GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids' Acrisure Amphitheater opens May 15, 2026, marking the culmination of nearly two decades of planning, nearly $200 million dollars in public and private investment.
The 85,000-square foot venue at 201 Market Street seats 12,000, including 5,000 lawn seats, and has already generated significant buzz among residents.
"We're excited. We booked our first concert for this fall. So, gonna go see Mumford and Sons," concert goer Sam Norman said.
"I'm excited. I drive for Uber, so I get a lot of we talk about it all the time when we're in my passengers. So we're excited to see who's coming, how loud it's gonna be," Uber driver Hannah Hackbardt said.
"We're so excited about it. We work down here. We play down here. We already have tickets for the concerts. We're gonna go see Chicago and Styx's," concert goer Rita Cornett said.
How it happened: A timeline
- 2007 — The vision for a downtown amphitheater was born, though finding the right location proved difficult. "We were trying to find the right location. We really wanted it to be really as adjacent to the downtown area as it could be, but we just couldn't quite figure it out," Dick DeVos said.
- 2022 — The city of Grand Rapids made its first formal move toward creating the venue. The city and the Convention Arena Authority reached an agreement in March: the CAA would purchase the city-owned property at 201 Market Street for $24.3 million. Of that, $10 million was set aside by the city for affordable housing. "I think the amphitheater is a great example of how a little bit of patience combined with perseverance can still make things happen and make very special things happen," DeVos said.
- June 2023 — Final designs for the project were revealed. The original cost estimate stood at $116 million — a figure that would later grow.
- February 2024 — The project hit a delay. The debut season was pushed from 2025 to 2026, with project leaders citing a complicated funding and approval process as the cause.
May 2024 — A groundbreaking ceremony kicked off construction on the amphitheater.
FOX 17- March 2025 — Last beam installed in amphitheater’s canopy.
- May 15, 2026 — The Acrisure Amphitheater opened its doors. The final cost: $184 million. "It's beautiful. I think it's just stunning. And I flew over it recently at a low level, and it's beautiful from the air. It's beautiful from the street. It's really going to be special," DeVos said.
How the $184 million was funded
The project was financed through a combination of private and public dollars.
Private funding: $70 million
- $30 million — Acrisure (naming rights)
- $20 million — Live Nation
- $20 million — Grand Action 2.0, the group behind the project
Public funding: $114 million
- $30 million — State of Michigan grant
- $27.5 million — City of Grand Rapids lodging tax
- $20.5 million — Downtown Development Authority
- $15 million — Kent County lodging tax
- $13.8 million — Transformational Brownfield Redevelopment
- $5 million — Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention Arena Authority
- $2.2 million — Miscellaneous grants
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