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 Sandstone Amphitheater, also known as Azura Amphitheater, is a cool outdoor concert venue in Bonner Springs, Kansas, USA. It's a place where thousands of people gather to watch their favorite bands and artists perform live! The venue is owned by the local government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. It's even located next to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival and the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, making it part of a fun area.
History of the Amphitheater
The Sandstone Amphitheater first opened its doors in 1984. It was originally called the Sandstone Center for the Performing Arts. It was designed by a company called Bird Engineering.
Over the years, the venue's name changed several times. For example, in 2002, it became the 'Verizon Wireless Amphitheater'. This happened because a company called Verizon Wireless paid to have their name on the venue. This is called "naming rights." Even with the official name changes, many local people still just call it "Sandstone."
In 2008, a new company called New West Presentations, Inc., started managing the venue. They decided to change the name back to Sandstone. They also made some updates to the seating. Before, there were many reserved seats close to the stage. They removed most of these seats to create a "general admission" area. This means more fans could stand closer to their favorite performers!
Other updates included a better VIP club and new sound and video systems. The stage roof is 37 feet high, which is a bit lower than many other big venues. This sometimes made it tricky to book certain shows that needed more space.
How the Name Changed Over Time
The venue has had many different names since it first opened:
- Sandstone Center for the Performing Arts (1983 to 1993)
- Sandstone Amphitheater (1993 to 2002, and again in 2008)
- Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (2002 to 2007)
- Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone (2008 to 2012)
- Cricket Wireless Amphitheater (2012 to 2015)
- Providence Medical Center Amphitheater (2016 to 2021)
- Azura Amphitheater (its current name)
See also
- List of contemporary amphitheatres
