The Convention center was filled with thousands of baseball fans for Major League Baseball’s All-Star FanFest. Fans represented teams for the team all over and got the chance to discuss baseball history and moments.  

The 2018 Fan Fest also partnered with the Restaurant Association Metropolitain Washington Association (RAMW) to give ticketholders a chance to enjoy exclusive dining deals throughout the city. Restaurants such as City Winery, Ris, and Penn Commons let fans enjoy their great dishes with exclusive discounts.  

On May 11, 2020, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the Walter E. Washington Convention Center would be converted from 473,000 square feet of exhibit space (Halls A, B, C) into an approximately 1,200-bed alternate care facility. The site was designed to alleviate the strain on DC’s hospitals in anticipation of the surge in positive COVID-19 cases.  When needed, the convention center facility will primarily treat non-acute COVID-19 patients. 

On Sunday, September 19, an official delegation from FIFA visited Washington, DC as they evaluated the 17 remaining candidate host cities for the FIFA World Cup 2026™. This was a key step in selecting the best venues for the games with a view to finalizing this highly competitive selection process by Q1/Q2 2022. 

USA Basketball returned to Washington, DC to host two FIBA World Cup Qualifying matches vs Puerto Rico on Feb. 24 and Mexico on Feb. 27. The arena hosted over 1,200 people to show their support for our men’s basketball team. USA won against Mexico (89-67) and Puerto Rico (93-67). This was a unique opportunity for basketball fans in the Washington metropolitan area to show their support for our USA men’s senior national teams in high-level FIBA competitions.  

Emphasizing the “world” in world-class venue, the Entertainment & Sports Arena welcomed the USA and Puerto Rico men’s basketball teams for a qualifying game in the FIBA AmeriCup tournament. More than 2,400 attendees watched the USA win the game with a score of 95-73. 

The FIBA AmeriCup 2021, considered the FIBA Americas zone championship, featured 12 nations from North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America. 

The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) powered by Ticketmaster, traveled to Washington, D.C. on September 19, 2021. Audi Field hosted the 2021 PLL Championship. 

The final championship was between the Chaos vs Whipsnakes with a 14:9 win from the Whipsnakes. 

Otakon welcomed 18,00 Asian pop culture fans to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on August 6-8, 2021. This was one of the first major scale events since the beginning of the pandemic, serving as a clear sign that the district is back in business with live experiences.  

The Howard vs. Hampton Truth and Service football game was hosted at Audi Field on September 18, 2021, in partnership with Events DC. The new relationship between Events DC, Audi Field, and Howard University launched in September 2021 with a long-term goal of an annual showcase game taking place at Audi Field under the Truth and Service Classic moniker. The first edition featured the 96th meeting of the historic rivalry between Howard University and Hampton University with future opponents set to be named at the beginning of each college football season.