Red Hat Amphitheater's future at risk
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A rendering of the future Red Hat Amphitheater, courtesy of the city of Raleigh
Red Hat Amphitheater's days in its current location are numbered due to the planned expansion of the Raleigh Convention Center, and now plans to reconstruct the amphitheater a block to the south might be in jeopardy, too.
The latest: The new plan calls for closing a section of South Street, and mixed feedback on that part of the proposal has some business owners nervous the project is in danger.
- Bill King, CEO of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, told Axios that resistance to closing the street is a "serious" threat to the future Red Hat expansion.
Why it matters: Red Hat Amphitheater is one of downtown Raleigh's biggest economic drivers during the summer — and businesses in the area cite it as critical to keeping them afloat.
- In the past year, the amphitheater hosted 51 shows and an ice rink that brought more than 200,000 visitors to downtown Raleigh, according to the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.
Driving the news: The Raleigh Convention Center said in June that it would need to close South Street, between McDowell and Dawson streets, ABC11 reported.
- This is necessary to keep Red Hat's capacity north of 6,500 people — a threshold the convention center says is necessary to attract shows, per ABC11.
State of play: When it opened in 2010, the current amphitheater was meant to be a temporary solution on land that could be used to expand the convention center.
- But over the past 14 years, it has become one of the city's most popular features, pushing local officials to keep it.
- The current goal is to keep Red Hat open for one more season and have its new location open by 2026.
What they're saying: "Keeping [Red Hat] in downtown Raleigh is critical to our storefront businesses, visitors and residents," King said in a post on X.
- "Without an arena nor stadium, this venue is our outdoor entertainment amenity and shows how much economic impact a venue can have when surrounded by storefront businesses."
King also suggested that moving the amphitheater to Dix Park, which is mentioned in the park's master plan, would "have far less economic impact."
- Janet Cowell, a mayoral candidate and head of the Dix Park Conservancy, sent an email to council in June expressing concerns that closing the street could impact downtown's connection to Dix Park, The News & Observer reported.
Threat level: Adam Eckhardt, the owner of Crank Arm Brewing, located a block from the venue, described the potential loss of Red Hat as a existential threat to businesses in the area.
- "One of the only things that keeps us afloat is Red Hat Amphitheater," he wrote on LinkedIn, noting summer foot traffic drops off significantly without shows there.
- "It is just one block from our front door and its impact is make or break for us and many other downtown businesses," he added.
What's next: The Raleigh City Council is set to vote in September whether it will apply to permanently close South Street.