The Citrus Bowl reconstruction is underway and you can follow the progress online.

Turner Construction has two cameras online where you can view the demolition and rebuilding progress.

Crews will be working in 24-hour shifts to finish the project before the end of the year. It will be completed in time for the annual Florida Classic in November.

The $200 million Citrus Bowl renovation project will transform about 80 percent of the stadium and the Citrus Bowl as we know it will pretty much be gone, except for the skeletal bowl shape.

Maximum seating capacity will decrease to 65,000, down from 71,000. The seats will be more comfortable with added leg room, about six more inches.  The new club level will feature wider seats.

Citrus Bowl renovations will include:

  • Newly constructed lower bowl
  • Vibrant open-air exterior facade
  • Expanded 360-degree main concourse
  • New lower bowl seating with six more inches of leg room in each row
  • Club level with both enclosed and open-air seating
  • 10,000-square-foot party deck
  • Suites on west side
  • Multiple LED video displays

The Citrus Bowl opened in 1936 as a public works project under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration.  Since then, the stadium has undergone numerous expansions and name changes over the years.

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History of the Citrus Bowl

Source: Orlando Venues

  • Former Names
    • 1936–46  Orlando Stadium
    • 1947–75  Tangerine Bowl
    • 1976  Citrus Bowl
    • 1977–82  Orlando Stadium
    • 1983–Present  Florida Citrus Bowl

The Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, the grandfather of the Orlando Venues facilities, has quite a history. The Florida Citrus Bowl, originally Orlando Stadium, began as a Works Progress Administration project by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. The original cost of the stadium was $115,000. The stadium was renamed the Tangerine Bowl in 1947 and the first college football bowl game was played on January 1, 1947. Catawba College defeated Maryville College 31-6. At that time, the stadium seating capacity was 10,000.

In 1952, the stadium capacity was expanded by 2,000 seats and was host to the “Little Bowl with the Big Heart,” because all proceeds from the game went directly to charity. In 1968, the stadium underwent another expansion bringing seating capacity to 17,000 and the first press box was constructed. The Tangerine Bowl underwent expansion from 1974 to 1976, to bring the total seating capacity to 50,000. In 1983, the Florida Department of Citrus became the title sponsor at a price of $250,000.

Beginning in 1989, the Florida Citrus Bowl underwent a $30 million expansion and renovation project to add upper decks to both sides of the field and 30 private suites. The most notable features of the expansion were the new upper decks located along each sideline. Each single upper deck contains 9,000 seats. The new decks are manufactured of precast concrete and wrap around over the existing stands to focus on the action, putting spectators as close to the field as possible. Four concrete ramp towers at the corners of the stadium provide access to the decks and give the Florida Citrus Bowl a new coliseum-like appearance.

The stadium has been host to countless high school, collegiate and professional football games. It has been the home field to the Orlando Broncos of the Southern Football League from 1962-1963, the Orlando Panthers of the Continental Football League from 1966-1970, the Florida Blazers of the World Football League in 1974, the University of Central Florida from 1979-2006, the Orlando Americans of the American Football Association in 1981, the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League in 1985, the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football from 1991-1992, the Orlando Sundogs of the A-League in 1997, the Orlando Rage of the XFL in 2001 and currently the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League and Jones High School. The stadium has also served as host for National Football League preseason games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets and several neutral field, regular season college games, most notably Florida vs. Mississippi State and Florida State vs. Notre Dame. Presently, the Florida Citrus Bowl serves as host to the East-West Shrine Game, the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, the Florida Classic, the Champs Sports Bowl, and the Capital One Bowl.

The stadium has been host to "Rock Superbowls" featuring such performers as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Genesis, Pink Floyd, George Michael, Paul McCartney, Guns'n Roses, Billy Joel/Elton John and Eagles. On April 14, 1979, the Florida Citrus Bowl then the Tangerine Bowl, hosted the Florida World Music Festival, commonly known as the “Florida Jam.” The acts included Aerosmith, Blackfoot, Brownsville Station, Cheap Trick, Frank Marino, Mahogany Rush and Ted Nugent. In October 1981, the Florida Citrus Bowl became the only venue to feature Van Halen and The Rolling Stones together.

On March 30, 2008, the Florida Citrus Bowl hosted WrestleMania XXIV and set an attendance record of 74,635 fans. Tickets went on sale November 3, 2007 and over 41,000 tickets were sold in the first hour. It became the highest-grossing event in Florida Citrus Bowl history, with an $5,854,590 in total gross ticket sales. The Florida Citrus Bowl is currently undergoing a $10 million renovation that also includes artificial turf.

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Top 10 grossing Citrus Bowl events

10. Monster Jam - Jan. 26, 2008

Winners: El Toro Loco (Racing) and Grave Digger (Freestyle)
View the full recap at MonsterJam.com.

9. Conference USA Championship - Dec. 3, 2005

Final: UCF lost to Tulsa, 44–27
View the recap, box score and play-by-play at ESPN.com.

8. Champs Sports Bowl - Dec. 27, 2005

Final: No. 23 Clemson defeated Colorado, 19–10
View the recap, box score and summary at USA Today.

7. The Rolling Stones - Dec. 7, 1997

Bridges to Babylon Tour
View the setlist at Setlist.fm.

6. Florida Classic - Nov. 19, 2005

Final (OT): FAMU defeated Bethune-Cookman, 26–23 in overtime.
View the complete history of Florida Classic year-by-year results.

5. Metallica - July 13, 2003

Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003
Live download, setlist and photos at Metallica.com.

4. George Strait - May 13, 2000

George Strait Country Music Festival 2000
Were you there? Add the setlist to Setlist.fm.

3. Capital One Bowl - Jan. 1, 2006

Final: No. 20 Wisconsin upset No. 7 Auburn, 24–10
Recap on ESPN.com: Badgers win Capital One Bowl in coach Barry Alvarez's final game.

2. Capital One Bowl - Jan. 1, 2005

Final: No. 11 Iowa defeated No. 12 LSU, 30–25
Relive the event at HawkeyeSports.com.

1. WrestleMania XXIV - March 30, 2008

Main event: The Undertaker defeated Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship
Relieve the event at WWE.com.

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Property overview

Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium
• 70,000 seat football stadium
• Home to the Florida Tuskers, East-West Shrine Game, Florida Classic, MEAC/SWAC Challenge, Champs Sports Bowl and Capital One Bowl

Tinker Field
• 2,548 seats, 769 bleachers
• 12,000 maximum for concerts
• Built in 1914
• Named after Hall of Famer, Joe Tinker
• Listed on the US National Register of Historic Places

McCracken Field
• 8,000 maximum for concerts
• 20,000 maximum for concerts (including Tinker Field)
• Baseball field located next to Tinker
• Field used as an alternate training site and location for amateur and semi-pro league baseball
• All new lighting and surfacing

Thunder Field
• Host to Central Florida Soccer League and various other soccer organizations
• Used primarily as an athletic training field for professional and college teams

Festival Field
• 12,000-15,000 maximum for concerts depending on setup

Varsity Club
• 225 seated capacity, 500 standing capacity
• Banquet room located inside the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium