EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) – Since the City of Evansville announced they had received a proposal from a Terre Haute entertainment facility to lease and revive the Mesker Amphitheatre last September, details surrounding the project have been lacking, until Mayor Stephanie Terry referenced the future of the amphitheater in her State of the City address.
“We’ve heard loud and clear about the interest in reviving Mesker Amphitheatre,” says Mayor Terry on May 19, 2026. “Recognizing the city cannot take on a project of that size alone, we issued an RFP last year to explore partnership opportunities. Even with those efforts, financing challenges at that location remain.”
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The amphitheatre last hosted a major concert in 2009 before closing to the public in 2012. Now the property sits abandoned, overgrown and in some spots in ruins, where time appears undefeated.
In July of 2025, the city opened an RFP, or “Request for Proposal”, opening the possibility of revitalizing the former entertainment center, giving an August deadline to receive offers. By September of 2025, the city announced only one was submitted, coming from the owner of The Mill, an outdoor concert facility in Terre Haute…