Conceptual renderings of the new American Family Insurance Amphitheater, scheduled to open for Summerfest 2020.
Summerfest’s main stage, the American Family Insurance Amphitheater (formerly known as the Marcus Amphitheater), has been going through major renovations since September 2018. Festival-goers will discover a far more imposing building, as the first stage of the construction process will be complete on time for the opening acts, Thomas Rhett and Dustin Lynch, on Wednesday, June 26 (see full lineup here).
The project is one of pharaonic proportions, with a budget of $53 million and more than 400 construction workers on site. The height of half of the roof has been nearly doubled, from 39 feet to 65 feet. The 23,000-seat venue will now have the ability to host larger events, marking an important milestone in its development. Along with the roof, the backstage building is also being rebuilt to offer new artist amenities.
The American Family Insurance Amphitheater will host some of Summerfest’s hottest gigs, including Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Death Cab for Cutie and a lot more. Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., which manages Summerfest, has decided to invest to better accommodate the audience and to keep attracting some of the world’s best artists. “The goal of the project is to transform Henry Maier Festival Park’s largest music venue into a world-class experience for fans, performers and sponsors,” they announced.
The biggest change is still to come, however. Phase two of the construction project will start immediately after this year’s festival and carry on until Summerfest 2020. “When completed in 2020, the new American Family Insurance Amphitheater will offer the ultimate concert experience through the addition of six new high-definition video screens, improved sightlines and new seats in a revised seating configuration. In addition, expanded concourses will feature new food and beverage offerings, creating shorter lines and faster service,” Milwaukee World Festival explained.
Summerfest has been steadily growing in its half-century of existence, to the point of earning the title of “World’s Largest Music Festival,” and the venues had to adapt a number of times to meet the audience’s needs. In the ’80s, attendance at the festival was growing exponentially and the Amphitheater had to be built after an overcrowded Huey Lewis and the News concert—according to urban legend, the crowds were so large that some fans exited the festival by jumping into Lake Michigan. Coincidentally, the companies that constructed it in 1987, Eppstein Uhen Architects and Hunzinger Construction, are the same companies carrying the current renovations. This year, Summerfest touts more than 1,000 performances by 800 artists, of which 34 will perform in the new American Family Insurance Amphitheater.
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