It WAS a great place to see some fabulous acts. Locally it WAS our only hope to see world class bands without a 2 or 3 hour drive. Food was pretty good too. After this pandemic is finally over, I really hope it can reopen!

We went for the first time recently to see Samantha Fish and her band. We had great seats at this new dinner theatre. The food was OK and the service was quite good. The venue is new and we liked everything about the operation. It was clean and very well organized. While the do sell alcohol it is in no way a dive. Samantha was excellent as we knew she would be having seen her twice before. A sell out crowd was very enthusiastic about her fantastic blues guitar showmanship. We will most likely go again to see another act.

The concert was GREAT.. The food sucked. My Chicken parmigianaWas kind of burnt. It tasted horrible no flavor. It was extremely dry. Appetizer, I had mushroomballs.. They had NO flavor. Boy friend had Prime rib... Again.. Same thing.. $92.00 plus tip for one of the worse meals Ive ever had. But..Like I said.. The concert was fabulous.

Wonderful venue to host our annual Sherwin-Williams ProShow. They were easy to work with and figured out to get us exactly what we wanted.

Entertainment was great. Service very poor. Waiter screwed up order. We were group of four and two meals showed up 20 minutes before the others. The salad never came. Bill was wrong and waiter did not return my credit card. He had no clue where it was and ignored his supervisor to go find it. She found it on floor near another table. We completed a review card and handed it to the manager on way out. He smirked at it. Enjoy

First time and great experience.We went to see a tribute to Motown featuring Glen Leonard (former Temptations) and the Hitsville. The performance was breathtaking, highly entertaining and professional.We were on the first row just by the stage, and the sound was very good.Food and service were also really good. Quick and efficient.Looking forward to the next event...One piece of advice to the management: dont forget to respond to reviews, whether they are good or bad...

We really enjoy seeing artists at the Southwest Florida Event Center. While it is largely table seating, the site lines are all good. The food is just OK, but if you get salads and desert you can meet the $15 minimum charge.Most of the shows wrap up by ten p.m., so you are on the road home pretty early for week night shows.

Truly an amazing venue! Loved our concert there, The Gin Blossoms, and we were able to enjoy the entire show. Smaller than a stadium and much more intimate, which allowed us to feel like we were just hanging out watching them perform. Tables and chairs were nice to be able to relax at, although not much space in between, so made moving out of chairs difficult and others had to get up so you could walk out. I recommend eating before you go, they have a minimum dollar amount of food you have to meet, and everything is quite expensive. The food was okay, but not worth the price. Our server Rebecca was awesome, she had to wait on at least 30-40 people in her section, but she still kept a smile on her face and made sure we had drinks the entire show! Definitely recommend his venue for any concert, we cannot wait to go again soon!

Intimate venue to see a concert. Great schedule of rock and roll acts for boomers. Beverage and food service available during shows, right at your table. Saw the Outlaws there in January, 2019. Loved it.

Very nice venue I think all the seats were good had good food for a show club good service we had a great time will go back

Great venue for music. Decent food, decent service. Expensive - but worth it. Impressive for SWFL. Ive seen them come and go... but I think this ones here to stay!

This was Fun! Loved the venue. Great sound system, good eats and great service. A great night out. Loved it.

Venue would not allow a purse into event unless it was smaller than 6x9 size. Very disappointed. Will not return here. They made adult women take there purses back to there cars, scanned us as well which was fine but the bag policy was not acceptable.

We were there for an event hosted by South Florida Gas. The entertainment was spectacular, staff was super friendly and helpful. They genuinely seem to enjoy their jobs. And the food, oh my goodness scrumptious!!! All around wonderful evening!!

There is no reserved seating, if you buy dinner you get better seats, but even that isnt guaranteed. On top of that theyre charging *outrageous* prices for a soda or water, I cant imagine what meal prices are. $9 for a glass of ice and some diet coke??? Thats robbery. I loved our concert, but I wont be back. Ill drive to Tampa to see things from now on.

This place was exceptional! The building and facilities are eloquent and taken care of very well. The service and food was top notch, my prime rib was a 10. Sister Hazel and the opening band Letters From Jett sounded great! I had a blast and cannot wait to return! Also the owners are so kind and gracious, so many thank you are in order for Jennifer and Richard! I highly recommend this venue if you are looking into seeing a concert and dining and having a unique experience! 10/10

Its a place, a magic place. Its magic lies with its parking. You can fit your entire car in the parking spot. In this digital age, to be able to physically park, a whole car....its something else. Try it, you will be a believer.

