Major Expansion Ahead for The Raleigh Convention Center

Designing is now underway for the $387.5 million expansion of the Raleigh Convention Center and relocation of Red Hat Amphitheater. The highly anticipated convention center expansion is anticipated to open in 2028 and will include approximately 80,000 square feet of flexible event space and 30 meeting rooms.

LATEST NEWS

• Raleigh Convention Center Selects Atlanta-based TVS and RATIO to Design Upcoming Expansion and Relocation of Amphitheater (Exhibitor Online, 1/16/2023)

Current Location

Red Hat Amphitheater currently sits on the expansion site for the Raleigh Convention Center. The convention center expansion project is currently in the design phase with an anticipated opening in 2028.

Amphitheater Size

The amphitheater currently has a capacity of 6,000. In order for the amphitheater to maintain its current position in the market and its ability to continue attracting national artists and promoters, the new venue must remain at least this size.  The footprint for the new amphitheater must also provide ample space for ingress, bathroom facilities, concession space and other critical operational elements. 

Future Location + Street Closure

The early conceptual design for the amphitheater anticipated that the new venue could be accommodated by closing Lenoir Street between Dawson and McDowell and combining that right-of-way with the City-owned gravel lot between Lenoir and South Streets. Further analysis revealed that this configuration was not viable as it would be more costly, result in a significant reduction in capacity from the current venue, and would not yield a site large enough to accommodate either the back-of-house or the front-of-house amenities required for the venue to be considered functional.

As a result of these analyses, the site was reconfigured to incorporate the portion of South Street between Dawson and McDowell and the lot adjacent to the railroad tracks and immediately south of South Street. It was determined that this site provided the only avenue for the project to advance in any manner.

South Street currently sees 1/3 of the traffic it was intended for (3,300k cars vs 10k cars). Lenoir Street gets 2,650 cars (250 cars/hour) and if you combined Lenoir Street’s traffic with South Street’s traffic, Lenoir Street would still only be at 50% capacity for the size of the two-lane road.

The intention for Lenoir Street would be to redesign it with the convention center expansion on one side of the street and new amphitheater on the other, creating an inviting curb-less street in the center and enhancing bike and pedestrian movement. 

Using city-owned land, the creation of a pocket park is also proposed at the intersection of Dawson and South Streets, which could be incorporated into the Heritage Walk/Chavis-Dix Strollway project and encourage walking, biking, and socializing along the pathway.

Timeline

Groundbreaking for new amphitheater is anticipated for the 1st quarter of 2025. The current amphitheater will operate through the 2025 season, preventing the loss of an entire concert season. The new amphitheater is anticipated to open for the 2026 season.

Economic + Community Impact

Red Hat Amphitheater serves as a significant employment center, directly supporting 130 staff positions on event days. The venue also provides significant economic impact and in 2023 produced $17,582,033 in total economic impact from 26 concerts. In 2023 total attendance was 140,000 which yielded 65,189 overnight visitors. For the 2024 concert season, we have welcomed 162,000 music lovers.

Philanthropic events such as the annual Band Together fundraiser, which has raised $13 million to-date in support of 150 Triangle area non-profits are also hosted at the venue. The annual holiday ice rink also supports local non-profit organizations including Helping Hand Mission, Triangle Spokes, Wake Up and Read, Note in the Pocket, and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC. Themed community nights featuring holiday craft markets and local breweries are also hosted during the holiday ice rink.

The Omni Raleigh Hotel is anticipated to include 550 guest rooms and 55,000 square feet of meeting space, which will allow for larger events to take place downtown and support the growth of the Raleigh Convention Center expansion. The hotel will also feature several food and beverage outlets, a rooftop pool, a signature Mokara spa and a fitness center.

LATEST NEWS

• Omni Debuts in Raleigh With New Convention Center Hotel (Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, 9/19/2023)