ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – From above, it’s easy to get a glimpse of all the St. Augustine Amphitheatre has to offer. But a new report from Pollstar magazine shows 2019 is taking the venue to new heights.
The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is now ranked among the top open-air venues nationally and internationally. Pollstar magazine ranked it No. 2 in the United States and No.3 in the world based on ticket sales and revenue.
So far this year, the Amphitheatre has already brought in more than $3 million in revenue.
Gabe Pellicer is Interim Director for the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division. “To get to this point, it’s surprising. I think we were ranked fourth last year and we had a really big year. It was almost just like, ‘how would we ever better beat that year?'” Pellicer said.
With more than $3 million in revenue and over 74,000 tickets sold, the first half of this year has already set quite the stage. The Amphitheatre recently expanded its seating capacity to nearly 5,000 but has the ability to scale back for a more intimate setting. Plus, with its cool, authentic vibe around the stage and community, Pellicer said it’s a neat feel for the artists too.
“It’s so much like an escape, a vacation for them. Being back up to the state park, they have a chance to go to the beach. And it’s just not as busy as other venues,” Pellicer said.
He adds there’s always room for improvement. One of the things he will look at is improving food quality. Overall, there are no plans of slowing down the momentum.
“We look at it as, how can we improve our experience? How can we stay a community? And how can we make sure the locals are really proud of us?" Pellicer asked.
Things are going so well that according to Pellicer, the Amphitheatre doesn’t have enough open dates to fit in all the artists they'd like.
VIEW: Events at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre
The rest of 2019 is busy with Old Dominion, ZZ Top, and Elvis Costello among the artists lined up for later on this year.
