Insider Look: New $160M Music Venue Coming to Old Coney Island

The Farmer Music Center First Look — Source: Kya Kelly / Kya Kelly

The next chapter for the old amusement site is officially underway.

Construction trucks on as city leaders and entertainment executives unveiled plans for the new Farmer Music Center during a press conference Tuesday. The $160 million amphitheater project is slated to open in spring 2027.

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The new venue will sit alongside Riverbend Music Center and PNC Pavilion on the former Coney Island property. The project is a partnership between MEMI Music & Event Management Inc. and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

MEMI CEO Michael Smith led the announcement with visible excitement, calling the development a major investment in both Cincinnati entertainment and the arts community.

The amphitheater is expected to feature 8,000 covered seats along with a 12,000-capacity lawn section. Plans also include more than 25 bars and concession locations, premium suites, and multiple upscale hospitality clubs designed to elevate the concert experience.

Among those spaces are the Stageside, Riverside, and Center Stage clubs, which will include expedited entrances and faster concession access so guests don’t miss a second.

One of the venue’s standout features will be its elevated concourse overlooking the Ohio River and the Combs-Hehl Bridge. Developers said the structure is being built roughly 25 feet high to help protect the venue from flooding concerns tied to the riverfront location.

The announcement also included plans for a permanent monument honoring Marian Spencer and Donald Spencer, longtime Cincinnati civil rights figures whose efforts helped dismantle racial segregation in the city. Representatives of the Spencer family were present during the ceremony as the tribute was announced.