Hard Rock Stadium is pivoting towards a new way to bring in crowds in the age of coronavirus. The Miami Dolphins’ home venue will transform into a temporary theater space while football remains in the offseason and the stadium’s concert schedule has been altered.
A drive-in theater will be established within the stadium where the playing surface typically is and can accommodate up to 230 cars. A smaller, open-air theater setting can host intimate groups of people on the stadium’s south plaza. Several different experiences will be available to Miami locals, including showings of films, archived Dolphins content and even commencement ceremonies.
“We’ve spent several weeks planning this to be able to provide people with a safe option to go out and enjoy movies, classic Dolphins content, concerts, and celebrate 2020 graduates,” said Tom Garfinkel, President and CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium. “It’s a fundamental human need to physically experience and celebrate events and experiences together, and we’re trying to provide options for everyone where they can be safely socially distant and socially present at the same time.”
Hard Rock Stadium has served as a COVID-19 testing site since the onset of the virus and is months away from welcoming football back to the facility after hosting Super Bowl LIV in February. NFL officials are planning on seeing stadiums packed this fall but the Miami venue is prepared to go a different route if necessary for safety reasons.
Garfinkel outlined mock-up plans for Dolphins’ games earlier this month that would limit the number of guests to 15,000, require all patrons to wear face masks and take part in organized, socially-distanced entry and exits of the stadium. In addition, staff would routinely disinfect the venue by the standards of its BGAC STAR accreditation.
A full event schedule for Hard Rock Stadium’s temporary theaters will be released at a later date.
