The current James Brown Arena is officially closed. It’s the end of an era. The final event in the old JBA was held this past Friday, and demolition on the building is set to begin next month. While I’m super excited to finally be getting a new arena, I’m a little sad to see the other one go. I’ve got a lot of memories in that old building, and I’m sure you do as well.
The James Brown Arena-Gone But Not Forgotten
If you’ve lived in the CSRA for a while, odds are, you’ve been to the arena for an event. Maybe it was a graduation or a concert. It might’ve been Disney On Ice or WWE Live. Whatever the event might’ve been, I know you’ve got memories of that building. I know I sure do, I’ve been going to events there since I was a kid.
I can’t tell you how many wrestling events I’ve seen there. Also the past 13 Kicks99 Guitar Pulls have been at the JBA. Of course there are the countless other shows I’ve seen there. And lets not forget about Disney On Ice and the circus. The James Brown Arena has been a big part of this community since it opened at the end of 1979.
Some of the biggest names in music have played at the JBA, or as it was known originally, The Augusta Richmond County Civic Center. The arena also had a great history of sports as well. It was home to ice hockey and arena football, and yes it even hosted a couple of UFC events back in the 90s. We’ll definitely miss the old JBA, but here’s to the new one which is set to open in late 2026.
If you want to check out what the new arena will look like just click here.
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Here are some of my favorite memories from The James Brown Arena over the years.