We have been using this venue each week for our weekly business meeting. I have to say that each morning when I arrive we are always greeted with a smile by Heather. She always strives to make sure that everyone in our group is taken care of. Please visit soon as they host many great concerts and events here.

Food delicious and the Rascals concert was Outstanding!!! Loved the entire evening. We enjoy the small venues...up close and personal.

Very nice venue. No bad seat in the house. My favorite place for a nice small concert dinner n drinks if you wish but a bit pricey but worth it to me for a nice evening. Will go back anytime they have what i like to see there. Xo to you SWFEC!

This is a charming venue for live music. Good acoustics and I love the way they have repurposed the building.

Featured group was excellent, opening group on toooo long. Chairs are not very comfortable to be sitting for 3 hours! Clean venue, with ample parking. Close to Rt 75 for easy access to highway.

Sitting at the Julian Marley concert and there is NO WHERE TO DANCE. Everyone who is a Jamaican (like myself) knows when sweet reggae is playing you want to get up and dance. This facility needs to rethink how they plan concerts!

Amazing Venue, the staff was Excellent, Food was amazing, and there is not a bad seat in the veue! Billy Ocean 2/21/20, was Amazing, his voice is still Superb at age 70!

I enjoyed the concert I attended. The wait staff was amazing. Security was rude. I purchased my tickets through Ticketmaster so I was unaware of the $15 food charge or the fact that bringing in my purse was not allowed. I wont say that I will never go back but those 2 things are a huge discouragement factor. I paid over $100 for my ticket to be informed that I was required to buy food was excessive at best. And to be told I was in no way allowed to bring in my purse because I would steal from them was over the top.

Great facility for private parties,fund raisers,plenty of parking,comfortabe chairs,nice lobby for cocktails before dinner

Great venue. Parking good. All seats have a good view. Choice of stools or seats. Acoustics are adequate. Food and service is good. Highly recommended.

Saw phil vassar, am about to see sara evans, its quaint and awesome and acoustically great!! Been there many times oh and saw jimmy massina right after Phil, enjoy

Fair food! Got food poisoning they dont care! . Same menu for over one year! Time to change the menu. This place only can get either unknowns or the performers that dont require a huge amount of money to play

Small, intimate venue for enjoying music events. Comfortable, spacious seating, full bar, dinner options, clean bathrooms, friendly staff, great acoustics.

I read a lot of the reviews and have to agree that the food is nothing impressive. My wife I would say Im being kind. She thought the food was bad and overpriced. We didnt go there for the food. This is not a Fifth Avenue or 3rd Street restaurant. Dont expect fine dining. Its a place to go see live music and they do that very well. Is a nice venue. Not a bad seat in the house. Management and servers were very accommodating. Service was good polite and professional. I have tickets for other shows Im looking forward to going back.

The backdrop and lighting used for the Samantha Fish performance was mesmerizing!

Great venue! Reserved seating, but all seats have a great view! The food is good, service mediocre but thats not why you go here. Easy access, easy parking! Lots of great bands! Would have given 5 stars if the sound was a better and the service better.

Top notch facility with a professional staff.Micky Dolenz was the performer and he was excellent! A really good place to see a smaller show. I didnt eat so I couldnt review the food.

This is a music venue with surprising good food at reasonable prices. We went here to see Poco, which was still rocking out after 50 years! We had great seats, one table away from the stage. My wife had a plate of wings, which were good, ,a glass of Pinot Grigio, and a homemade chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. The pour of the wine was sizable! I had the fish and chips... four or five cod pieces, that were done well, and a bit of cole slaw

Saw Jesse Cook here. Great time staff was great also.

Great all-around first time experience! Food was fantastic (we had fig and prosciutto flatbread, asparagus and THE BEST FRIES ever). Seriously, the hand cut, triple cooked fries were delicious. Drinks were well proportioned and not made hastily; Every bartender hates old fashioneds) but these were well crafted. On to the show - seating was at a comfortable table with a great view - and both the opening act and headliner (the Wailers) were awesome! What a great place to have in Bonita, well be back!

Quite a gem located on Bonita Beach road in Bonita Springs. The acoustic Hot Tuna show was presented and enjoyed in front of a full house of fans. The staff is courteous and professional. The only negative would be the sound. Two large vertical speaker columns flank the sides of the stage. Anyone sitting at the front middle tables cant hear the sound until it bounces off the back wall . I will return but will purchase the less expensive seats located in a more direct range of sound.

Really enjoyed the venue very good

Great venue to see a show. Staff is friendly and prompt highly recommended. Thanks for an excellent evening.

It was a fun night. However I felt like front table was priced very high for tickets. Next time Ill sit in the back. Food was very good.

