VIRGINIA BEACH — This month marks one year since the opening of The Dome by Rutter Mills, the entertainment venue of the Atlantic Park project at the Oceanfront.
It’s hosted more than 100,000 fans and 15 sold-out shows, including hip-hop duo Clipse and rock band Turnover, as well as Shaboozey, Jon Pardi and Theresa Caputo.
Virginia Beach owns the venue, and Live Nation operates it. It can hold 3,500 people indoors and an additional 1,500 in the outdoor mini-amphitheater.
“The first year was amazing,” Matt Rogers, regional vice president of Live Nation, said this week. “Watching Atlantic Park develop around us and being a part of that momentum is really exciting for Year 2.”
Atlantic Park’s surf lagoon opened last August, followed by retail shops and multiple restaurants where concertgoers can enjoy a meal before a show.
“It’s become more of an entertainment destination now than the first year,” Rogers said.
The venue opened with a community event last May followed by its official first show featuring Three Dog Night, the last band to play in the original Dome in 1993.
“That was kind of a cool full circle moment for us,” Rogers said.
Louis Armstrong, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Chubby Checker and The Grateful Dead performed inside the original geodesic building, which was razed in 1994. The land was used as parking lots for years. In 2019, the city inked a development agreement with Venture Realty Group to build Atlantic Park. Virginia Beach native and celebrity Pharrell Williams is a partner.
As part of the $350 million public-private project, the City Council agreed to spend $55 million to build an entertainment venue reminiscent of the early Dome.
“They wanted something impactful and that added to the city of Virginia Beach’s culture,” said Deputy City Manager Amanda Jarratt.
The city also contributed to offsite infrastructure, parking and streetscapes. The total public contribution to Atlantic Park has exceeded $150 million.
Some of the revenue generated by ticket sales at the Dome is returned to the city. The total admission tax revenue received through ticket sales to date is roughly $843,000, according to the city.
The venue announced a multi-year naming rights partnership with Rutter Mills, a Hampton Roads-based personal injury law firm, in February.
The Dome by the numbers in its first year:
15 sellouts spanning comedy, country, hip-hop, rock and more
Upcoming shows at the Dome include Ari Lennox, Marcus King Band, Stephen Wilson Jr., Modest Mouse, Goose and Wilco.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, [email protected]
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