I attended the Ballin in Boutwell event here recently. I was excited as this was my first time attending. I also have not been to the Boutwell in decades. lol The event had dedicated parking $30 , at the attached lot. I thought this was insane but being in downtown Birmingham at NOON, parking options are limited. Getting into the event was easy. There was a security checkpoint. However, locating my seat was not easy. The event staff wasn't very helpful. The few I saw. The seating was not clear based on what was printed on the ticket..... I just sat wherever. Pretty much all of the seats were decent at this event. Overall, this was a fun sporting event. I would like to see more workers available to assist guests. Also better signage to help navigate throughout the venue. read more

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Today's "Get Fit While You Sit" event was so awesome. Thank you Sheila Tyson, Sam Anderson (DJ Maestro), Big Mucci, Lois Germany, Luther and everyone else that poured into this annual event. Everything is free, even parking in the parking deck. Amazing workout, nice lunch, turkey, ham or chicken salad boxed on exit. Seniors from all over were there. One senior was 98. Anyone can attend and the exercise is worth the attendance. lol. It will be televised maestro and Luther has classes all over the city. Most are free and those are sponsored. Next year help make the event a record breaker. I support this event read more

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Wow, I had no idea Boutwell was still here! It was dedicated in 1924 and underwent a renovation in 1957. Notable for me was seeing my favorite band, Judas Priest at the Boutwell on Wednesday, February 9, 1983! My first time seeing JP! It was a fantastic show! The Boutwell has hosted musical entertainment since 1939! From Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, The Monkees, Van Halen, AC/DC, Quiet Riot, to Toni Braxton and Casting Crowns. Thanks, Boutwell, for the most memorable concert experience in my life! read more

Attending an event at this venue is better than being outside in the cold. Birmingham officials please renovate or remove this building. The seats are horrible. The space between rows is very uncomfortable. The seat is uncomfortable and the steps going up or down to seats are dangerous. I witnessed at least 3 people struggling to get out of their sections of seats. I've attended quite a few events at this place and the sound system is always a problem. I want to continue to support events at this venue but at what point will this place provide an enjoyable experience for the guest? read more

Boutwell Auditorium - Stage, floor and section seating. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

I forgot I had my vape in my bag & security told me you have to turn it in now but can pick it up afterwards. So I go to pick it up and security is like oh they just tell people that. They throw em away since you're not supposed to bring em in. Why not just tell people you have to trash them or they need to be taken to your car??? read more

This is one of the more dated event spaces here in Birmingham. They most recently hosted the Chinese New Year Festival. The auditorium itself is pretty big and has a decent stage area. The women's bathroom stalls were super small and you really had to squeeze in there to even fit and close the door. I had never experienced that before. Parking here can be very difficult. Your choice is metered street parking or parking in their deck. I parked at a meter since it was Saturday, but my friend parked in the deck and for about three hours was $4 so it wasn't too bad. read more

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I've only been to this auditorium twice. Today was for #MBM19, 10 am session. I walked right in and immediately asked the location of the restroom. There were several others already in the restroom but it appeared to be very clean and well stocked with the necessary supplies plus I saw someone coming in to do a spot check. This is always a plus in my book. The auditorium was very spacious for the number of people for this event. I noticed that my shoes didn't stick as I walked to and from my seat. Great that the floors were clean. Also the seating was not bad. I stood the majority of the time but was comfortable when I sat. I can see myself attending other events in the future. I love that it is big enough but not so big that you would get lost. read more

Came here for the Mercedes Benz Expo. Expo size wise- pretty small. But it was efficient. Signs were everywhere when it came to the entrance. Foot traffic wasn't bad at all since the set up of vendors and shirts were spread out accordingly. All in all- for any other races, expo here wouldn't be a bad idea. Saw plenty of parking open as well outside when we walked in. The Auditorium is very close to the Westin. read more

It's a trap! Don't do it! Where do we begin. Let's just begin by saying the previous reviews were from visitors not people who actually encountered working with the Boutwell staff. From the first meeting we had, they sold us a dream. They made it as if we could do all of these extravagant things just to get us through the door with contracts signed and dates locked. This past weekend at the Boutwell was a complete nightmare! We were told that we could enter the night before our event to preset everything. I cannot fathom how misleading their staff is. They are compulsive liars. Their disappointment is habitual. We discussed 8am for Saturday so we could do any other necessary placements and also get a run through for our dance competition. Friday night they told us we couldn't come in until 9am. We bit the bullet and arrived shortly before 9am. Once we got there, they told us we couldn't come in until 930am. That's only the beginning. After we made our final payment Friday they rushed us out for a "meeting" They had so many "meetings" and didn't know what was going on the entire day of our event. -The staff told us we couldn't put up signs to direct people/teams because they didn't know what was going on because they were in a scramble -They were no where to be found when needed for custodial or directional purposes. -They made us PAY for things that were not there that were listed on contract (I.e. 3 police officers, 10 "T-shirt security guards, an EMS team that was not there. Side note: someone had a seizure and the EMS team that we paid for had to be called to come, pretty bad huh.. -Their staff wasn't friendly to our guest. -They said the air wasn't working in the arena when it worked in other areas of the building -They kept asking the DJ for extension chords because they only had 2 -Our events typically last 5.5 to 6 hours, Saturday it last 9 hours -They told their concession staff it was a 200-300 person event and they ran out of food. Out of the officers and security we paid for we only saw one and 4-5 security guards -They were extremely money hungry -They told us one price at the start and a week before our show we had to pay $6000 more -They wanted to Run an entire event off of fans to Keep people cool -They tried to limit how many times we can go in and out to grab things we needed FOR THE SHOW Indubitably, We would not recommend this place in the least. Go to metroplex, find an amphitheater, do a parking lot concert, just don't come here!!! It's ghetto, unorganized and half the power on the door doesn't work. Maybe because they switched the breakers off. Not to mention after we were utterly mistreated the lead guy Rory made mention of a possible return and may I make this very clear. We will NEVER return to the Boutwell unless it's to collect the money that we were overcharged! read more

I have been to several events at this auditorium (Apollo, Sidewalk Film Festival, etc.) and have always had a blast. Love the history involved with this place as well. Parking can be an issue if the events are packed, but I am always excited when i know an event will be here. read more