Music and Sports Venues

Paul Brown Stadium is located along the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio and is home to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals and the Cincinnati Reds shared Cinergy Field (Riverfront Stadium) for years. Riverfront was built in 1970 during a time when a lot of cities were building multi-purpose facilities for both football and baseball to save money. It was a cookie-cutter round stadium that was built for $45 million. It remained Riverfront Stadium for years until Cinergy (the greater Cincinnati energy company) bought the naming rights in 1996. The stadium held nearly 53,000 for baseball and 60,000 for football. As the stadium aged both the Bengals and the Reds complained the venue didn’t have the amenities of the newer modern stadiums. The people of Cincinnati were afraid the Bengals might move to another city so in 1996 the voters of Hamilton County voted to use public funds to build a new stadium. They passed a .5% sales tax increase to fund 2 new stadiums for both the Bengals and the Reds. The city also agreed they would not sell the naming rights to the stadium, instead they would honor the founder of the Bengals and name it Paul Brown Stadium.

The Bengals stadium was the first to be built and it was constructed next to Cinergy Field on the west side. The stadium cost $455 million to build and it opened in the year 2000. The new stadium had a seating capacity of 65,515 and became known as “The Jungle”. After Paul Brown Stadium opened Cinergy Field was renovated to a baseball only facility for the Reds final two seasons in the stadium. The Great American Ball Park was completed in 2003 on the east side of Cinergy Field. It was so close to the old stadium that a large section of the left and center field seats had to be removed and the outfield wall was shortened by five feet during construction of the new stadium. The old Riverfront Stadium was finally imploded in December of 2002.

During the first four seasons Paul Brown Stadium had a Kentucky Bluegrass turf but was forced to change to a synthetic turf in 2003 because of maintenance issues. The natural turf was changed out for a FieldTurf system which felt like real grass. The system was unique because the lines and markings on the field were sewn into the fabric so the maintenance crew didn’t have to repaint between games. The playing surface was replaced again in 2012 with a newer synthetic turf system. The stadium has 114 private suites and 7,600 club seats. The club level seats offer in-seat food and beverage service as well as access to the club lounges. There are also 56 concession stands and eight stores in the stadium. The Bengals also have their administrative offices in the stadium as well as training and practice facilities.

Even though the Cincinnati Bengals are the main tenants of Paul Brown Stadium there are other events held at the stadium. College football has seen a lot of action in the venue. The Cincinnati Bearcats and the Ohio State Buckeyes played the first college game in the stadium in 2002. Currently, the Bearcats are calling the stadium home while their stadium (Nippert Stadium) is being renovated. The stadium has also hosted concerts such as Demi Lovato, Fantasia, Robin Thicke and Kenny Chesney to name a few. The Queen City Classic Chess Tournament is held in the stadium every spring.

The Bengals spent $20 million for renovations in 2015. As part of the renovation new HD video boards and sideline LED boards were installed. The new primary video boards measure 130’ X 36’ and are twice as big as the original boards. They spent $2.5 million on concession upgrades which included enhanced food preparation and presentation. The stadium WiFi was updated and there is now WiFi throughout the stadium. The Bengals also spent $3 million improving the team’s locker room, added a new weight room and a new lounge for the players as well as a new cafeteria and a new TV studio.

There are lots of options to get to the stadium if you are planning to attend an event. Interstates 71 and 75 both run next to the stadium and there is a fair amount of parking in lots around the stadium. There are also underground parking garages between Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park. You can also park across the river in Covington, KY and walk across the Roebling Suspension Bridge or catch a shuttle bus from either Covington or Newport, KY. There are several local busing companies that offer transportation to and from the stadium around the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky area. If you prefer to do something a little different you can take The Queen Riverboat shuttle that runs from Newport.

If you’re in Cincinnati take the time to attend an event at the stadium and enjoy the day.

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