The Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, formerly known as State Farm Show Arena and informally known simply as the Farm Show, is a large exhibition center and indoor arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is primarily used for concerts, agricultural exhibitions, the Pennsylvania Farm Show, and indoor football. The complex also hosts more than 200 other exhibits and trade shows every year. The Farm Show Complex is 60 acres (240,000 m2), houses 24 acres (97,000 m2) under roof, spread throughout 11 connected buildings including three arenas.[2]
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The complex consists of the following components:
- Main Hall, 146,527 square feet (13,612.8 m2), built in 1931[3]
- GIANT Exposition Hall, 172,000 square feet (16,000 m2) built in 2001[2] (originally named Weis Exposition Hall)
- New Holland Arena, 28,000 square feet (2,600 m2) at floor, 7318 seats, completed in 1939 (originally named Large Arena until 2016)[3]
- Equine Arena, 39,200 square feet (3,640 m2) at floor, 1660 seats
- Small Arena, 4,000 square feet (370 m2) at floor, 918 seats[4]
The North, Northeast, Northwest and West Halls add another 187,600 square feet (17,430 m2) of space. A large equine barn serves the Equine Arena.
In 1921, the State Fair Commission was created to find a site for a new venue to house the increasingly popular Pennsylvania Farm Show, but was replaced in 1927 with the State Farm Products Show Commission. This commission would approve the 40-acre tract north of Harrisburg and later the design by Lawrie & Green for the initial building, with ground being broken by October 31, 1930.[5]
During World War II, the building was used as a training center for the New Cumberland Air Command, with mechanics bays under the North Hall.[6]
The Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center hosted the Harrisburg Heat of the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1991–2003, and the Harrisburg Hammerheads of the Continental Basketball Association from 1994-1995. In 2009, the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center began hosting the Harrisburg Stampede of the American Indoor Football Association, continuing to do so until 2013 after which the team joined the Professional Indoor Football League and moved to the Giant Center in nearby Hershey. The Central Penn Capitals played at the Expo Center as a member of American Indoor Football in 2016.[7] In 2012, the Harrisburg Heat of the Major Arena Soccer League returned to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center to play their home games in the Equine Arena.[8] The team returned to the New Holland Arena beginning with its 2014–15 season.[9] Boxing matches and monster truck rallies have also been held at the venue.
In 2020 and 2021, the Farm Show Complex housed Pennsylvania's stockpile of personal protective equipment related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] The state leased private warehouse space for the medical supplies in July 2021, freeing up the complex for events.[11] During the 2020-2021 hiatus, $21 million were spent to renovate the complex with improvements in public safety, sustainability, and energy-efficiency.[6]
