Freeman Coliseum

A Venerable Venue

Celebrating 75 years of Legacy and Innovation

Situated in the vibrant city of San Antonio, Texas, Freeman Coliseum has been an enduring icon in the local entertainment and sports scene since its doors opened in 1949. For over 7 decades, this versatile venue, owned by Bexar County, has hosted various events, from the famed San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo to professional sports, trade shows, and legendary concerts. With a capacity of up to 11,700 attendees, Freeman Coliseum is set to carry its legacy forward, remaining a vital and beloved institution in San Antonio for generations to come.

A Historical Landmark in Entertainment

Executive Director, Derrick Howard, reflects on the coliseum’s rich history and its vital role in the community. “One of the great things about longevity is that the Freeman Coliseum is turning 75 years old this year, and so we’re celebrating that birthday,” he shares. Over the decades, the Coliseum has hosted a multitude of memorable events and is proud to have been the launchpad for numerous artists who have gone on to achieve major fame.

Howard recounts, ” We kind of think of the Freeman as the place where new artists come to start. Bad Bunny played the Freeman Coliseum twice, the first time he had a decent crowd of about 4,500. He came back to a sold-out house, and then came back to San Antonio and sold out the Alamodome at 60,000 plus seats.”

Historically, the Freeman has hosted the greats, including Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Vicente Fernandez, and Pepe Aguilar. “You can go on and on and on about the artists that have played in this venue who have done amazing things globally,” boasts Howard.

A-Pillar of the Community

Beyond entertainment, the Freeman Coliseum was a source of support in San Antonio during the pandemic. “We are here to serve the community, and my board talks about that a lot,” notes Howard. He portrays how the venue quickly adapted to become one of the city’s first and largest testing sites, as well as a base of support for emergency personnel as they prepared to go out into nursing homes.

“At one point in time during COVID, we set up a mass hospital system on the site. Fortunately, we never had to open the doors, but we did turn around and use those same spaces to do infusions. And that became a really big enhancement for quicker recovery for people.”

Freeman was also a crucial hub for emergency response efforts during some of the most challenging times faced by the community, particularly during events like Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike. “The state and our statewide strike team has found this site to be a great location for a command area,” details Howard. “During Hurricane support as they’re going down and getting people from the coastlines, ambulances, search and rescue teams, busses, and unfortunately, teams with cadaver dogs, will come to this site to begin to create their plan, and then they go downstream and execute the action that they’re required to do.”

Additionally, the coliseum has opened its doors as a medical center for patients requiring urgent care. “There are a tremendous number of talented professionals in the state of Texas and our emergency and nursing systems. Hats off to them for the work that they do. Our role is just to support them from the facility side to make sure that they have a clean environment, a humidity or temperature controlled environment, and all the other supports that we add as they’re doing the great work that they do,” he explains.

Howard expands on the coliseum’s education and local youth initiatives, which further exemplify community support and connection. He points to a partnership with the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, sharing “Over the years, the rodeo has generated over $300 million in scholarships that they’ve paid out to students in our local area for college and post-high school education in support of their future.”

Freeman Coliseum supports local schools, participating in annual Christmas and Back to School drives. The team also seeks out creative ways to aid students, such as assembling gift boxes for college freshmen. “The first year of school is one of those challenging transitions for kids. We wanted to help them in their journey, to show them that they are appreciated, and we’re thinking about them, and we’re wishing them success,” Howard explains.

The group has also taken on projects such as repainting playground areas and helping to rehabilitate homes for families facing financial challenges. “We’re always looking for opportunities to give back in our community, not just on our site, but off our site, and around our path,” he emphasizes. “And I can say the rodeo, who’s a major partner, they’re doing the same thing.”

A Future Plan

As Freeman Coliseum embarks on what Howard calls, “a master plan conversation,” the focus is on updating the coliseum, while preserving the historical aspects of the property. “The Freeman is a facility that doesn’t have a tremendous amount of complexity, but it is a solid space,” he asserts. “It has great bones, which is one of the reasons why we are still able to do things like high school graduations and concerts at a very affordable price for our tenants. At the same time, as we look at new venues with all of the new bells and whistles that they have, some of them can be adopted into the Freeman.”

Howard mentions plans to integrate more technology, including video boards and updated concession operations, in alignment with contemporary expectations. “We are moving away from cash, and we’re having conversations about some other QR-related purchasing opportunities and options,” he relays. “Wi-Fi and having the amount of bandwidth that’s needed is huge, so we are pushing that envelope.”

Security enhancements will also be on the agenda. Additionally, there are plans to make general improvements to the building’s appearance, improving lighting and adding art installations. “We’re doing a fairly identical approach to our exposition halls, which we have found to have incredible success. In those buildings, they kind of drive in and drive out, which we found to be a really good opportunity for lots of different activities that we host, and our customer and our client base are growing in those spaces as well.”

Acknowledging the importance of the valued partnerships that contribute to the success of the Freeman Coliseum, specifically property partners like the San Antonio Spurs and the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, Howard expresses his gratitude. He adds, “I want to thank our leadership, my board, and the Bexar County Commissioners, who entrust and support us to do what we do, as well as all of the other vendors and suppliers that we work with in our spaces.”

A Bright Future for San Antonio’s Beloved Venue

The Freeman Coliseum has experienced a resurgence in activity, with a wide range of exciting events on the horizon. “What happened post-pandemic was surprising. People were dying to get back out and get back into live music, get back into being entertained. I would say that our numbers post-pandemic were probably up between 15 and 20% and they’ve held on,” he reports.

The Freeman is gearing up for a busy schedule of events, including a Bush concert, and other performances soon to be announced. Howard hints, “Those will be some repeats of bands that have done exceptionally well in our spaces, and we expect them to do good again next year.”  The venue will also be hosting the 12th annual Barbacoa and Big Red festival, a popular San Antonio food and entertainment experience. With previous locations drawing upwards of 35,000 people, Howard says, “We expect to do more this year, and if not this year, in the future, because we’re looking to make this their new home. So, we’re excited about that.”

Complementing the already popular Comic Con, which takes place in the exhibition halls, the venue will be introducing  Space Con to its lineup. “The promoter for that show does a really good job of finding great artists and promoting, managing, and operating the event in partnership with us. Comic-Con has done incredible numbers, and it’s my understanding that Space-Con is doing even better.”

While all of this is happening, efforts will be made behind the scenes to outline what the future looks like for Freeman Coliseum. Howard summarizes, “We will be working to make sure that we’re tracking toward what the next 25 years look like, not only from a space relationship for building improvements, but also for how we can be better community partners.”

AT A GLANCE

Freeman Coliseum

What: A 75-year-old iconic venue, with a vibrant future outlook

Where: San Antonio, Texas

Website: www.freemantx.com