Update:
What to know about the $300M, 20,000-seat amphitheater under construction in McKinney
The open-air music venue called Sunset Amphitheater could host national touring acts as early as next year.
By Lilly Kersh
North Texas music fans could soon be heading to a new performance venue in McKinney to catch some of the music industry’s top acts, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators to take in as many as 70 shows a year in the Dallas suburb.
Construction has begun on a $300 million, 20,000-seat open-air amphitheater in the city 30 miles north of Dallas, the result of a public-private partnership with Colorado-based entertainment and hospitality company VENU, formerly Notes Live.
The company plans to open the Sunset Amphitheater next year near U.S. Highway 75 and State Highway 121 and welcome “A-list, Grammy Award winning, national touring acts,” according to VENU.
The project has not come without some controversy surrounding the company, noise and traffic from its music venues and a failed appeal by residents against VENU’s amphitheater in Colorado. But McKinney and VENU officials hope the Collin County amphitheater will put the growing city on the map as a live music landmark in North Texas.
The project boasts memberships and suites for sale for hundreds and thousands of dollars, NFL Hall of Fame ties and unique amenities.
“I build these to enjoy music in a way that you couldn’t do any other way,” J.W. Roth, VENU’s founder, said.
About the amphitheater
The Sunset Amphitheater’s plans include fire pit suites selling for close to $1 million, cooling and heating systems for the open-air space and a members-only club in partnership with former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman.
The amphitheater can seat up to 20,000 people at full capacity, according to a statement from the company, or about 5,000 in the colder months when partially enclosed.
The amphitheater will have large fans to cool the open-air venue in the summer, as well as cooled turf, Roth said. In the winter, the floors will be heated by a boiler system and the fire pits can be activated.
The company is selling ownership of fire pit suites that can accommodate four to 10 people and are as much as $800,000. The venue will have 295 suites, according to the company’s website, which will include food and beverage service, lifetime ticket access and parking.
Membership to the Aikman Club costs $150,000 and includes two tickets in the suite to every ticketed event at the venue for a base cost of $25. In collaboration with Aikman, who founded light beer brand Eight, the venue’s suite will also include dining, seating and amenities for members. VENU is selling 350 memberships, according to its website.
McKinney’s Sunset Amphitheater is expected to be VENU’s largest, flagship music venue. The company, founded in 2017, is also behind the nearly 10,000-seat Ford Amphitheater in Colorado Springs. The company is also planning venues in El Paso and Oklahoma.
The Sunset Amphitheater is slated to add to a list of large venues in North Texas. Other major music venues in Dallas-Fort Worth include the Dos Equis Pavilion in Fair Park, a 20,000-seat outdoor amphitheater operated by Live Nation. The American Airlines Center in Dallas also seats 20,000, and the AT&T Stadium in Arlington can seat more than 80,000.
A public-private partnership
In a multifaceted deal, the city will give VENU some incentives to build the amphitheater in the city. Some sales and property tax from the amphitheater will be reimbursed to the company, and $26 million in grants from the city and its entities and 46 acres of land will go to VENU.
The project is projected to generate more than $3 billion in economic impact over its first 10 years of operation, according to the company. The amphitheater is also slated to host community events like graduations, cultural and civic events and partner with local high schools and colleges for entertainment and hospitality training.
“We want to provide something that is especially unique to McKinney,” said Michael Kowski, president and CEO of the city’s economic development corporation.
The project is one of several economic development initiatives in the city, alongside a $200 million surf park complex and the city’s plans to expand its airport with a passenger terminal.
Some taxpayers concerned
VENU’s projects have not been unopposed. In 2023, Colorado Springs City Council rejected an appeal from residents who expressed concerns about noise and traffic from the company’s Ford Amphitheater, and a judge dismissed a lawsuit against the city and company over noise concerns in 2024.
In McKinney, the company plans to have enough parking on-site for event attendees, including 5,100 parking spots and manned intersections.
To mitigate sound impacts, VENU plans to monitor sound levels, fully enclose the amphitheater’s stage, build a noise barrier and add wind and sound walls on each side of the venue’s bowl. The company will also limit the height at which sound can be produced, what kinds of speakers are used and what time sound checks are allowed to begin.
Some McKinney residents have spoken out about the project. John Helmer, 71, lives in McKinney and believes high-profile projects are important to bring sales and property tax to the city. But he has concerns about the amphitheater, its economic potential, fire pit investment model and how the project came to be.
“It’s odd to me, the fact that these projects get announced out of the blue without any kind of conversation with citizens, the taxpayers of the city,” Helmer said.
McKinney hosted a public meeting to present information on the project in April and will host a groundbreaking ceremony in June. Bridgette Wallis, an administrator of the Facebook group McKinney Citizen to Citizen, also wants more taxpayer input to city officials on projects.
“This is another instance where it doesn’t matter what people think, it doesn’t matter what we want,” Wallis said. “They just go and do it anyway.”
A ‘vision’ for McKinney
The city worked with the McKinney Economic Development Corporation and the McKinney Community Development Corporation to bring the venue to McKinney. The entities, funded by sales tax, have also supported the city’s airport expansion project and surf park development.
VENU connected with Frisco’s former mayor, Maher Maso, and McKinney Mayor George Fuller to select a site in North Texas, landing on McKinney for its visibility, distance from other venues and local leadership in economic development, Roth said.
“McKinney’s leadership had vision,” Roth said.
Fuller, a guitarist in his wife’s Maylee Thomas Band, hopes the project builds on the city’s “vibrant arts and culture scene” and boosts tourism and job creation.
“McKinney isn’t just growing; it’s becoming a true destination,” he said in a statement.
CORRECTION, 10:50 a.m., June 2, 2025: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to U.S. Highway 75 as Interstate 75.
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