Dignity Health Theater

History

The theater side of Bakersfield’s downtown civic complex. The Civic Auditorium opened in 1962 to draw conventions; the Ice Capades played the first show on November 20, 1962. A convention center was added in 1980, and naming later passed through Centennial Garden, Rabobank, and Mechanics Bank. In February 2025 the city announced Dignity Health had taken the naming rights for the arena, theater, and convention center.