Fargodome predicts 'break even' budget as it eyes a potential expansion

FARGO — As the Fargodome marches into 2026 with a "break even" budget, local leaders are eyeing bigger and better things for the decades-old event center at 1800 N. University Drive.

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

The Fargodome has thrown its hat in the ring to be considered as a location for the city’s new convention center, according to Fargodome Authority board member Rick Steen.
Financially, the Fargodome stands well poised to take on this additional responsibility, Steen said during a financial update to the Cass County Commission on Monday, Aug. 18. Steen is also a former Cass County Commissioner.

Year-to-date, the Fargodome has held 47 events, he said.

Both attendance and total event income are slightly lower than projected, he said, with 183,000 attendees and $1,454,000 in event income.

That’s not unusual to see in the first half of the year, he said, noting that business at the Fargodome doesn’t really ramp up until the fall season.

The net loss stands now at $150,873, he said, which was meant to stand at $128,496 at this point in the year.

When all is said and done, he said, the Fargodome is projected to break even this year.

That is “pretty consistent with the end of last year,” he said, which saw $124,000 in revenue in excess of spending. In 2025, the Fargodome is projecting a loss of $8,000 and, going into 2026, an excess of $995.

The event center still has a sizable nest egg in savings, he said, roughly $7.7 million in cash assets earmarked for capital investments and rainy days. The goal for that fund is a balance of $7 to $8 million, he said, landing them right on target.

In addition, the Fargodome is “carrying a pretty healthy balance of investments,” he said, found inside its permanent fund — generated over the decades from the previous sales tax revenue that built the facility — that stands at $44.4 million. That money is invested with the state of North Dakota and has increased about $700,000 over last year, he said.

The team at the Fargodome has proposed connecting the convention center to the south end of their existing building , reigniting the Fargodome Authority’s past push in a public vote to expand the facility.

The 66,000 square-foot convention center plans would add to a stadium that already boasts 140,000 square feet, according to the proposal, as well as a sizable hotel.

The Fargodome has the event experience and the trained staff to absorb this additional work, Steen said, as well as the strong history of working with the city and North Dakota State University.

The city has formed a committee to weigh the pros and cons of the nine different proposals for the new convention center.

The committee plans to meet for three consecutive Fridays starting Aug. 22 to let developers present their vision for the convention center. The committee would listen to three presentations at each meeting for 30 minutes apiece.

The committee then plans to narrow the field, possibly to three proposals. The finalists would then come back for more detailed presentations about their plans.

The committee then will recommend a location to the Fargo City Commission, which will make the final decision.

The timeline to pick the winning proposal hasn’t been set, however a decision is anticipated to be finalized by early 2026.