The free farewell, titled “It’s Goin’ Down,” was held from noon to 4 p.m. at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena at Ninth and Main streets. The city billed it as the final public event inside the arena before remediation and demolition in early 2027.
Last Day At The 1968 Arena
The venue opened in 1968 as the Tarrant County Convention Center and was christened by Bob Hope. It became a downtown landmark for its circular roofline and for decades hosted concerts, high school graduations, sports and civic events.
Sunday’s program included live music spanning five decades, vendor booths, commemorative merchandise and a roughly 10,000-square-foot historical exhibit highlighting the arena’s past. Organizers also created an oversized commemorative ticket inspired by a $6.50 Rolling Stones floor ticket from 1972 that workers discovered in arena storage. Admission was free, and the city provided free parking in the Houston Street and Commerce Street garages.
Mayor Mattie Parker said the send-off was meant to honor the building while pointing to the expansion scheduled for completion in 2030.
“Fort Worth continues to lead as an ‘unexpected city,’ one that celebrates who we are, honors where we’ve been, and most importantly, celebrates where we’re going,” Parker said in a city announcement.
What Replaces It
Demolition of the arena is planned for early 2027, rather than immediately after Sunday’s farewell. Its removal is part of Phase 2 of Fort Worth’s $701 million convention center expansion and modernization.
City officials said the arena is being replaced with more traditional convention space so Fort Worth can host multiple convention clients at once. Dickies Arena, which opened in 2019, has already taken over many large concerts and sports dates that once filled the flying saucer.
What Changes Now
With Sunday’s farewell complete, the public chapter of the 1968 arena has ended. The next major steps are remediation followed by demolition in early 2027. Until then, the flying saucer will remain part of the downtown skyline, even though its final public gathering has now passed.
As of Sunday evening, the city had not announced an official attendance figure for the farewell.
Official event details and the expansion overview remain posted on the City of Fort Worth Public Events site.
