BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A new music venue is rapidly taking shape in Birmingham, with the Coca-Cola Amphitheater set to open in just a few weeks. Located in the Druid Hills neighborhood, the 9,000-seat outdoor venue is nearing completion, just steps away from Legacy Arena and Protective Stadium. Tad Snider, Executive Director of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC), highlighted the progress made over the past year. "Eleven months ago we were sitting here and this was dirt, so that whole construction schedule, project schedule has a critical path and key milestones," said Snider.
The amphitheater is designed to accommodate large crowds, with plans in place for traffic control and shuttle services to nearby restaurants. "A plan in conjunction with the Birmingham Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, on the end for traffic control in ingress and egress. You'll see just like you do on events around Legacy Arena or Protective Stadium, you'll see police officers on the corner," Snider added.
Jay Wilson from Live Nation emphasized the venue's potential impact on the local community. "This venue is going to be an engine that is going to help this Druid Hills and Northside communities to elevate over the years to come," said Wilson. He also noted the amphitheater's design to accommodate any outdoor tour, stating, "We designed this amphitheater with the intent to be able to accommodate any tour that is playing outdoors in amphitheaters, and we are going to be able to do that."
The Coca-Cola Amphitheater's inaugural show is scheduled for June 22, featuring comedian Matt Rife. With just six weeks until the first show, construction at the new Coca-Cola Amphitheater north of downtown Birmingham is still underway. Piles of gravel and other construction materials surround the open-air amphitheater, hugged by neighborhood streets and the remains of the Carraway Hospital. But the future loading bay is smooth with freshly laid pavement, and construction workers are busily finishing up landscaping and adding the final touches to the dressing rooms.
“There’s a lot of activity going on back here,” Tad Snider said. The BJCC owns multiple performance venues across the city. The amphitheater has been in the works for several years, Snider said, adding that the project is on a “very aggressive” schedule. But so far, crews are hitting construction milestones and are on track to finish the amphitheater by June 22 — the date of the first concert.
The venue features a premium ticket holder seating area known as the Vinyl Room, which can seat several hundred people and is part open-air stage viewing and part indoor seating with dining and drinking options offered. On show days, one of the streets bordering the Coca-Cola Amphitheater, 25th Street, will close to provide pedestrian safety at the main entrance. A free trolley service will run several blocks from popular hotels and restaurant destinations to the venue. The on-site parking plan is still being finalized, construction staff said.
Snider was optimistic that the new music spot will improve the existing portfolio of venues and offer an economic boost to the neighborhood. “The amphitheater was always conceived to be the anchor of this larger redevelopment,” Snider said. “Just knowing that it’s going to draw the energy and interest that made up the former Caraway Hospital campus, that just makes North Birmingham more vibrant and that’s great.”
Snider says once it is fully operational, the amphitheater will generate 300 jobs. He expected that as many as 30 shows might be held there this summer. Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell is set to perform at the Coca-Cola Amphitheater on Saturday, June 28, 2025. Isbell, who was born in Green Hill, Alabama, is known for his southern alternative country tunes. He is expected to light up the stage with classic tunes such as “Cover Me Up” as well as new songs from his 2025 album, Foxes in the Snow. With special guest Band of Horses, the show kicks off at 7 p.m.
Live Nation has been actively promoting the venue, offering tours of the nearly complete Coca-Cola Amphitheater. The venue is a $50 million music venue on the site of the former Carraway Hospital helicopter pad. Just about a year after its groundbreaking, the venue is nearly complete. From the stage, seating bowl, and concession areas, the finishing touches are underway. Even the venue's parking plan is being finalized.
In addition to two parking decks at the amphitheater and 10 nearby surface lots, there will be a shuttle service from the uptown entertainment district. "There's going to be ample opportunity for easy, convenient parking right off the Carraway or at the BJCC to shuttle you up those three blocks,” BJCC Executive Director Tad Snider said. Across the street, demolition of the former Carraway Hospital continues, making way for the future $340 million Star Uptown development.
That project, Wilson said, made the amphitheater possible. “That shows you sort of the vision of how this amphitheater and ultimately his star development is going to come in and it's going to elevate this whole Druid Hills, Northside Community neighborhood,” Wilson said. Comedian Matt Rife will christen the venue on June 22, with 29 more acts to grace its stage through October.
As excitement builds for the Coca-Cola Amphitheater's opening, both local residents and music lovers are eager to see how this new venue will transform the Birmingham landscape. With its strategic location, modern design, and a lineup of impressive performances, the amphitheater is poised to become a cornerstone of entertainment in the region.
