By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE issued the following press release on Wednesday to announce that WrestleMania 40 will be held on April 6-7, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Lincoln Financial Field.
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, PHL Sports and WWE® (NYSE: WWE) are proud to announce that Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia will host WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania 40, on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7, 2024.
WrestleMania is more than a two-day event; it’s a week-long celebration. In addition to WrestleMania, other events will include Friday Night SmackDown®, the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony®and Monday Night Raw® at Wells Fargo Center as well as other fan events at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. In addition, WWE will also host multiple community outreach events, including hospital visits and Be a STAR® bullying prevention rallies, designed to give back to the local region.
Over the past decade, WrestleMania has generated more than $1.25 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event. This past April, 156,352 fans from all 50 states and 53 countries attended WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium, generating a record $206.5 million economic windfall for the Dallas/Arlington region.
“We are proud to welcome WWE fans from around the world to Philadelphia to be a part of the historic 40th WrestleMania in 2024,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. “The week-long series of events will help put a global spotlight on our great city while also generating a major impact for our local economy.”
“Philadelphia is excited to host WrestleMania for the first time in 25 years,” said Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau President & CEO Gregg Caren. “The combination of Philadelphia’s passionate fans joining forces with WWE’s worldwide fan base will create an incredible electricity throughout the city for the events at Lincoln Financial Field, Wells Fargo Center and the Pennsylvania Convention Center.”
“The Philadelphia Eagles are thrilled to partner with WWE as WrestleMania makes its much-anticipated return to Philadelphia in 2024,” said Philadelphia Eagles President and PHL Sports Chair Don Smolenski. “We are excited to help showcase the industry’s most iconic event in front of a global viewing audience and look forward to providing WWE fans in attendance with a first-class experience at Lincoln Financial Field.”
“On behalf of WWE, we are thrilled to bring WrestleMania back to the City of Brotherly Love,” said WWE Executive Vice President of Special Events John Saboor. “We thank all of our local partners who were integral in making this long-awaited return a reality.”
Additional information on WrestleMania at Lincoln Financial Field will be announced in the near future.
Powell’s POV: The outdoor stadium’s listed capacity is 67,594. It’s interesting that WWE isn’t shying away from running outdoor stadium shows in markets where the weather is questionable. Correction: A previous version of this story stated that this was the first time that Philadelphia has hosted WrestleMania. Dot Net reader Robert Nacci corrected me to point out that WrestleMania 15 was held in Philadelphia at the First Union Center.
Wrestlemania 40
in the snow?lol
Jason how does this work exactly? Does WWE get upfront money from the stadium / city etc?
I ask because Philly the first weekend in April sounds awful – cold, wet, actual chance of snow. So why Philly over a good weather location or a dome?
(And not to disparage Philly. It’s a great city which would be a good choice for summerfest)
I don’t know the specifics. It went from WWE simply booking buildings for many years to there being a bidding process as the popularity of the event grew. One year, there reports that 14 cites placed bids. I’m not sure if cities are allowed to make financial offers, but I think they can offer certain tax breaks. There were reports that U.S. Bank Stadium was the leading candidate to host WM in 2017. WWE ultimately took the show to Orlando. There were reports that the local politicians wouldn’t commit to the type of tax breaks that WWE was looking for. Super Bowls cities also have to provide police and infrastructure services at their expense, and I assume it’s the same for Mania.
I found an article that lists some of the perks that cities included with their Super Bowl bids: “The 2007 Miami bid committee threw in the use of a yacht for each of the 32 owners, while Tampa offered all the teams free golf. The 2011 North Texas group went green instead, offering the NFL an additional $1 million to cover game-day expenses at Cowboys Stadium, enticing enough as that new facility is on its own.”
It would be really fascinating to know how that process works and what these cities actually offer. As far a the weather, I assume Philly is similar to Minneapolis in April in that it could be 80 degrees and beautiful or there could be a freaking blizzard (though likely somewhere in between). The ring is covered and the ringside area is heated. Thunderstorms cause the most trouble because they have to stop the show if there is lightning, as we saw with Mania in Tampa. A snowy Mania would be quite the visual. It wouldn’t be ideal for fans, but WWE knows it’s a threat and I’m sure they plan accordingly.
2022:
4/6 – 55/48 am rain
4/7 – 61/48 rain 6am – late night
2021:
4/6 – 72/50 sunny/windy
4/7 – 70/52 sunny/windy
2020:
4/6 – 66/50 sunny/windy
4/7 – 66/45 sunny/windy
2019:
4/6 – 66/43 sunny/windy
4/7 – 70/46 sunny
2018:
4/6 – 64/39 sunny
4/7 – 57/41 cloudy/under 50 from 6am-midnight
So snow doesn’t seem quite so likely if recent years give us any indication. The low temperatures were mostly in the midnight-6am range, but a few were at night and most of the nights were windy. That’s going to be a tough sell for outdoor shows that go 4-5 hours each.
Shocked by this news. As a life long Philadelphian, I never thought I’d see the city host another Wrestlemania. It won’t snow. But the chill in the air could make it a long show for spectators.