Management Company Discusses Role in Waite Park Amphitheater

WAITE PARK -- Waite Park officials are starting to look which acts to bring in and how to promote their new amphitheater once constructed.

The council held a meeting Wednesday with New West and Mammoth Productions, the management company hired to promote the amphitheater.

City officials and representatives of New West spend the day touring the construction site and discussing how to progress with the project.

Jamie Whitehead with New West says after seeing the site and viewing the designs, she believes many acts would be excited to play at a venue surround by so much beauty.

There are venues all over the country that are next to a parking lot, or have a lot of concrete around. Anytime you have the amenities and natural beauty like this, they are always going to want to prefer to play in a place like that.

Phase 1 of the project is currently underway. The council is expected to go out for bids for Phase 2 in January, with the bulk of the construction starting in spring.

New West President Chris Fritz says they'll work with Mammoth Productions on what types of acts are suited for the venue size and anticipate starting to book those acts by this summer.

People are not booking two years out, but they are booking a year out now. If we are looking at starting in June, we'll probably start putting formal offers out in August and getting confirmation from the acts by October 2019.

The total cost for the project is expected to be between $10-12 million, with $5 million coming from state bonding money. The rest will come from half-cent sales tax dollars and sponsorships/naming rights.

If all goes well the amphitheater will be open in the summer of 2020 with hopes of holding their first concert in August 2020.

The amphitheater will be located south of Highway 23, just south of Luther Honda, on the west end of Waite Park.