What will Raleigh’s new Red Hat Amphitheater look like? We have our first look.
Kerry Painter asked city leaders to take a walk Tuesday in downtown Raleigh’s new “entertainment district.”
It was the first chance for the Raleigh City Council to see what Red Hat Amphitheater might look like after the city relocates it one block away.
“I thought it might be fun to see where we are at this point in design, with the caveat that things are still being value engineered and will change a little,” said Painter, the executive director of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, which manages Red Hat and other venues.
“So this is the view coming into the new entertainment district we’re pretty excited about,” she said, as she led the leaders on the “virtual walk.”
Red Hat Amphitheater currently sits in downtown Raleigh, bordered by Dawson, Lenoir, McDowell and Cabarrus streets. The city is relocating the 6,000-seat music venue a block over to allow the Raleigh Convention Center to expand.
Painter outlined new trees lining the fence of the music venue that will serve both an aesthetic and acoustic purpose, keeping the music from bouncing around in nearby parking garages. She shared the perspective that performers will have from the stage, and a sculpture of the rock-and-roll hand gesture that will stand in the street.
One thing Painter’s presentation didn’t show? The Shimmer Wall, the art installation that is on the current convention center wall.
“We have heard our community’s interest in protecting the view of the Shimmer Wall,” the city’s web page for the project states. “The Convention Center team is working with the project architects to accommodate key features of the existing building, such as the Shimmer Wall, in final design plans for the expansion project. “
Struggling with South Street
On Tuesday, the City Council approved a $3.1 million contract to start work on the relocation, including moving utilities and installing construction fencing.
Council member Mitchell Silver voted against the contract.
“Personally and professionally I am still struggling with the closure of South Street,” he explained. “I recognize I can’t abstain, so to stay consistent with my beliefs and values I feel I cannot vote yes.”
City leaders agreed to close a portion of South Street between McDowell and Dawson streets to make room for the relocated venue last year over the objections of some nearby residents. That portion of South Street will close on April 14, with construction staging set to begin after that.
Construction was set to be completed in time for the 2026 concert season, which runs from April to October. But delays in the design and permitting phases have caused a construction delay.
“Once [city staff] have a better understanding of the impacts the delays in those steps have caused, they will update City Council and the community on the timeline for the amphitheater and convention center,” said Julia Milstead, public information officer for the city. “We remain committed to hosting full seasons of entertainment throughout this process.”
Economic impact
Red Hat Amphitheater hosted 50 concerts last season, including sold-out performances by Bryson Tiller, Queens of the Stone Age, Chappell Roan, and Khruangbin, among others.
It attracted 280,000 attendees and generated $33.7 million in economic impact, according to a city report.
“We’re so proud to continue to stand out as such a vital economic driver for downtown Raleigh,” Painter said in a news release. “Not only do thousands attend shows at the amphitheater, but those fans also visit restaurants, bars, and retail shops adding to the vibrancy and generating much needed revenue for these local small businesses.”
The 2026 season includes shows from genre-blending artist Teddy Swims, blues-rock duo The Black Keys and country singer Sierra Ferrell.
This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 3:38 PM.
