The Red Hat Amphitheater is staying downtown Raleigh.
Raleigh’s City Council voted in favor of partially closing South Street and Lenoir Street in order to move forward with the expansion of the beloved amphitheater on Tuesday. Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said that the primary reason for her yes vote was the need for positive foot traffic downtown, in order to revitalize its business and maintain safety.
“When I see the joy that comes from this ... everything is a struggle, but the fact is, this is good for our downtown,” she said.
To carry on with the expansions and renovations, the city plans to close South Street between McDowell and Dawson Streets. Opponents of the plan, like West South Street resident Lisa Tolley, cited safety concerns regarding rerouted traffic.
“I have two boys that cross Boylan Avenue, and I know the traffic people have told me that it's not a dangerous street because the traffic load,” she said. “But sometimes numbers don't tell the full story about a community and how traffic is impacting your children.”
The new amphitheater will be built at 205 West Lenoir St. and is expected to be completed by the start of the 2026 concert season. Another 1,000 seats are expected to be added as a part of the project.
The owners and employees of downtown businesses have expressed just how important the amphitheater is to keeping the doors open. Crank Arm Brewing's owner Adam Eckhardt said that its impact can "make or break" a downtown business.
"We don't have a sports venue downtown like Durham or Charlotte does," he said. "A sold-out Red Hat show brings 5,500 people into the heart of downtown. These folks spend their money in retail locations, restaurants, bars and other downtown businesses before and after the show."
The public comment portion featured comments from Gina Stephens, the publisher of Raleigh Magazine; Ashley Christensen, a chef and owner of restaurants like Beasley’s Chicken and Honey and Death and Taxes; and Sam Ratto, the owner of Videri Chocolate Factory.
Christensen said that she employs more than 100 people at her downtown restaurants.
“Red Hat has truly been one of the greatest symbols of attraction and unity and folks just gathering and celebrating the city for exactly what it is, and I love it,” she said. “People love music and they gather around music, and they go.”
The renovation was projected to cost about $40 million when the plan was approved in August 2023. That pool of money is not entirely made up of city funds and also includes outside investors. That means, according to City Councilwoman Morgan Pattor, that the city cannot pivot to use the funds on police officers, parks or other hot-button issues in the city.
“Unless we allocate another $40 million, I don’t see another path," Councilwoman Jane Harrison said.
