One of Evansville’s largest and longest-standing tourism draws is back for a fourth consecutive year. The regional Jehovah’s Witnesses convention is in the middle of its back-to-back weekend gatherings. Held each June at Ford Center since 2023, this year’s event is expected to bring approximately 7,800 people before it concludes June 14.
Jason Kincaid, a Tennessee-based Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesman for the local convention, says those attending the free three-day events — which are open to the public — will hear a program on how everlasting happiness can be achieved through practical Biblical principles. “Who doesn’t want to be happy?” he asks. “This year’s convention theme discusses how to be happy and how to remain happy. All in attendance will discover the real joy that comes from a solid hope for the future.”
The same program is presented in 500-plus languages at more than 6,000 conventions throughout the year. The religious group says that in 2025, more than 12 million people attended conventions in 13 countries. Nearly 350,000 members reside in the U.S.
Area congregants can worship at three Kingdom Halls on the city’s West, North, and East sides. Starting in 2004, Evansville originally hosted regional Jehovah’s Witnesses gatherings at Roberts Municipal Stadium, which was razed in early 2013. Drawing attendees from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, and Tennessee, the group’s summer visits to the River City have boosted hoteliers and restaurants, particularly since moving Downtown to Ford Center in 2012. Explore Evansville officials have said the annual convention generates more than $2 million in economic impact.
Per Jehovah’s Witnesses tradition emphasizing cleanliness and order, Ford Center gets a deep clean — including vacuuming and wiping down seats — by volunteers before and after the convention. “We enjoy coming into Evansville,” Kincaid says. “The whole management team at the Ford Center and everybody there is so easy to work with.”
