One of football’s iconic venues is being revamped as part of a massive real estate project.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige recently signed off on a $400 million budget to construct a new stadium and entertainment district on the site of the condemned Aloha Stadium in Halawa.
The state is expected to select a new developer by the third quarter of 2023, with the original stadium being demolished later that year or early in 2024.
From there, construction on the new stadium will begin, with an expected completion in late 2025 — meaning it would be ready for the 2026 football season.
The new stadium is downsizing from a capacity of 50,000 to approximately 35,000.
The old Aloha Stadium was home to the University of Hawaii football team from 1975 through 2020, when the Rainbow Warriors moved to Ching Field on their Manoa campus in anticipation of the construction project. They’ll play at the new stadium.
But the venue is just one half of the entire project.
- The New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) will develop commercial, residential, retail, hotel, and office buildings on 70-80 acres surrounding the site.
- Development is expected to be ongoing, and could reach its final form in about 20 years.
Return of the Pro Bowl?
Aloha Stadium was also famously the home of the NFL’s Pro Bowl almost every year from 1979 through 2016. It hasn’t been played there since.
A vibrant new entertainment district could be just the ticket to lure the NFL back.
