By Dominic Degrinney, Staff Writer 

Formerly known as “Riverbend 2.0,” occupying the site of the historic Coney Island, the Farmer Music Center hopes to invigorate the cultural and economic landscape of Southwest Ohio.

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), and its subsidiary Music and Event Management, INC. (MEMI) released details, renderings and projections for the $160 million state of the art concert venue. MEMI states that the facility will be able to accommodate up to 20,000 visitors, divided between the 8,000 reserved seats and a synthetic lawn with the capacity to hold up to 12,000 visitors. 

The 300,000 acre footprint leaves space available for 25 full service bars and concession areas spreading across three separate levels, as well as take-out kiosks. The footprint also includes space for premium club spaces as well as two levels of box seats.

“The Farmer Music Center was built with the fan experience in mind from day one, if you want to grab a drink at the concession stand, you’re never going to be that far away that you’re going to miss a lot of the show,” Vice-President of marketing for MEMI Rosemarie Moehring said in an interview with WCPO.

The rendered plan features similar stadium-style seating for the audience providing sloped,clear lighting and cleaner sound according to CSO and MEMI. The website for the Farmer Music Center describes the venue as “not just another place to see a show.” Instead branding itself as a change to the way “Cincinnati experiences music.”

CSO and MEMI project substantial impacts from the music venue, estimated to generate $100 million dollars in economic impact annually. This combined with another estimate of $7 million in state tax revenue, and $15 million in new city tax revenue for the next 10 years.

The Farmer Music Center, set to open in 2027, does not yet have any headlining events planned, but CSO and MEMI are confident that the new venue will intrigue artists. Which is likely if the new venue is able to capture the attention of significant artists performing this year at Riverbend. “This is a meaningful step forward for the project and for the future of live music in Southwest Ohio… These updates give the community its clearest view, yet of what will be the most innovative venue design in the region, one built to put artists and audiences at the center of every performance, while strengthening our ongoing commitment to the region’s cultural and economic vitality,” CSO President and CEO Robert Mcgrath stated via a press release.

The future-facing and innovative venue will be situated on top of historic ground in Cincinnati, the closure and acquisition of Coney Island in 2023 finalized a legacy of 125 years of business. Particularly the Sunlite pool constructed in 1925 known as the first and largest recirculating pool, and a significant site for civil rights history. Something that the MEMI seems to be aware of as they move forward with the project.

“I think once people experience it, they’re going to realize that the city is going to be very proud of what we built.” Moehring said.