The Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, Calif., officially opened its doors to the Valley community Dec. 14 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening event.
According to a news release, the 11,000-capacity venue's grand opening featured stakeholders, a three-plane flyover from the Palm Springs Air Museum, and a performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" from the Indio High School marching band.
Additionally, the event featured an opening show with comedy duo Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle on Thursday. Several featured guests were in attendance including arena developer Oak View Group, naming rights partner Acrisure, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Seattle Kraken.
“This dream started five years ago and it’s very rewarding to finally share this building with the Valley community,” said Oak View Group Chairman and CEO Tim Leiweke. “Acrisure Arena represents Oak View Group’s sixth arena. I’d like to thank all of our partners for believing in our community, project and vision, as well as our team for a job well done.”
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston, and John McFee of The Doobie Brothers also attended the grand opening ceremony, according to the release. The Doobie Brothers took the Acrisure Arena stage as the venue's first musical performance.
After the opening ceremony, comedy legends Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle took the stage as the venue's inaugural show.
Acrisure Arena is a $300 million-plus multipurpose arena that is anticipated to host more than 120 major events annually. The 300,000-square foot venue has a capacity of more than 11,000, and was built to host some of the world's biggest artists and acts.
The arena is also home to the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the AHL.