Seth Davis

Reporter

The city of Columbus is planning to complete and open the Terry Brown Amphitheater at the Riverwalk after seven years of delays.

The gateway and stage are complete, while some remaining landscaping and additional construction such as parking, concession booths, seating and restrooms are among the work needed to finish the site. The cost for the remaining work is estimated to total around $3-4 million.

The development of the amphitheater has been largely overseen by engineering firm Neel-Schaffer. Kevin Stafford, Columbus’ city engineer and area manager of Neel-Schaffer’s North Mississippi regional office, is hopeful about the current round of funding for its completion.

“I do believe that we’ll get a good ways toward that completion,” Stafford said. “We’ve already had enough conversation to have a comfort that, OK, this is going to move forward.”

The five-acre development has been completed in phases as funds have been allocated toward its construction. The first phase consisted of developing the land and stage in 2017. The second phase involved building the brick gateway at the entrance to the amphitheater as well as adding half of the security fencing on the east side.

It was originally slated to open in 2018 but has had numerous delays in recent years. In 2024 ,a grant of $1 million was appropriated to the project and an additional $500,000 in funds was requested by the city of Columbus in June but was unrewarded. Stafford said that the largest reason for the amphitheater’s lengthy delay was accessibility of funds rather than problems with construction or planning.

“The delay has completely been a lack of focus to bring the political money to the table because it was very dependent on every year we keep getting a bit of money from the state and it’s just drug out, so here we are,” Stafford said. “We had about a two - or three -year window where nothing came in, then all of a sudden, we had a little bit more, then a year, maybe two, nothing.”

The inauguration of a new mayor in Columbus has led to renewed interest and a greater push for the amphitheater’s opening. One of Columbus Mayor Stephen Jones’ promises on the campaign trail was to oversee the completion of the amphitheater. Jones has maintained that it is a focus of the new administration and is optimistic about its completion since taking office in July.

“In my campaign I ran on opening the amphitheater. We have every intention of finishing it probably, hopefully, within the next year,” Jones said.

A working plan for the amphitheater’s completion is expected to be in place by the end of 2025. This does not include the estimated construction timeline once the plan has been implemented.

“I really do think by the end of this year, one, I think there will be an announcement about where this is going and, two, it will be in a much better spot than it’s ever been to be completed and opened and used within his term,” Stafford said.

The amphitheater is planned to have a capacity of 3,500 when opened with chairs and areas for grass seating. There are plans to hold around a dozen major shows during the year there as well as to host local community events year -ound. Jones thinks that the draw for artists and a larger local venue could be beneficial for the tourism industry in Columbus.

The amphitheater currently.
Photo by Seth Davis.

“I think it’s going to be good for tourism, and that’s the main thing - bringing people in here, getting tourism dollars when they come in and eat at your restaurants, fill their cars up with gas, they stay in your hotels, so that’s what it means to Columbus as far as those tourism dollars. Those tourism dollars turn around and go to things like parks and recreation or the Trotter Center,” Jones said.

According to Stafford, there are no current plans from the city or Neel-Schaffer for the project to expand past its current scope or to reduce in scale. When completed, it will be the largest amphitheater in the Golden Triangle region. The nearest comparable venue is in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

If the city of Columbus presents a plan for its completion by the end of 2025, the time to finish additions to the amphitheater will take between nine and 12 months for a fall 2026 opening.