Panther Island Pavilion
Panther Island Pavilion (PIP) is a scenic venue on the Trinity River with the beautiful downtown Fort Worth skyline as a backdrop. The venue provides multiple stages including the only waterfront stage in Texas and an indoor stage in The Shack, a 10,000 square foot building on site. The venue caters to a wide variety of public events such as concerts, festivals, runs, bike rides, and more!
In addition to hosting events, Panther Island Pavilion offers a sandy beach that provides public access to the river seven days a week for paddling, tubing, fishing, and swimming. Backwoods Paddle sports at Panther Island Rentals is located on-site and oversees the watersports rentals. With two public kayak launches, you won’t find a better place to paddle than Panther Island Pavilion.
Where Did We Get The Name?
The name “Panther Island Pavilion” is a tribute to Fort Worth’s longtime nickname, “Panther City”. Back in 1875, the Dallas Daily Herald had mocked that the Trinity River had overflowed and driven a panther up the bluff into Downtown to wander “at his own sweet will through the streets” – a stab at the lack of economic activity in the city at the time. In response, city leaders embraced the panther as a symbol of strength, nicknaming Fort Worth “Panther City” and soon regaining the economic vitality of the city. Throughout the years panthers have still been embraced by Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Cats baseball team, the mascot for Paschal High School, carvings on Downtown buildings, and Fort Worth police badges and fire trucks just to name a few.