The James L. Knight Center is a contemporary entertainment and convention complex located in Downtown Miami, Florida. Located within the Miami Central Business District, the venue opened in 1982. The complex is named after famed newspaper publisher, James L. Knight. Since its opening, the complex has hosted many business, entertainment and political events. Annually, it hosts Miami Dade College graduation ceremonies. It also hosted Miss Universe in 1984 and 1985, Miss USA in 1986 and Miss Teen USA in 1985 and the OTI Festival in 1989. Most recently, the CONMEBOL hosted the draw for the 2024 Copa America™ Group Stage at the James L. Knight Center.
History
The complex originally was built to be an exhibition hall for the downtown Miami area, to attract business conferences, trade shows and conventions. Previous conventions were held at the Miami Beach Convention Center. However, the business atmosphere for Miami Beach began to decline. City officials saw this as an opportunity to claim the market for the blossoming downtown business district.[1] The space, known as James L. Knight Convention Center, was the project of the City of Miami.[2] During its construction, the University of Miami sought a sports arena for its revitalized basketball program. Newspaper publisher James L. Knight donated over one million dollars towards the cost of the arena.[3] The space became known as the University of Miami Auditorium.
Along with the Hyatt Regency Hotel, the complex opened October 2, 1982, to the public. Although this venture was promising for the city government, it proved to be very costly. Although the center hosted many events, it was not able to draw large convention crowds due to its limited size.[4] The venue began to accumulate debt for the county and city officials were unsure of how to solve the problem. Taxes were increased to handle the $5 million annual operating costs and debt for the venue.[5] In 1983, the FIU Sunblazers men's and women's basketball team used the UM Auditorium until the completion of the Sunblazer Arena in 1986.[6] Shortly after, the newly formed Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team occupied the auditorium and the center was revitalized.[7]
To meet demand, the city looked to expand the Knight Center to be used for large conventions, which would not only gain higher revenue for the city, but also solve the city's growing unemployment issue.[8] Concurrently, the University of Miami were also looking to build upon the athletic success of the auditorium by adding a public meeting space and lecture hall.[9] During this time, the auditorium hosted many events, including the NWA Wrestling's Clash of the Champions televised event in June 1988 and two concert appearances for the band R.E.M.[10]
The Knight Center became used primarily for concerts when the Hurricanes moved into Miami Arena in 1988, and became the original home of the annual Premios Lo Nuestro ceremony in the 1990s, remaining until the ceremony moved into the newly completed Waterfront Theater at American Airlines Arena in 2000.
In February 1994 the game show Wheel of Fortune taped episodes at the Knight Center.[11] 7 years later in November 2001 Wheel of Fortune would again tape at the Knight Center, however the audience size was reduced following the September 11 Attacks.[12]
On July 7, 2021, professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) hosted a special episode of their weekly television show AEW Dynamite called Road Rager at the arena.[13][14] AEW would return to the Knight Center in October 2021 to tape another episode of Dynamite and two episodes of its other weekly television show, AEW Rampage.[15][16][17]
James L. Knight Center also kicked off the first half of 2023 breaking its record for the most sold-out shows in property history with two sold-out performances by Morat, ranked No. 65 on the Top 100 North American Tours chart, as well as maximum-capacity performances by internationally acclaimed artists, including Lil Nas X, Pablo Alborán, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Isabel Pantoja.
In 2024 the James L. Knight Center achieved a remarkable milestone, ranking number 19 worldwide among theaters with a capacity of 5,000 seats or less, according to the Billboard Boxscore Midyear report.
This recognition highlights the ongoing success of the James L. Knight Center, which has proven to be one of the leading venues in its category in terms of revenue and popularity. The ranking underscores the center’s commitment to providing high-quality entertainment experiences for the Miami community and its visitors.
For the remainder of 2024, the James L. Knight Center expects to continue this positive trend with a variety of sold-out events, including recent shows by P1 Harmony, Brandon Lake, and Fridayy, as well as upcoming performances by Flor Bertotti, Myriam Hernández, and many more that will continue to attract Miami’s diverse community.
Facilities
Miami Convention Center
James L. Knight Center Theater (formerly the James L. Knight Center from 1982 to 2013)
