Nashville Predators break ground on massive $750 million expansion

The Nashville Predators have officially broken ground on Broadway 2030, the four-year, $750 million transformation of Bridgestone Arena at 501 Broadway in downtown Nashville.

Crews began work on April 20, 2026, with the Predators and arena leadership confirming the enabling phase is now underway. The redevelopment will add 175,000 square feet, two adjoining towers, 100,000 square feet of retail and dining along Lower Broadway, and a 60,000-square-foot rooftop billed as the largest on Broadway, with the majority of work targeted for completion by the 2029-30 NHL season.

Image courtesy of Bridgestone Arena

The project, branded Smashville's Next Stage: Broadway 2030, has grown from the original $650 million budget unveiled in spring 2025 to $750 million, with the additional $100 million tied largely to a four-level, 100,000-square-foot retail and dining wing facing Broadway and infrastructure designed to accommodate a potential second professional sports tenant. The Predators are leading and funding the work, with majority owner and former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam continuing his pursuit of a WNBA franchise that the renovated arena is engineered to host.

Phase one is focused on the SoBro entrance along Demonbreun Street, where the existing concrete staircase is being demolished and replaced with a four-level escalator system serving the main concourse, the Gary Force Acura Club, the Nichols Air Suite Level, and the Bud Light Upper Level. Additional summer-2026 work includes the first stage of a three-year ice plant overhaul, a full ice floor replacement scheduled for summer 2028, and the rollout of Evolv's Xpress 2.0 screening technology to speed up arena entry. To stay on schedule, Bridgestone will close to events for two to three months each summer in 2027, 2028, and 2029.

The exterior of the arena will shift from a closed concrete shell to an open-air, Broadway-facing destination. The main entrance moves to Fifth Avenue, aligning with the pedestrian bridge to the new Tennessee Titans stadium, while the existing facade gives way to floor-to-ceiling windows, expanded concourses, and large-scale LED displays, including an outdoor LED canopy inspired by Las Vegas's Fremont Street. Roughly 75,000 square feet on the Demonbreun side and 100,000 square feet on the Broadway side will be programmed for restaurants, bars, and retail, much of it accessible without an event ticket. Capacity will rise to a target of 18,000 seats for Predators games, up from 17,159, with up to 60,000 additional square feet on the event floor for larger locker rooms, auxiliary spaces, and a new performer compound.

The two adjoining towers, one at the corner of Demonbreun and Sixth Avenue, are still in design, with hotel, office, and additional retail uses on the table. Tower costs are not included in the $750 million figure and will be split with future tenants. Working with CAA Icon and Populous, the Predators are timing the core delivery to the start of the 2029-30 season, just ahead of the 2030 Super Bowl that is reportedly heading to the new Nissan Stadium across the Cumberland River.

Funding is structured to keep public money out of the project. The renovation is paid for through arena-generated sales tax and a per-ticket surcharge that began at $3 in 2019 and is capped at $6, escalating 5 percent annually under the Predators' 30-year lease with the Metro Sports Authority. The team's ownership group is responsible for any cost overruns. Fans can submit feedback throughout construction at Broadway2030.com, which the Predators are using as the public-facing hub for renderings, FAQs, and ongoing updates as the building moves toward its 2030 reopening.

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