Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN

Your site for entertainment, sports,

conventions, & social events

Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN is one of the Upper Midwest’s main attractions and most vibrant gathering places. On any given day within the multiple venues inside Mayo Civic Center, visitors can be entertained at a concert or live performance, enlightened at a professional convention or meeting, inspired by a community event, energized by a sports competition, or touched by a wedding or social event.

The Mayo Civic Center also attracts thousands of convention attendees annually, Gastner notes, further increasing the facility’s vibrancy.

 

Entertainment. The Mayo Civic Center hosts some of the biggest and best entertainment events in the region. Concerts, comedy acts, and dance performances are staged regularly in the recently upgraded Dr. C.H. Mayo Presentation Hall, the Auditorium, and other venues within the center. Recent notable acts include comedic duo Steve Martin & Martin Short, Paula Poundstone, Dwight Yoakam, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and more.  

In addition, every July and August, the free Down by the Riverside concerts are staged on Sunday nights outdoors in Mayo Park behind Mayo Civic Center, with recent lineups including Jefferson Starship, Gin Blossoms, Dessa, Cassadee Pope, and more.

Check out Mayo Civic Center’s upcoming events.

Little Big Town at Mayo Civic CenterPhoto courtesy of Mayo Civic Center

Sports. Sports events are another beloved and longstanding tradition at the Mayo Civic Center. National sports touring groups like the Harlem Globetrotters and WWE Live! attract big crowds to the center’s Arena. Regional dance competitions and annual high school basketball and wrestling playoffs are also hugely popular spectator events.

Women's College Basketball at Mayo Civic Center Taylor ArenaPhoto courtesy of Rochester MN Sports

Conventions & Meetings. A major expansion that doubled the size of Mayo Civic Center was completed in 2017 with the primary purpose of improving the facility’s capacity to host large conventions, conferences, and trade shows. The Mayo Civic Center now has the state’s largest ballroom, with seating for 3,600, as well as 23 breakout rooms.  With the expansion, the Mayo Civic Center has transformed into the premier convention and event center in the Upper Midwest, with national, regional, and local conferences hosting groups from 100 – 2,000 attendees. The center is conveniently connected via climate-controlled skyways to hotels, parking garages, and downtown restaurants and shops.

If you’re a meeting planner considering Mayo Civic Center for an upcoming convention or event, find information here and read about Rochester’s newest hotels, coming soon. If you’re a convention attendee, check out Hotels, Restaurants, and Things to Do for Mayo Civic Center visitors.

Meet in Rochester MN at the Mayo Civic CenterPhoto courtesy of Mayo Civic Center

Weddings & Social Events. The Mayo Civic Center is a uniquely memorable and stylish location for weddings, Quinceaneras, Bar/Bat Mitvahs, holiday parties, and other social events. The center’s recent expansion added a spectacular pre-function area outside the new ballroom, and a two-story glass wave wall with views of downtown Rochester and the Zumbro River.

If you’re interested in planning a social event at Mayo Civic Center, find information here. If you’re a guest at an upcoming social event at Mayo Civic Center, check out our resources below

Weddings at Mayo Civic Center

Photo courtesy of Holly Snyder Photography

Community Events. Some of Rochester’s favorite and most inspiring community events occur at Mayo Civic Center. The annual Festival of Trees, a fundraising event for Hiawatha Homes, features hundreds of dancers and performers—and more than 40 decked-out Christmas trees—and attracts thousands of attendees every November. The Eagles Cancer Telethon, the longest locally-run telethon in the United States, raises around $1 million annually for cancer research.

Festival of Trees at Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MNPhoto courtesy of Mayo Civic Center