Daily's Place

Lore & Background

The venue was first proposed in 2009 as a renovation of the aging pavilion tent at Metropolitan Park. After a city council meeting in January 2010, renovation plans were placed on hold, though demolition of Kid Kampus continued, leaving a grassy field by 2011. In early 2015, Jaguars owner Shahid Khan proposed developing the eastern area of Downtown Jacksonville, including a 9,000-seat outdoor amphitheater at the Shipyards, but the city council denied those plans due to environmental concerns. Following the success of EverBank Field renovations, Khan developed new plans that were approved.

The Jaguars announced additions to EverBank Field, including an amphitheater, at their 2015 State of the Franchise address. The $90 million budget was split by the City of Jacksonville and Khan's Iguana Investments. Construction began in August 2016 after delays, with final costs over $40 million. The venue was designed by Populous, featuring an indoor tiered setting joined with the flex field, an 80-foot ceiling, a standard 60'x40' concert stage, and a main floor, mezzanine, and balcony. The main floor seats 3,500 with a general admission area adding up to 500; the mezzanine and balcony each seat 1,000. Sliding panels on both sides can open for an open-air experience.

Daily's Place opened on May 27, 2017, with a concert by the Jacksonville-based Tedeschi Trucks Band. During the COVID-19 pandemic, AEW moved its weekly television program Dynamite and webseries Dark to Daily's Place in March 2020, holding tapings behind closed doors. The venue became AEW's home base through the pandemic period, with fans returning at limited capacity in summer 2020. AEW returned to touring in July 2021 but continues to periodically hold events at Daily's Place, promoted as Homecoming shows.

Reader's Guide

Daily's Place serves as a key component in the revitalization of Downtown Jacksonville, as stated by Jaguars President Mark Lamping, who noted its purpose was to aid the lackluster downtown area. The venue plans to host 35-40 events per year, many around Jaguars home games, aiming to bring tourism to the city. Its 5,500 capacity makes it the second largest concert venue in Jacksonville, between VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (15,000) and the Moran Theater (nearly 3,000). Manager Ryan Murphy believed it would not draw crowds away from the St. Augustine Amphitheatre (seating close to 4,000).

The venue's national significance grew dramatically when it became the home base of All Elite Wrestling during the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting weekly television, web series, and pay-per-views. This association with the Khan family-owned promotion gave Daily's Place a prominent place in professional wrestling history. The first full-capacity concert after the pandemic began was Machine Gun Kelly on April 23, 2021. The venue's design, with its steel truss cage façade and PTFE fabric roofing similar to Ashe Stadium, provides natural ventilation and daylight while enabling dramatic LED lighting effects.

Did You Know?

• Daily's Place is named after a local convenience store chain that secured naming rights.
• The venue's main floor features 228-foot sliding panels on both sides that can open to create an open-air experience.
• AEW's pay-per-view Double or Nothing was held at Daily's Place on May 23, 2020, with a Stadium Stampede match in TIAA Bank Field as the main event.
• The architectural firm Populous designed Daily's Place, as well as all three sports venues in Jacksonville.