Red Hat Amphitheater move approved by Raleigh City Council

The Raleigh City Council on Tuesday approved the plan to move Red Hat Amphitheater.

Council members approved the plan in a unanimous vote during their Tuesday afternoon work session. The city announced plans to move Red Hat Amphitheater in 2023. The move is part of the city’s expansion of the Raleigh Convention Center.

Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, who was a staunch supporter of the project from the start, told WRAL News she tried not to get emotional about the decision.

"I feel an incredible sense of relief that we made this decision," she said. "I believe it's the right decision. Is it the perfect decision? No."

Several residents attended the meeting to voice their support for the project.

"If there's no sound of music in our town, we just hear cars, trains and buses," said Videri's co-owner Sam Ratto.

Restaurant owner Ashley Christensen – who owns Poole's Diner, one of the businesses closest to the venue's current location – said she seen the city grow since she moved to Raleigh. Christensen said she wanted Red Hat Amphitheater to stay downtown.

"People from all across the country are [saying], 'We're coming to see a show here. Where do we stay, see and eat?'" she said. "Keep Red Hat."

The Raleigh City Council approved funding the $387 million project in August of 2023.

As part of the convention center’s 300,000-square-foot expansion, the city would move the amphitheater one block south of its current location at 500 South McDowell St.

The new location for the venue will be at 205 West Lenoir St. and officials expect the relocation to be completed by the start of the 2026 concert season.

Red Hat Amphitheater's current capacity is about 5,990 people. The new venue is expected to have between 6,000 and 6,500 people.

The move would permanently close South Street between Dawson Street and McDowell Street. Some residents from neighborhoods near the venue, including in Boylan Heights, attended the meeting to speak out against the plan.

"I urge you not to do this," Raleigh resident Lisa Tolley said. "Consider alternatives. Please think about the neighborhood, children and those of us who live and walk downtown."

While they said they aren't against the relocation of Red Hat Amphitheater, they called on the city to find a different location that didn't permanently close the portion of South Street, adding it would make navigating downtown more difficult.

"We're faced with settling. Settling is a second-class solution that disrupts neighborhoods and other public works projects," said Michael Motsinger of the Boylan Heights Neighborhood Association. "The people of Raleigh deserve better."

Some residents suggested moving the venue to Dix Park. However, city officials said the park isn’t surrounded by the same amount of businesses as it would be in downtown.

City officials reassured residents the plans will include ways to open up downtown Raleigh in different ways, which would make the area more bike and pedestrian friendly, along with easier navigation for cars looking to avoid the closure.

"Based off of what we've seen, our grid and downtown network is set up to accommodate those changes," said Kenneth Ritchie with Raleigh Mobile Strategy and Infrastructure.

Baldwin's time as mayor is coming to an end in 2024. Helping keep Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh is how she says she'd like to go out.

"This is a game-changer for our downtown, and yes, if that's a legacy item, I'm proud of it," she said.

A groundbreaking is planned for early 2025. After the new location opens the following year, city officials are hoping to have the Omni Hotel completed by 2027, and the Convention Center expansion completed in 2028.