The south end of downtown is about to soundand look very different. The Acrisure Amphitheater, a 12,000-seat open-air venue, is now under construction at 201 Market SW. With a projected opening in spring 2026, this $184 million investment is already reshaping how the city thinks about its riverfront.

The project covers 31 acres and includes:

Fixed seating and a large lawn section
A 60,000-square-foot steel canopy
A public plaza with food and drink options
Four acres of green space along the river
A 340-space parking ramp funded through city bonds

Anchored by a $30 million naming-rights gift from Acrisure, the project is more than a venue, it’s a catalyst. New trail connections, transit links, and adjacent housing projects are already following in its wake.

Why this matters:
This isn’t just a stage. It’s a major public-private investment in how people gather, move, and experience downtown Grand Rapids. The location between the Blue Bridge and the Downtown Market has long felt like a gap in the city’s urban fabric. The amphitheater aims to close that gap with green space, thoughtful design, and new energy.

Environmental planning is also part of the equation. The design includes sound buffering, engineered slopes for erosion control, and traffic studies to keep the flow of cars, people, and events manageable.

With the canopy now fully installed, the amphitheater just hit a major construction milestone. And the momentum isn’t slowing down.

The bigger question:
Can Grand Rapids scale up projects like this while maintaining what makes the city livable? The amphitheater’s long-term success may depend just as much on what’s built around it as what happens on the stage.