By Richard Oliver
The Alamodome in downtown San Antonio continued a remarkable hot streak on Sunday, February 19, when more than 24,000 people attended the first game for the city’s new XFL franchise, the Brahmas. It was by far the largest crowd for any of the spring football league’s ballgames on opening weekend.
The contest was the latest exclamation point in an amazing timeline for the facility, which celebrates its 30th anniversary May 15. Since January 2022, the Alamodome has hosted more than 1 million patrons, including concerts, sporting events, and other headline moments.
An added bonus at the Brahmas game was an announcement by actor and entertainer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, 
a co-owner of the league, that the XFL championship game has been awarded to the Alamodome on Sunday, May 13.
It’s part of a powerful lineup of events on the horizon. it was just revealed that rock band Guns ‘N Roses will include a September 24 stop at the Alamodome, part of what is expected to be the world’s top concert tour in 2023. Already announced for this year are performances by global superstars P!nk (Sept. 25) and Red Hot Chili Peppers (May 17).
“Simply put, the Alamodome is a valued asset that has put our community on the map, time and again, and improved our quality of life on so many levels,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said.
On January 13, the San Antonio Spurs set the NBA record for single-game attendance when 68,323 fans packed the Alamodome for the team’s 50th anniversary celebration game against the Golden State Warriors. Two weeks later, WWE held its Royal Rumble there, and more than 51,000 showed up as the wrestling circuit set records for gate revenues.
The Dome will host its fifth Men’s Final Four in 2025, and recently was selected to host the Women’s Final Four in 2029. On December 29, the Valero Alamo Bowl attracted 63,000 fans.
“There is little doubt that the Alamodome ranks today as one of the diverse, popular entertainment venues in the country,” said Patricia Muzquiz Cantor, Director of Convention & Sports Facilities for the City of San Antonio. “Over three decades, it has served as an iconic, unique destination for performers and fans alike, lifting the quality of life for our historic community. And there’s so much more to come.”
The Alamodome just completed one of the most successful years in its history. In the final five months of 2022 alone, the stadium hosted five headline stadium concerts that drew nearly 230,000 fans and generated more than $31 million in gross receipts. The events included the Motley Crue and Def Leppard Stadium Tour, Bad Bunny, Rammstein, Grupo Firme, and Elton John.
The Bad Bunny and Elton John shows were part of the two largest tours in the world in 2023. The Bad Bunny concert broke the facility mark for gross ticket sales for one show when more than $11 million was recorded for the Sept. 8 performance, which drew 54,000 people.
Additionally, the Dome saw more than 150,000 spectators attend seven University of Texas at San Antonio football games, including the Conference USA championship on Dec. 2. In total, the Alamodome held 135 event days in 2022, with a similar schedule for 2023, exceeding the average of 115 event dates in previous years.
Roughly $109 million in capital improvements are planned for the facility by 2028.
Steve Zito, CVE, Interim Assistant Director of Convention & Sports Facilities, acknowledged the promoters who have helped make the facility so successful, including the Valero Alamo Bowl, Live Nation, Feld Entertainment, University Interscholastic League, Cheer Power, NCAA, San Antonio Home and Garden Show, San Antonio Sports, the Spurs and AEG, among others.
“None of this would be possible without the countless hours and commitment from the team of the Alamodome,” said Zito, who also serves as General Manager of the Alamodome. “We always focus on our ‘One Team’ philosophy, and that team has many players. San Antonio has become a very viable market for all genres of entertainment, and over 30 years the Alamodome has been the centerpiece of that.”
In January 2023 alone, more than 54 million people viewed content that was generated from the Alamodome across all media, including those in attendance.
Richard Oliver is Communications Manager at City of San Antonio Convention & Sports Facilities.
