AEW Dynamite opening up to general public with seating capacity of 10-15 percent at Daily’s Place utilizing seating pods for small groups

AEW has announced it will be allowing a limited number of fans at Daily’s Place starting next week for AEW Dynamite. The general public has not been allowed at AEW Dynamite since late March, although AEW has been allowed small groups of friends and family of sponsors and partners into events for months.

AEW says the venue will limit fan attendance to 10-15 percent of capacity and require mask wearing. Daily’s Place capacity is 5,500, so this would indicate between 550 and 825 fans in attendance. Fans will be grouped together based on who they arrive with, and they will gather in “seating pods” that will be socially spaced.

“We’ve missed the incredible energy of our fans at shows, and from what we’ve heard from them, they’ve missed being with us. With our enhanced safety measures and outdoor venue, we look forward to welcoming our fans back to become part of the action in-person,” said Tony Khan, AEW President and CEO.

“Please be assured, we are mindful and respectful of the situation,“ Khan added. “The health and safety of our AEW family and our fans remains our highest priority. Our leadership team and medical staff have adjusted our operations for limited, physically distanced fans in an outdoor, open-air setting in compliance with the most current state and local regulations and CDC guidelines. We can’t wait for the August 27 Dynamite, as the road to All Out will represent the beginning of a new chapter in AEW history.”

This move not only will create a more natural atmosphere to the show for TV viewers, but give wrestlers real feedback to what they are doing and give AEW the best possible instant feedback on whether its matches, angles, and wrestlers are getting over as intended. Plus, selling 800 tickets priced at $30 or more will generate at least $24,000 in revenue for Dynamite on a weekly basis.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow.

The following is their full press release.

August 20, 2020 – All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced it will host limited, ticketed crowds of 10-15 percent capacity for its live shows at the open-air Daily’s Place amphitheater in Jacksonville, Fla., starting on Thursday, Aug. 27.

To safely bring back the energy of a live audience to AEW’s shows — in compliance with state and local regulations and CDC guidelines — a select number of physically distanced seating pods will be available for sale in groups of two, three, four, and six around the outdoor venue.

For the first ticketed show on Aug. 27, a maximum crowd of 10 percent capacity will be permitted. Going forward, as long as safety protocols are followed meticulously, a maximum crowd of 15 percent capacity will be permitted for all live events at Daily’s Place.

Limited tickets to attend the Aug. 27 Dynamite show, airing on TNT, will go on sale tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 21, at 10 a.m. ET via AEWTIX.com and Ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at $30 (not including service charges or fees).

Guests will be required to wear face coverings that cover the nose and mouth, and to physically distance from any person who is not a member of their pod. Guests will also be asked not to attend the day of the show if they have COVID-19, symptoms of COVID-19 or have had close contact exposure to someone who they know has COVID-19 or symptoms. In addition, all guests will have their temperature scanned prior to entry. An increased number of hand sanitizing stations will be available, and floor markings will also be used to assist with physical distancing. Industrial fans were also added this past year to further improve air circulation at the open-air venue.

As a further safeguard, all tickets will be mobile and may only be purchased online at AEWTIX.com and Ticketmaster.com (no box office sales). Daily’s Place will also transition to cashless payment and mobile ordering for most transactions, including food and merchandise purchases.

“We’ve missed the incredible energy of our fans at shows, and from what we’ve heard from them, they’ve missed being with us. With our enhanced safety measures and outdoor venue, we look forward to welcoming our fans back to become part of the action in-person,” said Tony Khan, AEW President and CEO.

“Please be assured, we are mindful and respectful of the situation,“ Khan added. “The health and safety of our AEW family and our fans remains our highest priority. Our leadership team and medical staff have adjusted our operations for limited, physically distanced fans in an outdoor, open-air setting in compliance with the most current state and local regulations and CDC guidelines. We can’t wait for the August 27 Dynamite, as the road to All Out will represent the beginning of a new chapter in AEW history.“

Note: Due to the NBA‘s schedule on TNT, the Wednesday, Aug. 26 episode of Dynamite will air on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 8pm ET.