The CAJUNDOME is a multipurpose arena located in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is a Lafayette landmark that has been the home of the Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns basketball team since 1985. The arena also hosts concerts, sporting events, and touring shows. In 2019, the CAJUNDOME hosted events including the LA Outdoor Expo and Boat Show, the Monster Truck Tour, WWE Live, and the Acadiana Home and Design Show.

Below are 20 interesting facts that you may not know about the CAJUNDOME.

1. The CAJUNDOME has 10,873 permanent seats and more than 5,000 portable chairs that can be set up.
2. It is the largest college basketball arena in the state of Louisiana.
3. The CAJUNDOME’s concrete roof weighs 13,500 tons.
4. The scoreboard weighs approximately 30,000 pounds.
5. The highest point of the arena is 165 feet and 4 inches above the ground floor.
6. In 1995, an ice rink was added to the arena by raising the concrete floor ten inches and adding eight miles of pumping for antifreeze necessary to freeze the ice.
7. The CAJUNDOME earned the nickname “The Frozen Swamp” when it was home to the ECHL’s Louisiana Ice Gators from 1995 to 2005.
8. The arena can convert from a basketball court to an ice hockey rink in as few as six hours.
9. The arena together with the convention center has a combined 191 toilets, 145 sinks, 102 urinals, and 12 showers.
10. The CAJUNDOME has on-site catering by award-winning Artisan Creative Catering.
11. The arena goes through 250 gallons of nacho peppers, 1,000 gallons of cheese sauce, 850 kegs of beer, and 3,000 pounds of popcorn seeds each year.
12. The CAJUNDOME was built by the State of Louisiana, was funded by the City of Lafayette, and is owned by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
13. It became a FEMA evacuation shelter in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Rita where it was the center of relief for thousands.
14. Kenny Rodgers performed the first concert at the CAJUNDOME on November 11, 1985.
15. The Kenny Rodgers concert had the largest crowd of any event at the arena with 13,500 fans in attendance. 
16. The largest crowd for a basketball game was 11,479 fans on December 16, 1992 when the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns defeated Loyola Marymount.
17. The CAJUNDOME averages 140 events per year and 10 to 15 concerts per year.
18. Top entertainers including The Eagles, Whitney Houston, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Billy Joel, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Justin Bieber, and Lil Wayne have performed at the CAJUNDOME.
19. The arena hosted the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament in 1997, 1998, and 2007.
20. Every year, the CAJUNDOME hosts the eleven-day Cajun Heartland State Fair that attracts over 175,000 visitors from around the country.

The CAJUNDOME is located at 444 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, Louisiana 70506. It is easily accessible at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 49, and it is only a ten-minute drive from Lafayette Regional Airport. Over 4,500 hotel rooms are available within minutes of the facility. For most events, complimentary parking is available around the perimeter of the CAJUNDOME and convention center.