Bridgestone Arena, BBN’s home in Nashville, is about to get a $650 million upgrade

The home of the SEC Tournament is about to get a lot nicer. Today, the Nashville Predators announced plans for a $650 million upgrade to Bridgestone Arena that will expand the building’s capacity by 175,000 square feet and transform it from simply a venue into an entertainment and shopping destination.

By 2030, Bridgestone Arena will include shops, restaurants, bars, and a hotel in two new towers connected to the current building. The main entrance will move to Fifth Avenue to align with the pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River and the new Titans stadium, which is currently under construction. The current main entrance will be turned into an outdoor plaza featuring a massive LED canopy with escalators and an open walkway to new restaurants and shops. Because this is Nashville, at the 300 level, there will be a 60,000 square foot rooftop and rooftop bar, which Bridgestone is billing as the “largest rooftop on Broadway.”

The exterior of the building will be opened up, with the existing concrete replaced with windows, open-air concourses, and digital screens. Inside, there will be 600-700 more seats in the arena, bigger concourses, more bathrooms, new locker rooms for sporting events, green rooms for concerts, and stores and restaurants that will be open seven days a week.

Rendering of the upgraded Bridgestone Arena as seen with Broadway in the lower right and Fifth Avenue in the foreground (Courtesy of Nashville Predators)

The work will begin in summer 2026, with most of the construction taking place during the summers of 2027, 2028, and 2029, to be completed ahead of the 2029-30 hockey season, although the towers will take longer. In total, the upgrades will cost close to $1 billion over the next 15 years and will be financed with ticket sales and sales tax revenue generated inside the arena. Sean Henry, Nashville Predators CEO, told The Tennessean that it would probably be cheaper to build a new arena somewhere else than renovate the current one, but the location is too good to leave. The Preds’ lease on the building lasts through 2049.

The SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament is contracted to take place in Nashville through 2035, so Kentucky fans will have plenty of chances to enjoy the new and improved Bridgestone. The Cats will play in the current venue twice this upcoming season, first against Gonzaga on Friday, Dec. 5, and again at the 2026 SEC Tournament. New or old, it always looks fantastic covered in Kentucky Blue.

Kentucky fans wait to get into Bridgestone Arena during the 2025 SEC Tournament – Tyler Thompson, Kentucky Sports Radio

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