Always a great venue! Staff is great.

Good location, large and comfortable inside. Service and food were very good!

Understaffed, overpriced, and subpar food and drink. This place seems like its on life support. $7 beer served in a plastic cup. The reception area with two bars didnt even have bartenders to serve drinks. Food was very tired, uninspired and poorly executed. So sad to see what this place has become, I remember when it opened and they had a world class chef in the kitchen and tons of top tier shows. They didnt even fill half of the Chris Kattan show and cancelled the 830 show. Chris Kattan was nothing to write home about either definitely wasnt stand up worthy more of a story telling of who he once was. Probably wont be going back here anytime soon.

Great service!! Food so/so. Entertainment and venue excellent!! Priced great. Already have tickets for two more events. Ladies, small or see through purses.

Geezer venue, actually saw someone croak, but the show must go on. Hard to believe I am this old and watching classic rock and roll at a dinner theatre. Awkward seating if you are not facing the stage. I saw some great bands and the music was great also. They need to work on the sound system. If the singers do not have strong voices, you wont hear them.

Last Saturday 7/22/19 I had the opportunity to be the Master of Ceremony of a Quinceanera (Coming of Age for Latin girls) celebration at this location.To begin with, I must say that , this location is a fantastic place for any kind of celebration: spacious, clean, looking very new and updated.If the venue itself stands out , the employees that run the Event Center stand out many times as much by the service they provide. The food cooked under the supervision of Sam and his crew couldnt be any better simply put DELICIOUS!. The bartender( a girl) was fast and all smiles.To end my review I would like to give special thanks to Heather and Kelly for being so accommodating, helpful, efficient and for going above and beyond. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. That was my first event there, hopefully not the last.Carlitos Way

Went 2 hours early to pick up tickets on night of show.My friend still in the car. We were planning to meet friends nearby.They put a braclet on me I run out the door with my tickets to immediately be told I CAN NOT LEAVE THE PROPERTY OR NO READMISSION I explained I was unaware of the policy, I did not see any sign and was not explained this by the staff who put it on my arm. I was told it is explained online. I said this was a gift to me for my bday. Staff rude, careless. Manger would Not do anyhing for us. . So unless you want to be a prisoner to the inside of swfl event center, Do NOT put wrist band on till you are ready to stay. I Will think long and hard before I go back, due to inconsiderate management .

Fun place. Great service.

This is a tremendous place to host an event, party, or conference!

Service didnt exist so you couldnt say it was bad. Concert was awesome and venue is good but dont bother with dinner there

Friendly and helpful staff. Great sound in the venue. We went to Toad the Wet Sprocket and had a great time!

Nice place had no idea this nice little venue was so close and tucked away when saw the Outlaws there had a great time all the seating is good theyre working on your sound system its getting better. not bad

My dad & I went to the SWFL Event Center to see George Clinton. I am in a wheelchair so I called to get my tickets. I spoke with Kim & she was so kind and helpful accommodating my special needs. The band was running a bit behind but the owner & staff were busting their behinds to make sure everyone was able to get their food & drinks in the lobby. The food was good (fish n chips & pizza). There is not a bad seat in the venue & the concert was AMAZING. We will absolutely go back.

Very nice new clean place. Not intimate for A concert. Food not good at all.

Saw Steve Earle May 16, 2018. Love the fact they had him at this venue, but the venue fell short on sound quality and how they arranged seating. During 2 key moments of popular songs there was ear piercing feedback. I felt like the sound guy was tuned in only to the acoustic guitar and the pedal steel guitar. The rest of the instruments sounded muddy or just too loud as compared to what they should have. Steves vocals were excellent and Steve did a helluva job. Hats off to the whole band. The seating was poorly arranged for this type of show. There was no real place to stand comfortably. Most everyone was seated the entire show which is a total downer. I dont appreciate the fact that they were not clear about when the opening band was starting. I missed the first song because they made it seem like 8 was the opening band time. The sound people need to go listen to a show at The Ranch in Fort Myers or Cigar Bar live and take some lessons on what sounds good.

The sound quality is pretty POOR. I have been to several concerts here, sat in different areas each time, and it doesnt seem to matter where you sit (it shouldnt matter regardless) the sound is not good. Big disappointment.The venue is set up as a restaurant/cafeteria which doesnt always make for comfortable viewing, and you dont always get the seats you booked - as I have personally discovered and heard from other patrons.The food is okay but one can tell they are out of their depth - not enough servers (though they seem to try), always rushed and disorganized. Servers dont always make it back to your table in any timely fashion so if drinking wine I recommended you order a bottle to share so it is at your table. After talking to many other attendees the consensus is that this place needs a major overhaul by people who know what theyre doing.

