GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Acrisure Amphitheater in Grand Rapids, Mich., drew an estimated 400,000 people in its first season, about 100,000 more than projected, according to figures presented Tuesday, Oct. 6, by the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority, which owns the venue.
The 12,000-capacity riverfront venue at 201 Market Ave. SW hosted 49 shows, well above the 30 to 35 performances forecast for its opening year, said Rich MacKeigan, the authority’s executive director. The attendance estimate also counts 14 private or community events. The authority reported that about 160,000 visitors, more than one-third of the total, came from outside a 50-mile radius.
The amphitheater opened May 15 and closed its season with a concert on Oct. 2. MacKeigan said it is expected to finish the year in the black operationally, meaning operating revenue exceeded expenses, though the size of any surplus was not yet available. Planned changes before year two include formal pathways across the lawn to replace routes worn into the grass.
Doug Small, president and CEO of Experience Grand Rapids, said hotel occupancy in Kent County rose by more than 22 percentage points on eight concert dates, with the largest jump of 59 points on Aug. 27. He cautioned that conventions and other events held on the same dates also drove those gains.
The figures arrived as city commissioners took a step Tuesday toward exempting the venue from the city noise ordinance, after a judge ruled in August that the amphitheater must comply with the existing rules. Under the proposal, the exemption would run until 11 p.m., and the city manager could approve extensions when an event is delayed. Some residents of a tower across from the stage urged commissioners to reject it. City Manager Mark Washington said staff will keep studying how other cities with downtown entertainment venues handle sound.
