“What an amazing facility!”

says TDC Chairman Andy Phillips.

 

The Amphitheater at Panama City Beach’s Aaron Bessant Park is a 7,500 person venue with an expansive green festival lawn and hospitality amenities that cater to world-class acts and local performers in an intimate, open-air atmosphere.  The improvements include the amphitheater, a separate restroom facility with 56 stalls, and three new soccer fields, which have been stabilized to provide additional overflow parking during special events.  In addition to backstage amenities such as dressing rooms, “green” rooms, and restrooms, the amphitheater provides a solid infrastructure for simple unloading and set up by concert performers, with a built in loading dock and a support system pre-installed for lights and speakers. 

 

Acoustical concerns drove many design decisions, and detailed acoustical computer models were developed to ensure that the sound went towards the audience rather than out into the community.  The amphitheater was funded by a BP tourism grant provided to the City from the Bay County Tourist Development Council (TDC).  “Our role is to promote Panama City Beach as a tourist destination, and the amphitheater provides us a great venue to do it,” says Dan Rowe, Bay County TDC Director.