Raleigh, N.C. — A new entertainment venue for concerts and other ticketed events may be coming to downtown Raleigh, WRAL has learned. With it, city government would be dipping into the entertainment world.
Mayor Charles Meeker was talking Thursday about the city's latest idea.
“It's a new venue right downtown,” Meeker said. It would be an outdoor entertainment venue for live shows and summer concerts.
"The city is looking very actively at that," the mayor said.
The new entertainment venue would be located just across from the convention center, near McDowell Street. Right now, it’s a construction staging area for the convention center, however.
The mayor said the city’s envisioning an outdoor, amphitheater-like structure. It's thought that the new venue could bring in big named bands for ticketed concerts.
The area had been earmarked as a public space throughout planning for the area.
WRAL has been told the city may be looking for corporate sponsorship.
No blueprints are available yet, and there are no early cost estimates.
"I'm confident it will move forward,” Meeker said. “The tent cover is now here; it's being stored. The site will be available once the site at the convention center is complete - actually somewhat before - actually June or July. We should get going this summer."
The new convention center is set to open in late summer.
Harvey Schmitt, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, said a concert venue makes sense.
"As you look at the growing population, both in residents downtown and as a result of the convention center, there will be new opportunities, especially in the area of entertainment," he said.
The city held several live shows in Moore Square last summer, and Meeker said the city would like both sites to work together.
“It's still being discussed, but Moore Square and the new site next to the convention center can work together. The new site would allow ticketed events and higher level acts to come in," Meeker said.
Raleigh Looking at Downtown Land as New Concert Venue
- Reporter: Dan Bowens
- Photographer: Terry Cantrell
- Web Editor: Ron Gallagher
Copyright 2009 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
62 Comments
-
- 'Wildly windy' Wednesday could see gusts up to 50 mph
Updated 4 minutes ago |
- Attorney: Evidence never linked Taylor to murder
Updated at 6:21 p.m. |
- Advocates say group homes hit hard by budget cuts
Posted at 5:31 p.m. - Court blocks surrender of Edwards sex tape
Updated at 4:54 p.m. | Slideshow |
- Hillsborough Street businesses say construction project is bad for sales
Updated at 6:29 p.m. |
- 'Wildly windy' Wednesday could see gusts up to 50 mph
- Most Viewed Slideshows
- Images of Super Bowl XLIV
Feb. 8, 2010 - N.C. service members killed in action
Feb. 7, 2010 - Pet Photos | February 8 - 14, 2010
Updated at 5:23 p.m. - Valentines post office famous for stamp
Feb. 8, 2010 - World's Toughest Rodeo at the RBC Center
Feb. 7, 2010
- Images of Super Bowl XLIV
Photo Spotlight
-
North Carolina jobless ratesView an interactive map with county unemployment numbers.
-
A year of N.C. Drought MapsView a time lapse animation of drought conditions during the last year.
-
Follow WRAL News on TwitterKeep up with what the WRAL News team is doing on air and online with Twitter.
-
Search for missing IRS refundsThe Internal Revenue Service released the names this week of more than 100,000 taxpayers who have not received their 2009 income tax refund.
-
Easley investigation timelineView an interactive timeline of the Easley investigation.











STORIES
VIDEOS
SLIDESHOWS

Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.
You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.