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Tennessee athletics director Danny White said the Neyland Entertainment District project will break ground this summer, beginning with the demolition of the G10 garage.
The $280 million project is still pending approval by the UT Board of Trustees. But White doesn't anticipate any major obstacles, which he made clear during a Big Orange Caravan stop near Chattanooga on April 28.
"It’ll just be awesome," White said. "We are really excited about the entertainment district – the hotel, condo, restaurant, amenities. It’s a private development – about a $280 million development – that will happen on the south end of our stadium.
"I think it will transform not just gameday but 365 days out of the year for our student body, for our student-athletes and for the Knoxville community."
The Neyland Entertainment District is an ambitious project to be built adjacent to Neyland Stadium. The mixed-use sports entertainment district will include a hybrid condo-hotel overlooking the stadium, a rooftop bar, restaurants, shops, event space and fan experiences.
White said UT is on track to open the entertainment district in early 2028 and the condo-hotel in 2029. He's eager to get started on the project that was first announced in 2023.
Before the entertainment district can be built, UT must tear down the G10 garage and rebuild it to ensure the structural integrity for the hotel on top.
The parking garage has been a favorite tailgating spot for fans for many years, but it's also plagued by traffic congestion problems.
"We will break ground this summer. We will demo two-thirds of the existing G10 garage, and they will rebuild that with a garage that’s actually built for events," White said. "The G10 garage was never built for events, which is why we’ve had so much trouble getting people in and out of it.
"The new garage will be much more efficient in that way. And the top of it will be the entertainment district."
Sports entertainment districts have become very popular in recent years, but they've mostly been in professional sports. Tennessee is believed to be the first university to attempt a sports entertainment district on such a large scale.
UT is working designers and developers with expertise in creating entertainment districts. That includes a management team that spurred the success of sports entertainment districts surrounding stadiums for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers and Philadelphia’s Phillies, Flyers and Eagles.
White believes an entertainment district will enhance gamedays, generate revenue and allow UT to stand out.
"I think we’ve always been in the sports entertainment business. We’ve always had concerts in our arena and in our stadium. But we have these big expensive buildings. How do we monetize them more frequently?" White said.
"But the entertainment district for us isn’t about making money. It’s about the experience we can provide for our fans and also our students. We think it’s going be a really cool project. It just makes our campus even more inviting and more attractive for people to come to."
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Neyland Entertainment District projects begins summer 2026, Danny White says
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The $280 million project is still pending approval by the UT Board of Trustees. But White doesn't anticipate any major obstacles, which he made clear during a Big Orange Caravan stop near Chattanooga on April 28.
"It’ll just be awesome," White said. "We are really excited about the entertainment district – the hotel, condo, restaurant, amenities. It’s a private development – about a $280 million development – that will happen on the south end of our stadium.
"I think it will transform not just gameday but 365 days out of the year for our student body, for our student-athletes and for the Knoxville community."
The Neyland Entertainment District is an ambitious project to be built adjacent to Neyland Stadium. The mixed-use sports entertainment district will include a hybrid condo-hotel overlooking the stadium, a rooftop bar, restaurants, shops, event space and fan experiences.
White said UT is on track to open the entertainment district in early 2028 and the condo-hotel in 2029. He's eager to get started on the project that was first announced in 2023.
Why Tennessee is replacing G10 garage, where fans tailgage
Before the entertainment district can be built, UT must tear down the G10 garage and rebuild it to ensure the structural integrity for the hotel on top.
The parking garage has been a favorite tailgating spot for fans for many years, but it's also plagued by traffic congestion problems.
"We will break ground this summer. We will demo two-thirds of the existing G10 garage, and they will rebuild that with a garage that’s actually built for events," White said. "The G10 garage was never built for events, which is why we’ve had so much trouble getting people in and out of it.
"The new garage will be much more efficient in that way. And the top of it will be the entertainment district."
Tennessee working with pro sports district developers
Sports entertainment districts have become very popular in recent years, but they've mostly been in professional sports. Tennessee is believed to be the first university to attempt a sports entertainment district on such a large scale.
UT is working designers and developers with expertise in creating entertainment districts. That includes a management team that spurred the success of sports entertainment districts surrounding stadiums for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers and Philadelphia’s Phillies, Flyers and Eagles.
White believes an entertainment district will enhance gamedays, generate revenue and allow UT to stand out.
"I think we’ve always been in the sports entertainment business. We’ve always had concerts in our arena and in our stadium. But we have these big expensive buildings. How do we monetize them more frequently?" White said.
"But the entertainment district for us isn’t about making money. It’s about the experience we can provide for our fans and also our students. We think it’s going be a really cool project. It just makes our campus even more inviting and more attractive for people to come to."
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Neyland Entertainment District projects begins summer 2026, Danny White says
Continue reading...
