Editor's Note: This article has been updated to clarify the development history of the Ramona Avenue site and to reflect announced programming details for the Sac State partnership.
Sacramento State is bringing a San Francisco live-events operator into its orbit, naming NPU Live its official entertainment partner as a large new music venue takes shape on Ramona Avenue. The deal could turn a long-discussed industrial site near campus into a regular stage for concerts, homecoming events and other large gatherings.
The partnership includes homecoming events on Sac State-owned land at 3001 Ramona Avenue, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. NPU Live is also developing the Great World Co. music venue nearby, giving the company a role in both the venue project and university programming.
A Large Venue Is Taking Shape Near Campus
Great World Co. is planned across two existing warehouse properties at 2950 and 3250 Ramona Avenue. What Now Sacramento reported in May that the project could total roughly 30,000 square feet, with indoor and outdoor restaurants and room for concerts and large gatherings.
The same report said the venue could accommodate as many as 15,000 attendees and was targeting an opening near the end of 2026 or possibly January 2027. Plans also call for a regulation-size soccer field intended for league play, school practices, rugby tournaments and other community uses, making this more than a concert room with a very large guest list. According to NPU Live, the venue will feature two indoor performance spaces with a combined capacity of approximately 2,800 guests.
A New Chapter For A Long-Discussed Site
The Ramona Avenue warehouses have attracted entertainment development interest for several years. The city's environmental review for an earlier, separate proposal described a 6.36-acre redevelopment that would convert vacant industrial warehouses into a music hall, performing arts center and restaurants. The Sacramento planning document identified the 2950 Ramona building as the proposed concert hall and the 3250 Ramona building as support space for restaurants, dressing rooms and offices.
That prior proposal did not move forward. An investment group led by NPU Live's CEO Jordan Langer subsequently purchased the property, and the Great World Co. venue is now under construction. The Sac State partnership represents the university aligning itself with the new project as it moves toward opening, rather than simply booking a one-off show.
NPU Live Brings A Bay Area Event Playbook
NPU Live is the public-facing events brand of Non Plus Ultra, a company that says it has operated concerts, festivals and other large productions in distinctive Bay Area spaces. On its official website, the company lists work connected to venues including Pier 80, The Mint, SVN West, the Palace of Fine Arts and Discovery Meadow.
The company's specialty is turning unusual or underused properties into event destinations, a model that lines up neatly with Great World Co.'s warehouse conversion. For Sac State, the partnership could bring more ambitious entertainment programming closer to campus while giving NPU Live a foothold in Sacramento's growing live-event scene.
First Shows Announced For Homecoming Weekend
NPU Live and Sacramento State have announced the first concerts under the new partnership, set for Homecoming weekend in October. On Friday, October 16, multi-platinum, Grammy-winning DJ and producer Diplo will headline a show performing his country project Thomas Wesley, joined by country artist Dustin Lynch, singer-songwriter Karley Scott Collins and DJs WUKI, Nico Crespo and Chango. On Sunday, October 18, Mexican American EDM artist Deorro headlines a Latin-focused bill that includes Farruko, 3BallMTY, Jessica Audiffred, JUOS and Banda La Más Pedida Official.
Both concerts will take place on Sacramento State's Ramona property at 3001 Ramona Avenue, less than one mile from campus, and will complement a full weekend of Homecoming activities including the football game on Saturday. Students and alumni of Sacramento State are eligible for discounted tickets. Beyond Homecoming, NPU Live plans to host additional events each calendar year and is collaborating with the university to offer internships and a credit course for students interested in careers in live entertainment production and venue management.
If construction stays on track, Ramona Avenue could soon be competing with downtown Sacramento for some of the city's biggest nights out.
