KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Fall 2027, the Kalamazoo Event Center is expected to open. The center will house Kalamazoo Wings hockey and Western Michigan University hockey, men's and women's basketball.
"The energy and vibrancy it's going to bring to downtown Kalamazoo," Sarah Olszowy VP of Marketing and Technology for Greenleaf Hospitality Group said.
The Kalamazoo Event Center cost roughly $300 million to build, and is privately funded. It's located in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo.
"I think what it brings to downtown Kalamazoo is just a central hub for athletics, performance, music, and entertainment, that our downtown environment really needs," Sarah Olszowy VP of Marketing and Technology for Greenleaf Hospitality Group said.
For Western Michigan's athletic director, he describes the facility as transformative.
"Bridging the City of Kalamazoo, and the campus of Western Michigan University. They're three quarters of a mile apart, but we've never had a landmark or a moment, that could sort of marry the two together," Dan Bartholomae, Western Michigan Vice President and Director of Athletics said.
"You have to remember, right, our basketball programs right now—they share one court. Right? One court, with 7 other programs on a daily basis," Bartholomae said.
The Kalamazoo Wings are excited to move their Kalamazoo roots downtown.
"You can't come to Kalamazoo without thinking of professional hockey. Because we've been around for so many years. When you pair that with the investment of the new facility, and the new event center, it just further solidifies and puts our stake in the ground that we're here to stay," Toni Will, GM and Governor for the Kalamazoo Wings said.
People can follow along with the event center's journey and get updates on the project by checking out the newly launched website, kalamazooeventcenter.com.
