It was on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, and was called Fairgrounds Stadium when it first opened for an NFL exhibition football game between the Baltimore Colts and Philadelphia Eagles on September 9, 1956.

Boy band N'Sync performed at Cardinal Stadium on August 10, 2001, as part of the PopOdyssey Tour.

More recent plans from the Kentucky State Fair Board sought to demolish this facility to build an outdoor amphitheater with permanent seating for 12,000.

[7] During its 2018 regular session, the Kentucky General Assembly approved funds for the complete demolition of Old Cardinal Stadium, and in September of that year, the president of the Kentucky State Fair Board told legislators that complete demolition would start sometime in early 2019.

The Fair Board has issued a request for proposals by private contractors to redevelop the stadium site.

[8] Demolition was to officially commence the afternoon of January 24, 2019, with a media event featuring Governor Matt Bevin.