Amphitheatre Rises at Brevard Veterans Memorial Center as Venue Takes Shape at Merritt Island’s Veterans Memorial Park
By Space Coast Daily // August 15, 2025
on track for completion by late 2025
BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – Construction crews are pressing ahead on building the new outdoor amphitheatre at the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center/Veterans Memorial Park, a multi-year project that Brevard officials say will anchor a civic “downtown” for Merritt Island and create a countywide hub for concerts, ceremonies, and community events.
The venue, which broke ground on Oct. 29, 2024, is on track for completion by late 2025, with stakeholders aiming for a Veterans Day 2025 ribbon-cutting, weather and supply chains permitting.
The amphitheatre is the signature element of an 82-acre park expansion that has been years in the making. The project moved from planning into active construction after last fall’s groundbreaking, and updates from the Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency (MIRA), with the overall schedule pointing to late 2025 or early 2026 if weather delays intervene.
Design plans call for a 6,700-square-foot performance stage and a 1,700–2,300-square-foot concessions and restroom building, supported by upgrades such as lighting, sound, irrigation, utilities, and vendor/loading areas.
Tiered lawn seating is planned for roughly 2,350 people immediately in front of the stage, with adjacent park areas allowing total event capacity to exceed 5,000.
Project costs—estimated initially at a few million dollars before the pandemic—rose with expanded scope and construction inflation; current figures cited by county partners and local outlets place the budget around $8 million.
Funding is a patchwork of local and state sources, including Tourist Development Council (TDC) grants, initially $1.2 million in 2020, amended by the Brevard County Commission in August 2024 to $2.5 million using the county’s 5% Tourist Development (bed) Tax.
In addition, MIRA contributions will total several million dollars toward land acquisition, park improvements, and the amphitheatre itself. State funding includes a $1 million Florida Department of Commerce grant.
The amphitheatre will be both a veterans-focused ceremonial space and an economic driver.
MIRA projects thousands of annual room nights tied to performances and festivals, helping fill hotels and restaurants along the Space Coast while giving Brevard a centrally located, outdoor venue sized for symphonies, patriotic observances, graduations, and touring acts.
The Veterans Memorial Park—67 acres along Sykes Creek, operated with the Veterans Memorial Center—already hosts walking trails, a boardwalk, fishing spots and the county’s well-attended Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances.
