A massive amphitheater coming to Shakopee looks to be an added summer boost for nearby businesses.
“19,000 people coming in, 30+ events each summer. I think that can only help us.”
At least that’s the hope for Shakopee Brewhall cofounder Damon Schuler and Shakopee’s historic downtown.
An economic impact study shows the new, 19,000 seat Mystic Lake Amphitheater’s expected to generate $75 million in annual local spending.
“You’re bringing in 19,000 people on those days in the summer that, Valleyfair is gonna be open, other venues are gonna be open. That’s a huge amount of economic impact coming into the community,” says Shakopee Chamber and Visitors Bureau President Tim Zunker.
And with shows spread throughout the summer including several on weekdays, Schuler says downtown Shakopee is very much a Plan A and not a Plan B for visitors.
“There’s a lot of places to go around the amphitheater that isn’t downtown, but it’s not gonna fit 19,000 people,” Schuler adds.
In fact, they expect such a massive outdoor music venue to have a regional economic impact, far from just in Shakopee, especially as the Mystic Lake Amphitheater continues to turn heads with weekly concert announcements. Lately, those have included such big-name artists Dave Matthews Band, Chris Stapleton, John Mellencamp, Hillary Duff, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Guns ‘N Roses, Toto, Santana, and more. The first show is this coming June with a full summer of concerts already in place.
Zunker says it will add to the Twin Cities’ already impressive music venue ecosystem which includes standbys like Target Center, Grand Casino Arena, and U.S. Bank Stadium, Target Field, along with smaller venues like First Avenue and the Minnesota Zoo’s Weesner Family Amphitheater.
But Mystic Lake’s venue offers a unique experience with an outdoor vibe that really only gets matched by the occassional, large shows at Target Field. Those are more hit-and-miss depending on what fits around Twins games. There are three this year in August: Noah Kahan, Tim McGraw and My Chemical Romance. But as popular as those Target Field shows are, Mystic Lake’s venue is not built for baseball. It’s built for live music.
“I’d see it as a thriving ecosystem of live music, and we’re just a big piece of that now,” Zunker adds. “The uniqueness of our venue being a 19,000 seat outdoor amphitheater is something that we don’t have really, we don’t have in Minnesota. And really in the Upper Midwest. It just brings that uniqueness to it.”
The Mystic Lake Amphitheater is just a few miles from downtown Shakopee which is one of the two active Social districts in Minnesota. Authorized by recent state legislation, they allow patrons to consume alcoholic beverages purchased from licensed vendors while strolling through designated, open-air public areas. Anoka is the other, along with Shakopee. Stillwater is still considering the idea.
Schuler of downtown Shakopee’s Brewhall says there’s a great opportunity with thousands of people coming to shows from out of town.
“To be on like the Mankatato, South Dakota, Iowa, people coming up from (Highway) 169, the downtown area is a good stop on the way over here,” he explains.
Shakopee’s social district is seasonal, and will return in May after launching late last year. The social district includes downtown as well as the Canterbury campus.