Mizner Reborn

The city of Boca Raton, Fla., is gearing up to promote the first major concert at Mizner Park Amphitheatre since taking over from Live Nation in October.

The venue reportedly has undergone more than $500,000 in upgrades since that time. Boca’s manager of cultural facilities, Chrissy Biagiotti hopes the April 6 concert with Furthur will spur new interest in Mizner Park.

“If Furthur goes well, I think that’s going to be a great kickoff to having more commercial acts here,” she told the Sun-Sentinel.

The amphitheatre could use the business. The city’s in the hole for the upgrades as well as about $900,000 it paid to take over the shed, the paper reported, and just covering operating costs could be a challenge.

“If we can book one or two commercial shows a month and maintain steady rentals, we could do it this year,” Biagiotti added. “But I’m not sure that’s even possible in this concert market.”

The city decided to take the reins at the venue after previous owner Schmidt Family Centre for the Arts financially stumbled and concerts booked by then-operator Live Nation dropped off.