Enjoyed the America show however the FOH sound system is poor. They need to upgrade to a more professional concert type system and introduce some additional acoustic treatment. Its an intimate setting with the potential to be great but the poor sound is a big negative.

I believe in security but this was beyond. My purse was to big, the scanned your body. Took forever to retrieve our tickets. They should be more concerned about serving people way to much alcohol. So many drunk people. One guy was sitting right by me and it was extremely annoying. SMH

Great place to see local and national acts! Food is fantastic and the venue is really nice. Drink prices a little high, but see the bartender out front, the guy with the pony tail, he double pours so its worth going to him. Just saw Kellie Pickler, more of my girlfriends thing, but I have to admit, she was really good.

We see PIFF THE MAGIC DRAGON! And he was absolutely fabulous! I recommend everyone to see him.

Love the place they keep getting amazing acts

A great place for an evening out. Excellent music and food with Beautiful decor. Try the flat fries!

Great venue! A beautiful place and enjoyed the potato fries and coconut shrimp!

I noticed my initial review didnt get published...I went to see the TOOL tribute band, Schism on 4/21/2018. They were, as always, INCREDIBLE!!!The SWFL Event Center has some really annoying policies. Regardless of what kind of ticket you purchase, you are expected to order a minimum amount of food, and you are charged for that, regardless of whether you eat or not. We know the show is going to be great, so we paid and ordered from the menu.Hands down, the vote was unanimous, the food was deplorable, it was unfit for consumption by anyone at our table, not just the party we came with. I personally got the $24. grilled salmon, that was dry and tasteless, my friends ordered fish & chips, coconut shrimp and calamari which were all dry, overcooked, and rubbery, all garbage, nothing was even half as good as the frozen stuff you can buy at a local supermarket. Based on the amount of food we saw being thrown away, its safe to say we werent alone.When you see insanely expensive menu options, you are not expecting cheap, sub-par frozen provisions. Ive honestly, had higher quality meals on an airplane.The venue itself was the right size for the show, there was no issue with safety, everybody was searched prior to admission and there were plenty of armed security guards.The set-up inside was bizarre to say the least.A dinner theater is great if you are serving fine food, and providing some form of light entertainment while folks are eating. But this isnt the best idea for a rock concert. People like to stand, move around a bit, not all customers are into the kind of experience that really suggests they remain seated. And since the food and pricing seems to be the single biggest let down people complain about, your rock and rollers may find their money better spent on a venue that is primarily focused on concerts.In other words, if you cant bring in decent food, dont waste the time or money on it. Dont force people to order food just to throw it away and not refund people due to your BS policy, when they say everything is terrible and they want their money back.(Work smart, not hard)If you want a dinner theater: Bring in plays and better food.If you want an intimate concert venue: Ditch the menu, bring in the bands!Listening to your clientele, might just save the place from going under...

Good venue. Poor food.

Ok dont like the parking.

As a performer at the Center with a band called Pig Floyd, a Pink Floyd tribute band, I was extremely impressed with the venue. From the minute we arrived Heather took care of us completely. The sound was fantastic. Nate from Jet Audio was running it for us tonight. The SWFL Event Center runs an amazing facility. Can’t say enough about the new owner, Richard. What a great guy. Extremely impressed!

Acoustics need work but we had a fun evening. We didnt try the food but it appeared most folks were happy with the offerings. Keep improving!

The center was great and the Phil Vassar concert was amazing! Just be aware that they tack on an 18% tip to your bill without warning. We usually tip more than 18%, but do not appreciate having it added without notification. We added our regular tip on top of the 18%, which was not intended. I would suggest that the center either notify patrons of this automatic tip (which will probably decrease the amount of tips that their servers get- it will in my case) or stop doing it altogether.

Great bandsVery good musicEvery seat has a good view

I was here to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and had a great experience. Service was good and the food was decent. The sound was really good and I really enjoyed myself. One suggestion would be to offer some craft beer to the beer selection. Drink local

Very bad food. all deep fried over cooked fish & chips . & bad service

Went there for Sherwin-Williams Pro Show great facilities inside and out. Would recommend anybody else to go there

Fun place to have a party. Dj could have been a bit more open to pleasing what the crowd wanted to listen to. But overall a good time.

