Long Beach just approved the first step in its construction of the Long Beach Bowl, a temporary, outdoor amphitheater planned to open next year adjacent to the Queen Mary.
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved a $5.2 million contract with InProduction, Inc., to build the grandstands at the amphitheater, set to hold roughly 11,000 people.
InProduction has also built the grandstands for Dignity Health Sports Park, where the LA Galaxy play, along with the since-closed FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine.
City staff were still finalizing the exact numbers of each type of seat to be installed, Eric Romero of the city’s Economic Development Department told the City Council, but the physical seats will include a mix of flip seats and padded seats.
Overall, the comfort level will be similar to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, Romero told the Economic Development Commission on June 4.
The temporary amphitheater is initially planned for five years of operation, with the opportunity for the City Council to renew for an additional five years.
It will be built on a 5-acre site adjacent to the permanently moored Queen Mary.
Mayor Rex Richardson announced plans for the Long Beach Bowl earlier this year, initially projecting it would open by the fall.
That timeline has since been pushed back to a tentative open date in April 2026, according to Tuesday’s presentation to the City Council.
In July, city staff plan to bring a contract for stage construction in front of the city council for approval, Romero told the Economic Development Commission.
Also in July, construction is scheduled to begin on the parking lot and improvements to the site.
That $4 million project will consist of grading the land, repairing surrounding streets and parking lots and paving additional dropoff lanes, Johnny Vallejo, deputy director of Economic Development, said previously.
Construction on the venue should start in November, Vallejo said in late March.
Once built, the Bowl will be an outdoor concert venue meant to hold 30 to 40 ticketed events annually — as well as 25 to 45 private events a year — with up to 270,000 ticketed attendees a year.
The operator selected by the city, ASM Global, plans to accommodate community concerts, such as the Long Beach Jazz festival and Long Beach Symphony, Romero told the Economic Development Commission. ASM Global already operates the city’s convention center.
On average, shows with 500 to 1,500 attendees will cost roughly $7,600 to produce; shows with 2,000 to 5,000 attendees would cost $21,000; and concerts with more than 5,000 people would cost roughly $32,000, Romero said.
There will also be concessions and hospitality offerings, new parking lots as well as an area for rideshare apps and bus shuttles to three city parking garages in Downtown Long Beach.
City staff also estimate the Bowl would be a boon to municipal revenue, projecting it could yield upwards of $32.2 million in profit for Long Beach — from operations, parking and taxes — in its first five years. Under these estimates, the city hopes to repay its construction costs in the first three to five years and make $42 million in profits in the amphitheater’s 10-year lifespan.
An analysis commissioned by the city projected that the amphitheater, which usually sees peak attendance during the summer and early fall, would complement the existing Long Beach Arena, which has most of its events in the late fall and early spring.