey Trevino, director of booking, in a release from Oak View Group, which manages Rupp Arena and the Lexington Opera House. “This success is a testament to the momentum we’ve built and OVG’s unwavering commitment to elevating the live entertainment experience.”
According to the release, Rupp Arena made history this year hosting WWE SmackDown, which was its highest-grossing and most-attended wrestling event. The venue also welcomed packed audiences for sold-out shows from Jelly Roll, Matt Rife and two back-to-back nights of Billy Strings. Highlights for the rest of 2025 include Creed (July 9), Cole Swindell (Sept. 18), Eric Church (Oct. 3), Jonas Brothers (Nov. 1) and Andrea Bocelli (Dec. 6).
As the top-performing theater in Lexington, the Mid-Year Report highlighted a strong season of sold-out shows including “The Book of Mormon,” Fortune Feimster, Hudson Westbrook, Wanda Sykes and the Wallflowers. Among the upcoming shows are “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (July 31-Aug. 3), “Mrs. Doubtfire” (Oct. 10-12) and “A Christmas Carol: The Musical” (Nov. 20-23).
The release added Rupp Arena and the Lexington Opera House have welcomed 3 million attendees over the past six months, coming from not only nearby counties but also surrounding states such as Missouri and Virginia. Visit CentralBankCenter.com for a full schedule of upcoming events.