Sandstone Amphitheater facts for kids
| Former names | Sandstone Center for the Performing Arts (1983–93) Sandstone Amphitheater (1993–2002, 2008) Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (2002–07) Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone (2008-12) Cricket Wireless Amphitheater (2012-15) Providence Medical Center Amphitheater (2016-21) |
|---|---|
| Address | 633 North 130th Street Bonner Springs, Kansas 66012 |
| Coordinates | 39°06′50″N 94°52′36″W / 39.113796°N 94.876717°W |
| Owner | The Unified Government |
| Operator | New West Presentations |
| Type | Amphitheatre |
| Seating type | Reserved, box and lawn seating |
| Capacity | 18,000 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1984 |
| Opened | 1984 |
| Renovated | 2008, 2016 |
The Azura Amphitheater, also known as Sandstone Amphitheater, is a large outdoor concert place in Bonner Springs, Kansas, USA. It's owned by the government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. It shares its land with the Kansas City Renaissance Festival and the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame. It's also right next to the Wyandotte County Park.
Contents
About the Amphitheater
The Azura Amphitheater opened in 1984. It was first called the Sandstone Center for the Performing Arts. A company called Bird Engineering designed it.
In June 2002, its name changed to 'Verizon Wireless Amphitheater'. This happened because Verizon Wireless bought the right to name the venue for seven years. The company that managed the venue at the time was Clear Channel Entertainment. People who live nearby often just call it "Sandstone."
Management Changes
In September 2007, the company managing the venue, Live Nation, announced they would not continue their contract. This contract ended on December 31, 2007.
In January 2008, the local government made a deal with a company called New West Presentations, Inc. This company, run by Chris Fritz, started operating the venue. Under this new deal, the name went back to Sandstone.
Seating and Upgrades
Before 2008, the venue had 6,700 seats that you had to reserve. It also had a large grassy area where people could sit on the lawn.
In 2008, they made some changes. They removed most of the reserved seats closest to the stage. This area became a general admission section. This change allowed more fans to get closer to the performers. It also helped lower security costs.
Other improvements included a better VIP club area. They also put in new sound and video systems. The stage roof is 37 feet high, which can sometimes make it hard to book certain shows.
How the Name Changed
The amphitheater has had many different names since it first opened:
- Sandstone Center for the Performing Arts (from 1983 to 1993)
- Sandstone Amphitheater (from 1993 to 2002, and again in 2008)
- Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
- Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone
- Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
- Providence Medical Center Amphitheater (from 2016 to 2021)
- Azura Amphitheater (from 2021 to today)
See also
- List of contemporary amphitheatres