We just left the Jim Brewer show. (Hes amazing) the venue is okay. Seating arrangements are weird. They seated everyone across from their party member. Makes it hard to talk to one another and you are next to total strangers on each side, hard to say something quietly, impossible to be private. The drinks were expensive. The buffet was $30..... thirty. Which I didnt mind paying because its a buffet. Never told me it closes once the show starts. Only was able to get one plate. We didnt want to get up during the opening act and when we noticed them putting lids on the trays we went over and asked if we could get one more plate. We were told no. They literally just put the lid on. So it would have been spectacular to know or maybe have it posted that they closed 20 min after I got my plate. :/ but the food was good, the little that I got. Sound was good, I could hear it well, may have been a little too loud for people that were in the front, because I was happy that I sat all the way in the back.

Great music venue in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Beautiful! Went to a quinceanera and it was stunning!

Great place to see concert. Food prices were high for the quality and quantity.

Over the last month we went to two different Tributes at Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center, Tina Turner and the Bee Gees. We enjoyed them both very much. The buffet before each performance was very good with several things to choose from and plenty of food. The Tributes were very professional and entertaining. The room is large and noisy, but perfect for the performances.We will go again and have already recommended the Center to many.

The “building” and its interior are a contemporary wow! Some shows sound better than others depending on the type of music. Your experience will differ each time.

Saw P-Funk, they were great. Its a dinner theater place, which is a new one for me for a concert. But the food was decent and the service was good.The acoustics arent great, which kept it from being 5 stars.

Dinner served by waiters and a rock n roll show dont go together for this rocker

Love this small venue. Great line ups and staff offers wonderful service!

Great venue for live music. I enjoyed the Robert Cray concert here so much that I started working there part time so I can see the rest of the shows...

The Bee Gee s tribute was an Amazing show ... our group of 11 were all in Awe with the talent of these guys. ️️ Go CanadaDinner buffet style was tasty , fresh & yummy . We were the 1st at the buffet , but the food was on the cold side... it was too bad .The group did not appreciate the choice of Pop music during dinner . Would be nice to have soft music over dinner, helps with digestion & having a good conversation with friends over dinner.On the whole everything was great. This was our second visit & we have Michael Jackson on the 18th.Regards,John

Nice venue , good sound system. Pretty intimate place for a concert

Nice venue, acoustics better than expected. Wonderful server and great music

Mary Wilson was AMAZING

Spent $70 to watch a movie last night. Rocky Horror Picture Show. Place was not even half full, was told cast quit the night before. Just moved to Bonita Springs and this was my first visit. Disappointed is the best word I can use to describe my first experience here. $70 for tickets, 4 cups of wine for $40 and a $10 tip. $120.00 to watch a 42 year old movie I could of watched at home. Please tell me why I should come back, Id love to hear why. Im open to second chances when my issues have been addressed and fixed. Like to many other businesses, once you got our money, its a closed deal and you can care less about customer satisfaction. We shall see.

The place is nice and I know being a new venue they have bugs to work out. My only complaints are the service staff seemed very confused and under staffed to effectively serve. Secondly, they REQUIRE you to spend a minimum of 10 dollars at EVERY event. I always spend money at a concert but to force me to isnt right. Lower the food and drink prices a little bit and make it a little more affordable for the working man. Other than that, the place is pretty good for a small town venue.

We had a wonderful relaxing Thanksgiving dinner . Service and cuisine was outstanding .The place and people that work there made it a memorable experience .

Nice Venue for concert. Food and drink was ok, the intimacy of concert hall made for great enjoyment of music.

I was invited to a private event in October. The facility was very nice. The wait staff were very accommodating. Excellent heavy appetizers and the wine flowed freely. Sorry to read about the negative show reviews. This property however might be a nice option for private events and worth considering. Only negative draw back is that the function room is off the dining room so it was a bit uncomfortable to walk past diners to get to the function room.

Great place, had a great time.

Food good. Beatles vs Rolling Stones great

The facility is very impressive, staff is responsive, plenty of parking, & very clean. While its easy to see from the street, its very difficult to find the entrance. The food really lacked flavor.

Nice small venue. Dinner Theatre type setup. The venue is new so they really need to work out some issues with serving food. Facility is awesome. I love having a small venue in my hometown with international Acts like Marshall Tucker Band

The show was great! Sadly the food was not. We paid 13$ for a flat bread pizza that was terrible and not enough so we had to wait till they had more come out. We ended up paying 20$ for a personal pizza from the restaurant that was way better so we threw away 13$. The buffet table offered 4 choices and the bread was terrible. Better to eat before you arrive. The staff was nice and the seating is weird and even if you were not VIP people were sitting there.

I was upset because we bought a Groupon and ordered food we had to eat off our laps like we were animals or something! The entertainment was awesome! Treat your patrons better. I could see if it had been sold out, but it wasnt, there were plenty of empty seats they couldve put us in.