The Curtis Culwell Center (formerly the Garland Special Events Center) is a 6,860-fixed seat arena (8,500 full capacity) and conference center in Garland, Texas. It opened in 2005 and was designed by HKS, Inc.
- Venue
- Curtis Culwell Center
- Town
- Texas, US
The Curtis Culwell Center (formerly the Garland Special Events Center) is a 6,860-fixed seat arena (8,500 full capacity) and conference center in Garland, Texas. It opened in 2005 and was designed by HKS, Inc. and constructed at a cost of $31.5 million by Lee Lewis Construction with engineering by Walter P. Moore, Blum Consulting Engineers, and RLK Engineers Inc. The arena is the property of the Garland Independent School District (GISD). On May 3, 2015, two men carried out an attack during an art exhibition featuring works depicting Muhammad. Both men were killed at the scene. One Garland ISD officer was wounded in the exchange of gunfire. It is used by the men's basketball teams of the GISD. It was also used as a venue by the SMU Mustangs men's and women's basketball teams while the Moody Coliseum was being renovated. It also hosts the UIL state girls' volleyball championships. The arena has hosted multiple events from the professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), its sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). These include: The Dynamite special episodes Fyter Fest and Winter Is Coming (both 2021). The latter event also included tapings for that week's episode of AEW Rampage. From June 25 to June 26, 2021, the area hosted New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Autumn Attack which aired as special episodes of NJPW STRONG. Supercard of Honor XV on April 1, 2022 for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), the first card since the reboot of the company under the ownership of AEW co-owner/executive Tony Khan. On April 15, 2022, the Center hosted AEW's Battle of the Belts II. On December 14, 2022, Winter is Coming returned for the second consecutive year. The Center hosted ROH's Final Battle pay-per-view on December 15, 2023, followed by the third night of the Winter is Coming special on December 16 (the latter event, spanning two days, was co-hosted by both the Center and College Park Center