With the start of summer just a few months away, Irvine leaders are ramping up efforts to bring live music back to the city.
On Tuesday, Feb. 27, the Great Park board and City Council will contemplate staff recommendations on who will design and operate the permanent amphitheater and the temporary amphitheater that are in the works after the abrupt closure of FivePoint Amphitheatre left the city in a lurch for a live music venue.
Should the city move forward with staff recommendations, a three-year, $6.6 million contract will be awarded to Irvine-based PSQ Productions, Inc., to operate the temporary venue, and a nearly $15 million architectural and engineering contract will be given to Populous, Inc. to provide services for the permanent amphitheater, including civil engineering, structural, audio/visual, acoustic and environmental noise control.
Temporary amphitheater
City leaders last month unanimously threw their support behind a 5,000-seat venue to be set up at North Lawn, a 7-acre multipurpose recreation area at the Great Park Sports Complex, and cater to Pacific Symphony‘s summer performance calendar.
The temporary venue will be set up in time for the 2024 summer season and will remain throughout the end of the 2026 season or until Irvine completes construction of its new amphitheater, which is slated to open in time for the 2027 summer concert season.
The city and PSQ Productions would share in ancillary revenues, including food, beverage and merchandise, while a 10% management fee on fixed costs would go to PSQ, the staff report says.
The city would have ultimate authority to choose and schedule events “to limit calendar conflicts at the Great Park and impacts to the neighborhood,” according to the staff report.
To offset fixed costs, the city also plans to make the temporary amphitheater available for community events, such as school graduations, fundraisers and city signature events.
A food and beverage location that can serve the sports…
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