Five names, one arena
Tampa's downtown arena has changed names often enough that most locals just use whichever one stuck with them.
- Ice Palace, from its opening on October 20, 1996
- St. Pete Times Forum, from 2002
- Tampa Bay Times Forum, from 2012
- Amalie Arena, from 2014
- Benchmark International Arena, from August 2025, after a naming deal with the Tampa mergers and acquisitions firm
The building
Hillsborough County owns the arena, and Vinik Sports Group, the company behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, runs it. Hockey sets the calendar from fall into spring, and concerts fit around it. Set for a show, the arena holds about 21,500. A major renovation ahead of the 2012 Republican National Convention rebuilt the entrance plaza, refreshed the suites and seats and added an outdoor deck, and Coldplay brought its Mylo Xyloto tour through that summer.
Getting to Channelside
The arena sits at 401 Channelside Drive, with the Channel District and Water Street around it.
The easiest ride in is the TECO Line Streetcar. It is fare free and has a stop named for the arena. Park at the Fort Brooke Garage downtown, or at the Channelside garage or the Florida Aquarium lot to the east, and ride the last stretch.
If you would rather park close, the Pam Iorio Parking Garage at Channelside Drive and Florida Avenue is about three minutes away on foot, and it is the arena's pick for accessible parking. The Pirate Water Taxi also has an arena stop behind the Tampa Bay History Center. After the show, rideshare pickups move to signed spots along Water Street, Nebraska Avenue and Jefferson Street.
A few tips
- The downtown exits off I-275 and the Selmon Expressway back up before big shows. Leave early, or take the streetcar from a garage outside the crush.
- Ybor City is a streetcar ride away for dinner or a second show at The Ritz Ybor.
- Check your ticket for door times and the night's bag rules.
Stadium tours play Raymond James Stadium across town, and every Tampa date is on the Tampa page.
