Crews could start work as early as next week at the William A. Floyd Amphitheater in Anderson County, kicking off a major overhaul designed to turn the long-dormant venue into a magnet for touring musicians. The amphitheater has sat unused for about a year while county officials worked out a plan to modernize it, and that plan now carries a $12.6 million price tag funded through a county bond.
According to WYFF4, Anderson County Councilman Chris Sullivan said the bond will fund several projects, including the amphitheater upgrades, and that the finished venue will look significantly different once the work wraps up. Sullivan told the station that promoters have long complained the current amphitheater, which can hold between 10,000 and 15,000 people, is simply too large for most touring artists, who typically draw crowds of just 2,500 to 3,500. The fix, he said, is shrinking the footprint rather than the ambition.
A Venue Redesigned to Feel Smaller
The upgrade plans call for moving the audience area closer to the stage, replacing the old bring-your-own-chair lawn setup with a permanent seating area, and adding VIP sections, per the same WYFF4 report. The redesigned venue will also include men's and women's restrooms and a backstage area for performers, upgrades the current facility has lacked. Anderson County leaders say the changes are meant to bring more concerts and entertainment to the area, not just refresh an aging community space.
The physical centerpiece of that redesign is a 4,000-square-foot mass timber bandshell built with Cross-Laminated Timber, designed by architectural firm Goodwyn Mills Cawood alongside structural engineering firm Britt, Peters & Associates. Satchel Construction LLC was selected as the contractor to install the new stage structure, according to Britt, Peters and Associates. The William A. Floyd Amphitheater opened in 1999 as part of the 300-acre Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center off Interstate 85 between Charlotte and Atlanta, and it was dedicated that May in memory of William A. Floyd, the first African-American elected to the Anderson County Council, who championed the creation of the complex, according to the Historical Marker Database.
Peachtree Entertainment's Five-Year Bet
The overhaul is tied to a five-year exclusive partnership between Anderson County and Nashville-based promoter Peachtree Entertainment, finalized by the county council in July, according to The Anderson Observer. The deal included a $250,000 signing incentive due by August 1, with another $250,000 payment scheduled for June 2027, and it automatically terminates after 50 total concert dates, though it carries a five-year extension option. Peachtree is committing $2.5 million in financial and cultural support to the venue over the life of the contract, the outlet reports.
Under the agreement, Peachtree will handle parking, refreshments and sales at the venue, according to WYFF4, and the promoter is expected to secure 10 to 15 concert dates, delivering eight to 10 multi-genre shows a year. Sullivan described Peachtree as one of the top three promoters in the South. Founded in 2013 and led by CEO Nathan Baugh, Peachtree operates in a joint venture with LiveCo and produced more than 250 concerts and 17 festivals nationwide in 2025, according to Pollstar, with national festival brands including Rock The South and Rock The Country in its portfolio.
Building on an Existing Relationship
Anderson County and Peachtree aren't strangers. The promoter previously brought its two-day Rock the Country festival to the Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center in July 2024 and July 2025, featuring headliners such as Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert. That track record appears to have paved the way for the broader amphitheater deal now underway.
Sullivan said concerts could begin in an April-May 2027 timeframe, and Peachtree is expected to release its concert lineup in February 2027. County leaders are hoping the new venue, if it delivers as planned, will draw an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 ticket buyers to Anderson County annually, according to The Anderson Observer.
Part of a Bigger Economic Push
The amphitheater renovation didn't happen in isolation. County council approved it alongside other major economic development agreements during the same July meeting, including a $150 million expansion by medical manufacturer Arthrex expected to add 400 jobs, and a $31 million upgrade from International Vitamin Corporation, per The Anderson Observer. Anderson County, home to an estimated 217,183 residents as of July 2024, funds regional tourism projects through state Accommodations Tax grants, which support travel-related initiatives across the county.
Before its yearlong pause, the amphitheater still had some big nights left in it. In September 2025, it hosted a record crowd of more than 11,000 people for the 26th annual Celebrate Anderson festival, featuring R&B group Kool & the Gang, a free community event backed by sponsors including Michelin and Arthrex. How that kind of free, open tradition fits alongside a new paid-ticket, fixed-seating layout remains to be seen as the redesign moves forward.
