Developers recently announced plans for The Grounds, a privately financed outdoor entertainment venue that would be the site for concerts, music festivals, corporate events and sporting tournaments.
Plans call for an outdoor events lawn that could hold up to 50,000 fans. That would give it more than twice the capacity of the largest purpose-built concert venues in the state. Those same plans call for 28 concerts annually, averaging 25,000 fans each, and a multi-day festival that would draw 49,000 fans.
So how would that fit in with the current concert venue situation in Northeast Florida?
What is The Grounds?
The Grounds is a proposed outdoor entertainment campus that developers would like to build on Jacksonville's Westside. It would feature a lawn that would be at least
partially covered and could hold as many as 50,000 fans for concerts. Organizers hope to have 28 concerts and a three-day music festival at the venue every year. It would be privately financed.
What other large concert venues are in the Jacksonville area?
- EverBank Stadium/Daily's Place: The city-owned football stadium has been the site for concerts by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Def Leppard, George Strait and Luke Combs, but won't have any shows in 2026 or 2027 because of a major reconstruction project. Daily's Place, the 5,500-seat amphitheater that is attached to the stadium, is also shut down this season and next.
- VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena: The city-owned downtown arena opened in 2003 and holds 10,000-12,000 for concerts.
- Duval Hall/Jax Amphitheater: Duval Hall is a massive multipurpose venue at the new Jacksonville Fairgrounds that can be used for concerts, trade shows, conventions and sporting events. It shares a backstage with Jax Amphitheater, an outdoor venue that will hold up to 10,000 fans and make its debut in November.
- Florida Theatre: The historic downtown theater opened in 1927 and was turned into a city-owned arts center in the '80s. A 2023 renovation project restored the gilded ceiling and gave restrooms a much-needed upgrade. It seats about 1,850.
- St. Augustine Amphitheatre: Opened in the '60s as a venue for the historic "Cross and Sword" drama, "The Amp" was renovated in the early '00s and, earlier this year, was named the top amphitheater in the country by Pollstar magazine. It seats around 4,800.
- Moran Theater: The former Civic Auditorium was rebuilt in the 1990s. The Moran, which seats 2,850, is used primarily for touring Broadway shows and comedy, but concerts are sometimes held there. It's across the hall from Jacoby Symphony Hall, home to the Jacksonville Symphony.
- Ponte Vedra Concert Hall: A former church was converted into a concert venue in 2009, then went through a 15-month, $12.9 million upgrade in 2025. It can seat 615 fans and has standing room for 1,100.
- Ritz Theatre: Opened in 1999 on the site of an old movie house, the Ritz Theatre and Museum celebrates Jacksonville's Black heritage. It seats around 400.
Those are all publicly owned facilities. The city is also home to several privately owned venues, including Five, Jack Rabbits, Friday Musicale and the Murray Hill Theatre.
Are any other venues used for outdoor concerts in the Jacksonville area?
Fort Mose Historic State Park in St. Augustine is the site of a rhythm-and-blues concert series held every February. The Clay County Fairgrounds has a covered pavilion that is used for concerts during the fair in the spring. Metropolitan Park in downtown Jacksonville was used for concerts for years, but the bandshell has been removed. Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach is used for special events and festivals. TheJacksonville Jazz Festival has been held at various downtown sites, and a Military Appreciation concert is held annually at TPC Sawgrass during The Players Championship.
What are the largest outdoor concert venues in Florida?
MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre near Tampa and iThink Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach are the largest purpose-built outdoor concert venues in the state, holding around 20,000 fans each.
Many of the state's outdoor sports venues have also been used for concerts, including Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach. Jacksonville'sEverBank Stadiumhas been the site for many concerts but is in the middle of a reconstruction project, so it won't be booking shows until at least 2028.
Some large music festivals are also held at beach venues. The Tortuga Music Festival is held on the beach in Fort Lauderdale and the Gulf Coast Jam is held in Panama City Beach.
What are the largest indoor concert venues in Florida?
You can find large arenas in most of the state's major cities. Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise holds about 23,000, Benchmark International Arena in Tampa holds around 21,500 and the Kia Center in Orlando and Kaseya Center in Miami hold around 20,000. Jacksonville's VyStar Veterans Memorial Arenaholds 12,000-15,000 for concerts, the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville and the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee each hold a little more than 10,000.
What is Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park?
Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground is in Live Oak, near the intersection of Interstates 10 and 75. It sits on about 500 wooded acres and is the site for five or six multi-day music festivals annually, where fans camp in the woods and enjoy music on multiple stages. It's the largest music festival venue in North Florida.
How many multi-day ticketed music festivals are held in Florida every year?
Dozens of multi-day festivals are held every year in Florida, some ticketed and some free. Fans can find jazz, metal, blues, reggae, R&B, country and electronic dance music fests without leaving the state. Musicfestivalwizard.com provides a pretty good listing of upcoming fests.
How many people attend concerts in the Jacksonville area annually?
That figure is elusive. VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, the city's biggest indoor venue, which held about 40 concerts in 2025, doesn't release attendance numbers. The Florida Theatre reportedly sold 184,000 tickets in 2025. Daily's Place drew 88,000 fans to 24 events last year, and the St. Augustine Amphitheatre reported more than 100,000 tickets sold to 30 shows between November 2025 and May 2026. The Jacksonville Jazz Festival, which was a free event, drew about 30,000.
What large concert tours have skipped Jacksonville this year?
A larger venue would put Jacksonville on the map for big-name touring acts that are looking for larger venues and more ticket sales. Among the big tours visiting Florida but not Jacksonville this year were Garth Brooks, Olivia Rodrigo, Rush, Janet Jackson, Ed Sheeran and Tim McGraw. The largest tours in the world this year, according toPollstar, were headlined by Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, BTS, AC/DC, Sheeran, Seventeen, Cardi B, the Eagles, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Bruce Springsteen.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: How The Grounds could reshape Jacksonville's concert scene
