A brief fire July 29 at the under-construction Farmer Music Center will not affect the venue’s planned spring 2027 opening, according to contractor Messer Construction.
Work has resumed on the $160 million music and entertainment venue next to Riverbend Music Center. Brian Campbell, Messer Construction’s vice president of operations, confirmed the project remains on schedule.
Colloquially referred to as “Riverbend 2.0,” the Farmer Music Center is expected to accommodate more than 20,000 people, including 8,000 reserved seats and a 12,000-capacity general admission lawn. Construction has been underway for more than a year, and an official preview of the venue was held in May.
The July 29 fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage after welding work ignited uninstalled roofing materials, The Enquirer reported. Forty firefighters from Cincinnati, Anderson Township and Union Township responded to the one-alarm fire, which was extinguished between 2:45 and 3 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati’s Farmer Music Center caught on fire. Will it open on time?
Reporting by Sydney Franklin, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

By Sydney Franklin, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
