Rupp Arena announces first concert since pandemic hit. Here’s how it will work.
Rupp Arena on Tuesday announced the first concert to be held since the venue shut down when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March.
Hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia and special guest Project Pat, hosted by Sean Da Don, will appear on Dec. 11. Also performing will be Gem and Real Gates.
Tickets for the event will go on sale Oct. 16 at 10 a.m.
Due to construction at Rupp Arena, the on-site ticket office is closed, so all ticket sales will be online at Ticketmaster.com. The arena and adjacent convention center are undergoing a $300 million expansion.
This will be the first concert in Lexington’s downtown arena since the Zac Brown Band on March 6. The pandemic hit in the middle of the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen basketball tournament, which halted on March 12.
Due to COVID, Rupp is limiting Three 6 Mafia concert seating capacity to only 15 percent; only 3,152 patrons and event staff will be allowed. Normally the arena holds more than 21,000.
Tickets will be sold in restricted socially distanced seat blocks of up to six, with most in blocks of four.
Everyone will be required to wear face coverings during the entire event and adhere to social distancing throughout the facility. Patrons will be subject to temperature checks and other health and safety regulations. For more details, go to rupparena.com.
Lexington Center Corp. CEO and president Bill Owen said the organization has been working with the Kentucky Department of Health for many weeks to work out details and come up with a plan to meet state and CDC safety protocols.
“We are confident that the measures we have put in place will provide a safe environment for patrons to come out and enjoy live entertainment,” he said in the release. “We are excited for this opportunity to reopen our doors and welcome concertgoers back to Rupp Arena.”
While the event provides a template for possible future events, spokeswoman Sheila Kenny said that no decisions have been made yet on how other concerts or University of Kentucky basketball games may be conducted.
“We’re taking it event by event,” she said.
This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 10:21 AM.
