Add Row 
Add 
A Stadium at Cal Expo? Sacramento’s Big Step Toward a New Era of Sports and Entertainment
Sacramento has a new buzz in the air. In early September 2025, Sacramento State and Cal Expo signed an agreement to explore building a football stadium on the fairgrounds, just days after Cal Expo’s board gave the green light to move forward.
For locals, it’s more than just sports news — it’s the start of a conversation about what this city wants its future gatherings to look like.
Breathing New Life Into a Familiar Spot
If you’ve ever walked past the aging Cal Expo racetrack and grandstand, you know it feels like a relic from another era. That very space is now at the center of this vision.
Instead of erasing history, the idea is to build on it — transforming the grounds into a stadium that could hold up to 25,000 fans.
The choice of location isn’t random. Cal Expo already knows how to handle big crowds, with its massive parking lots, freeway access, and light rail nearby. It’s a place designed for people to come together.
Beyond the Game
Of course, Sacramento State football stands to gain the most. Hornet Stadium on campus has served the university for half a century, but its age shows.
A modern venue could change how the program recruits, how fans experience game day, and even how the school is viewed nationally. Some have even hinted it could lay groundwork for a future move to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), though that’s still down the road.
Yet the vision goes further than football. Leaders see the stadium as a stage for the city itself — concerts under summer skies, high school championships, cultural festivals. A space that amplifies Sacramento’s identity as a city that comes alive when people gather.
The City’s Lifestyle in Focus
Sacramento has always been more than government buildings and farm-to-fork cuisine. It’s a city where neighbors pack Golden 1 Center, where weekend festivals spill into downtown streets, and where the American River Parkway fills with families.
Adding a stadium at Cal Expo folds naturally into that lifestyle. Picture an autumn Saturday: tailgates by the levee, alumni pouring back into town, kids wearing green and gold.
Later, maybe a festival lights up the same field. It’s about multiplying the ways Sacramento connects.
Local businesses are watching, too. Stadium crowds mean packed restaurants, hotel bookings, and shopping dollars. What’s now a racetrack could become an anchor for Sacramento’s entertainment economy.
What’s Next and What’s Realistic
The bold goal is to open in Fall 2026. That’s fast — and plenty has to line up for it to happen.
Financing is expected to come through revenue bonds, and a 50-year lease agreement covering nine acres at Cal Expo is already on the books.
From here, the work shifts to design approvals, community review, and construction.
Skeptics point out the obvious: traffic, noise, environmental impacts. But Cal Expo isn’t new to big events. From the State Fair to music festivals, the infrastructure is already used to crowds.
With smart planning, many of the concerns can be addressed.
A Community Conversation
Reactions so far range from excitement to cautious optimism. Alumni and students see it as long overdue. Neighbors wonder about late-night lights and game-day traffic. Both sides will have a chance to weigh in, as public input is expected to help shape the project.
That might be the most Sacramento part of this story — a stadium designed not just for a team, but for a community.
Looking Forward
For now, it’s still early days. But the direction feels clear: Sacramento is investing in spaces that bring people together.
Whether you’re there to cheer on the Hornets, sing along at a concert, or simply soak in the energy of a crowd, a new Cal Expo stadium could become a centerpiece of city life.
And when the first kickoff, first guitar riff, or first firework show fills the night air, Sacramentans will be able to say they witnessed the beginning of something big — right in their own backyard.
Write A Comment