Ford Park, Entertainment complex in Beaumont, Texas, United States
Ford Park is a 221-acre multi-purpose entertainment complex on I-10 South in Beaumont, Texas, consisting of Ford Arena, Ford Exhibit Hall, Ford Pavilion, Ford Midway, and Ford Fields. Ford Arena seats 9,737 people, the exhibit hall has 83,000 square feet of space, the outdoor amphitheater seats 14,000, the midway covers 9 acres, and there are 12 youth baseball/softball fields with synthetic turf infields.
Ford Park opened in 2003 as a 221-acre complex owned by Jefferson County and operated by OVG360, a division of the Oak View Group. The Southeast Texas Ford Dealers acquired the naming rights that same year, under a deal set to expire at the end of 2022. In 2020 the county negotiated a $22 million sale to Renaissance Development Group, which planned a hotel and horse-racing track; the deal collapsed in 2022 when the buyer failed to add earnest money.
Ford Park is the home of the South Texas State Fair, held on the 9-acre Ford Midway, which has two free-span livestock show barns for fair animals. The midway also hosts carnivals and other large outdoor events. The Southeast Texas Ford Dealers have held the complex's naming rights since it opened in 2003.
The complex sits on I-10 South in Beaumont, with 1,000 on-site parking spots at Ford Fields and separate parking at the pavilion. Ford Fields' infields are all-weather synthetic turf, and each field has covered seating behind protective netting. Check the event calendar before arriving, since the arena, exhibit hall, pavilion and midway host separate events.
Ford Fields' 12 diamonds have all-weather synthetic turf infields and covered seating with protective netting. Lamar University's Lady Cardinals played their first two softball seasons after the program restarted there, in 2013 and 2014.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,382 contributors worldwide.