Xfinity Center is an outdoor amphitheater at 885 South Main Street in Mansfield, Massachusetts, about 30 miles southwest of Boston. Developed by The Drew Company and opened on June 13, 1986, the venue debuted as the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts with an inaugural concert by Yo-Yo Ma and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Since then the amphitheater has carried several corporate names, becoming the Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts in 1999, the Comcast Center in 2008, and finally the Xfinity Center in 2014. Now operated by Live Nation New England, it remains one of the region’s busiest seasonal concert destinations, running a schedule from mid-May through late September each year.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Mansfield, Massachusetts
- Type: Outdoor amphitheater
- Opened: June 13, 1986
- Original name: Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts
- Capacity: About 19,900 (7,000 reserved, 7,000 lawn, 5,900 general admission)
- Operator: Live Nation New England
- Famous for: Jimmy Buffett’s record 63 performances at the venue
From Great Woods to Xfinity Center
The venue opened in 1986 with a roughly 12,000-person capacity and quickly became a summer concert staple in New England, hosting a mix of classical, rock, and pop performers. After 2000 it was expanded to its current capacity of about 19,900, adding more reserved and general admission seating alongside its sloped lawn section.
The amphitheater changed sponsor names several times over the decades, moving from Great Woods to Tweeter Center, then Comcast Center, before taking on the Xfinity Center name in 2014 following Comcast’s rebrand of its cable and internet services.
A Regional Concert Hub
Xfinity Center has built a reputation as one of the top-grossing amphitheaters in the country, earning that Billboard distinction in 2010. Its lineup each season spans rock, country, and pop tours, and the venue’s covered pavilion combined with open lawn seating gives fans multiple ways to experience a show.
Beyond concerts, the site has occasionally hosted community and civic events, including local high school graduation ceremonies, making it a fixture of Mansfield’s cultural calendar well beyond its packed summer touring season.
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Xfinity Center FAQs
What was Xfinity Center originally called?
It opened in 1986 as the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts before later being renamed Tweeter Center, Comcast Center, and finally Xfinity Center in 2014.
How many people can Xfinity Center hold?
The amphitheater has a capacity of about 19,900, split between reserved seating, lawn seating, and general admission areas.
Where is Xfinity Center located?
It’s located at 885 South Main Street in Mansfield, Massachusetts, roughly 30 miles southwest of Boston.
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Photo: Jason Philbrook / CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.