Have you been curious as to the progress of the new Red Hat Amphitheater? I know I was when we recently had Spring-like temperatures which means downtown walks become more frequent. I snapped this photo above which doesn’t show much yet. Lots of dirt is still being moved but it does give us a sense of the scale of the project.
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South Street may be closed but it’s still there as crews work to move dirt around the future site of the new Red Hat Amphitheater. There’s a nice new mountain on the north side of “South Street” and a retaining wall alongside the train tracks on the south side. It’s not too exciting to look at but I’ll keep checking in on the amphitheater construction.
Continue reading →During the July 1, 2025 city council meeting, there was an update on a collection of projects, most taking place in the downtown area and I thought briefly touching on these projects here would be a nice way to summarize what’s going on and coming up. If you want to dive in to the presentation itself, the video is above or can be seen here.
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South Street, between McDowell and Dawson, is now closed. I think this is a pretty big deal as it marks the start of a second wave of the “Convention Center District”. That’s not a thing I’m embracing but something that I think we’re becoming more and more; a convention center downtown. That’s probably a topic for another day.
Continue reading →During the February 6, 2025 Design Review Commission meeting, there was a presentation (YouTube link here) related to the plans for the upcoming Red Hat Amphitheater, which should start construction this year. The video really speaks for itself and it’s a highly recommended watch. While the images aren’t final by any means, they do a great job of giving you a sense of what’s being built along Lenoir Street, more specifically to the south of the current amphitheater site as it sits today.
Continue reading →Above is the Raleigh City Council meeting (watch on YouTube) that included a presentation, public comments, and a vote on the plan to rebuild the Red Hat Amphitheater just south of its current location, resulting in the closure of South Street between Dawson and McDowell Streets. It’s worth watching, as you can really see the council’s thoughtful deliberation on this issue. I encourage readers to give it a view.
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The Red Hat Amphitheater turned out to be such a good idea that the latest chatter this Summer is all about making it bigger and better. We’ve talked about how the amphitheater was always meant to be temporary and now that the Raleigh Convention Center wants to expand, the amphitheater needs to move. For awhile, the plans to move the amphitheater were simple; put it one block to the south. However, with plans to close streets and the temptation to actually move it to Dix Park, this topic is getting more complicated.
If you’re not on the Community, you’re missing a great ongoing discussion so I encourage you to jump in on the conversation. If you’re staying here, let’s take a closer look at what we have on the table so far.
Continue reading →Red Red Hat by dtraleigh, on Flickr
Red Hat’s new signage towers high over Wilmington Street.