Cincinnati music fans got their clearest look yet at the future Farmer Music Center on Wednesday, as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Music & Event Management Inc. unveiled new renderings, fan experience details and economic impact projections for the Kellogg Avenue venue.
The state-of-the-art amphitheater, set to open along the Ohio River in spring 2027, features a bold vertical design intended to improve sightlines, enhance sound and bring audiences closer to the stage.
The venue will hold up to 20,000 guests, including 8,000 reserved seats and a 12,000-capacity synthetic lawn. More than 300,000 square feet of concourse and club space will span three levels, with 25 full-service bars and concession stands and multiple grab-and-go kiosks. It’ll also house premium club spaces and two tiers of box suites.
As part of the rendering reveal, officials also rolled out new digital assets for the Farmer Music Center, including venue logos, a website and social media channels that will share behind-the-scenes construction updates over the next year.
“This is a meaningful step forward for the project and for the future of live music in Southwest Ohio,” said CSO President and CEO Robert McGrath. “These updates give the community its clearest view yet of what will be the most innovative venue design in the region, one built to put artists and audiences at the center of every performance, while strengthening our ongoing commitment to the region’s cultural and economic vitality.”
A $160M investment in music, Greater Cincinnati
The Farmer Music Center will rise on the former Coney Island site, which closed on New Year’s Eve 2023 after CSO and MEMI acquired all park and pool assets. Located off Interstate 275 and next to Riverbend Music Center, the project continues a long-standing cluster of large outdoor venues along Kellogg Avenue.
Once the new amphitheater opens, it will become the primary summer home for concerts on the site, said CSO spokesperson Felecia Tchen Kanney. Riverbend will remain in use for special events such as festivals.
The project’s total price tag, including land and construction, is roughly $160 million. CSO officials say the center will more than justify that investment by driving significant economic activity. Their estimates project more than $100 million in annual impact, plus about $7 million in state tax revenue and $15 million in new city tax revenue over the next decade.
With a modern amphitheater to promote, MEMI anticipates a 30% increase in live events, adding about 150,000 attendees each year.
“From hotel stays and restaurant traffic to seasonal jobs, the economic ripple effect reaches far beyond the gates,” said Mike Smith, CEO of MEMI, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Center’s place in Cincy’s music scene
MEMI will operate The Farmer Music Center alongside its broader portfolio of premier Ohio venues. In downtown Cincinnati, that includes The Andrew J Brady Music Center, The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park, The Taft Theatre and The Ballroom at The Taft. Along the riverfront, MEMI runs Riverbend as well as PNC Pavilion, and in Uptown it operates Stuart & Mimi Rose Music Center at The Heights. The organization also produces signature concert series and cultural events such as the Longworth Anderson Series at Memorial Hall and Cincy Cinco, an annual Latino music, dance and cuisine festival at Fountain Square.
Summerfair, the long-running fine arts and crafts festival formerly held at Coney Island, is set to return to the site in 2026, organizers said. The event doesn’t have an affiliation with MEMI or the CSO.
Under MEMI’s model, all net revenue from its venues supports the CSO, directly funding the orchestra’s education programs, neighborhood concerts and diverse orchestral programming. The structure helps the CSO maintain its position as a top-tier American orchestra while expanding access to live music across the region.
“A venue like (The Farmer Music Center) does more than bring great music to Cincinnati,” Smith said. “It creates real momentum for the city.”
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