ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A popular music venue in Albuquerque is expanding. Revel Entertainment is adding an outdoor amphitheater to their already established multi-room venue along the I-25 corridor. The Revel Amphitheater will be located in the open plot of land next to their existing building, adjacent to Topgolf.
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It’s something the owner said he saw a need for in the community. “A lot of artists prefer to play outdoors, and it’ll be scalable, which is cool,” Revel Entertainment Owner Daniel Chavez said. “We could go up or down and make it a very intimate outdoor setting if we want to do a salsa concert, or to move into the national touring bands that would come to these types of venues.”
The idea came from Daniel Chavez, owner of Revel Entertainment. The current indoor venue holds 3,000 people indoors with multiple rooms. But Chavez said he saw a hole in the community, and a need for a permanent outdoor concert venue in the central part of the city. The permanent outdoor amphitheater with a nearly 900-person capacity will soon have shovels in the ground. “I think there’s a lot of people doing outdoor events,” Chavez said. “But I also think they’re mobile stages. We’re going to be permanent.”
There are some preliminary design plans for the 9.5-acre plot of land by Montano and Alexander Boulevard, including concessions, multi-layer party decks, artificial turf, a playground, and more parking. “We’re going to be using cargo shipping containers, the new building type we’re seeing these days,” Chavez said.
He said he’s excited to attract larger artists who often want to play outdoors.
“There’s a lot of shows that will fit better in the outdoor venue than they would in the indoor venue,” Chavez said. “We want to make sure we’re covering that need for touring bands that need dressing rooms, bus parking, truck parking, that kind of stuff.”
Chavez is also excited about the opportunities a permanent outdoor venue can bring the local community. “We can do festival-type stuff and local battle of the bands,” Chavez said. “We can do country nights and that kind of stuff.”
It’s something the state wants to see more of. “Revel being in the creative industries and part of the creative fabric of our community,” Economic Development Department of New Mexico Creative Industries Division Director Shani Harvie said. “Seeing that Daniel’s taking those steps to do even more to provide those opportunities for artists and creatives is really exciting, and I’m excited to see what kind of local and national talent we’re getting.”
Chavez said he’s had his eyes on this land ever since he opened Revel in 2020. He put in an offer in 2021. But in 2022, it went to a different owner to become an indoor racing facility. But it was never built, and when it went back on the market eight months ago, he snatched it right up. “I’ve been doing concerts for 40-plus years,” Chavez said. “Now I can fulfill this part of my aspirations of owning an amphitheater as well as an inside venue.”
Last week, the City of Albuquerque’s Environmental Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the project, which was a big hurdle. But they still need building permits before construction can begin, and he is still searching for a general contractor for the project. “I think people understand the need for local businesses to grow and thrive, and I think the City of Albuquerque wants this type of stuff,” Chavez said.
Chavez said he hopes to have shovels in the ground in just 3-4 weeks, with an opening date planned for April 2027.
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